Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
And my heart grows a little bigger, lost in the good times with my boyfriend and Molly, the dog runs and home-cooked dinners and three-hour ecstasies in bed that take me on a tour through every tier of heaven and send me gliding back home to his arms.
Holy hell.
My boyfriend.
I’m still getting used to that.
Once we wrap up all the police interviews and Adriana gets formally charged with the world's creepiest mugshot, Shepherd surprises me with a trip to Hawaii.
My family’s place is in Kona on the Big Island, so it’s nice to bum around Maui instead. We go diving and snorkeling, then we enjoy a sunset picnic on top of Mount Haleakalā.
When I post snippets of my new life for my fans—which have exploded since the truth about our little near-disaster came out—I don’t hide anything.
I just wish Shepherd was a little less scowly when I drag him into a few shots.
What can I say, he’s man candy for my lady followers. I also don’t mind showing the whole world he’s mine.
I deserve one indulgence after everything we've been through.
And I get one more when Shepherd practically drags me onto the ferry to Lanai one day for a sunset dinner overlooking a beach bursting with sea turtles.
“They’ve been an important part of your life,” he explains, reaching over to gently finger my turtle necklace. “If I’ve got to share you with anything that has a shell, I’ll damn well make sure you’re spending time with both of us.”
“You’re jealous of my turtles? Really?”
One look at his gruff face leaves me in stitches.
And there’s a lot more laughing and a few more tears as we flop down on a hill with a blanket, watching the turtles lounging under the stars, and I share everything.
I tell him how the necklace was the only thing I had left of my mom, and when the original was stolen, my stepmom jumped in to find a replacement that was just as meaningful.
You can’t hold on to material symbols, no matter how rare or special they are.
That’s how I learned it’s the meaning behind them that lasts, the memories and feelings and soul.
And even if he doesn’t know it, he’s giving me a thousand more as I rest my head on his shoulder, watching the turtles move like beautiful black animated stones on the beach.
“Never thought I'd say it, but I’ve had my fill of turtles for one evening. Thank you again for... for everything. For loving me,” I whisper.
“Dess, you make it too easy.” Growling, he rolls until he’s on top of me, pressing me down into the sand under the blanket. “Since you’ve already got that necklace and you'll put up a fight if I mark your neck, will you settle for a kiss?”
I answer with a smile, wrapping my hands around his neck and bringing his hungry lips to mine.
I’m just not sure if I’ll ever understand how I deserve so much love from a man overflowing with this much passion.
It’s not all fun and games and turtle picnics ending in honey-sweet kisses, though.
Honestly, the one thing that risks throwing a wrench in what we’ve built is the day when Shepherd meets my dad.
People know Cole Lancaster for his business record first and his stormy temperament second. In the coffee world, he’s somewhere between just king and king-sized jerk.
To me, he’s always been a softie who never gets tired of hearing me joke about the grey in his hair and the way he moons over Eliza.
But I’ve never brought a boy home before.
Certainly not a man who’s almost twice my age, and closer to Dad’s.
When I was a kid, he used to have conniption fits over the distant possibility that anyone would want to date me someday.
I’m not a flighty teenager anymore, but somehow his overprotective dad side still hasn’t gotten the message.
And even though Shepherd is ready to be perfectly diplomatic the second we walk through Dad’s door, I know he’s guarded in his own way while I’m drowning in nerves.
Hey, it’s not like I left everything to chance.
I gave Dad a heads-up about what to expect.
I mean, the fact that the rumors were kind of true and I’m really dating Shepherd now got this off to a rocky start from day one.
Not an excellent sign.
At least they made it through one phone call without breaking into a screaming match, though. I’d like to think that the whole saving my life thing bought Shepherd a crumb of goodwill—or at least a teeny-tiny chance to explain himself in front of a one-man firing squad.
I’m expecting Eliza to fling the door open with a sunny hug and a dozen questions, but it doesn’t happen.
It’s just Dad who bellows “come” the second he sees us step up to the door.
He’s waiting for us in the hall, arms folded in a white button-down with his sleeves rolled up.