Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Nico, the team owner, comes out wearing shorts with pineapples on them and a button-down shirt opened all the way down, showing you his defined abs. He’s one of the youngest owners out there, and I heard he’s a bitch to work for. But isn’t anyone who is running a business? He walks over to Ralph, smiling, and they shake hands and then go in for a side hug. I see him put out his hand and smile at the both of them. He uses his index finger to tap Ariella on the nose. I turn my head to the right when I hear my name being called.
I walk up to a couple of people and say hello as I make my rounds to greet everyone I know. By the time I get to the awning where I last saw Ralph, I’m dying for something cold to drink. This Texas heat is too much for me. Nico spots me and walks over. “Hey there,” he says, kissing me on my cheek. “It’s so great to see you.”
“Thank you,” I say, smiling at him. “I came with Miller.” I want him to know that I didn’t just show up randomly.
“You are always welcome,” he says, grabbing a water bottle and handing it to me. “I heard your brother was in town.”
“Yeah,” I say, smiling, and my heart hurts a bit now knowing that he’s gone, and I won’t see Zoey for a couple of weeks. Which is another reason I said yes to coming to this thing. I always get depressed when she goes home. “They left two days ago.”
“I saw him when he was down and tried to get him to come back to us,” he says, smiling, and I see that his blue eyes light up just thinking about it.
“I don’t know if Matthew would allow that to happen.” I laugh now. “We all know he wants the Cup back in New York.”
“I hate to say it, but he has the team to do it. Especially now with Justin there, that team is a powerhouse,” he admits. “I have to go check and make sure my guests are okay.” He nods. “I’ll catch you later. Please make yourself at home.”
After he walks away, I turn to go inside to the cool air and to also use the bathroom. I hear wailing as soon as I open the door and walk into the house, which leads directly to the kitchen. “I know.” I hear Ralph saying, and then I spot him standing in front of the sink as he warms up her bottle. “You’re hungry. I get it.” He bounces her up and down, and then he must feel my eyes on him because he looks up.
“Hey,” I say, putting down my bag on the table and then walking to them. “Do you want me to take her?” I ask, and he looks at me and then looks down at Ariella, who is just screaming as loud as she can.
“I don’t know if it will help,” he says, and I reach out and grab her from him.
“Hey there, pretty girl,” I say softly and look down to see big tears coming out of her eyes. “What is all this crying about?” I ask her as I lay her down in my arms and put the pacifier in her mouth. She stops crying to suck on it, and she looks at me. “You know that your dad won’t let you cry if he could help it.” I bounce her and walk away from Ralph.
“What is this pretty headband?” I ask her as her chest trembles up and down as she sucks on the pacifier. “Now that’s better,” I say, and she just blinks her eyes at me. Then she kicks her feet, fed up with the pacifier, and starts crying again.
“Shh, shhh, shhh, shhh,” I say, picking her up straight now and putting her on my hip, bouncing her up and down as I walk around the house with her. “Look at the colors,” I say, pointing at one of the paintings on the wall. She turns her head and looks and then wails. I feel Ralph beside me, and I look at the bottle in his hand. “Do you want her?”
“I actually need to go to the bathroom,” he says, handing me the bottle. “Can you try to feed her? I’ll take her as soon as I come out.”
“Of course,” I say, grabbing the bottle from him and ignore the goose bumps that run up my arm when he touches me. Turning around, I walk over to a chair and take a seat. Then I hold up the bottle. “Is this what you want?” I ask, ignoring the eyes watching me. I offer her the bottle, and she opens her mouth and sighs as she drinks it. My hand holds up the bottle as I rub her chubby soft cheek with my finger.