Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
“And are you friends?”
“Yes. Sort of. Okay, not really.” We didn’t joke and laugh together. Didn’t have meaningful conversations. Didn’t reach out to each other throughout the day by phone. “But we’ll get there eventually.”
I’d made the occasional overture, but he begged off whenever I suggested we go for a meal or to the movies. He didn’t accept my invitations to watch TV with me. He redirected the conversation if I brought up a too-personal subject matter. And if I texted him during the day with random news, he never texted me back; he waited until we were both home and then responded verbally.
In other words, at the moment, we were pretty much bed-buddies who lived together.
“Maybe things will change once you’re more comfortable with each other,” Sabrina suggested. “You’ve only been married, what, three weeks? Not that it isn’t possible to build a friendship within that timeframe, but it often takes a lot longer.”
“Yup, especially when you’re dealing with someone as insular as Dax.” Stopping at a red light, I cast her a sideways glance. “Did you really think he was homophobic?”
“No, I thought he probably just didn’t like either me or Tamara.”
I frowned. “Then why didn’t you just say that?”
“I felt like being dramatic. You know how I am.”
I rolled my eyes. “You were never right in the head. Even when we were kids, something was wrong upstairs. We all saw it.”
She smiled. “You love me anyway.”
“I don’t know what it says about me but, yeah, I do.”
Once I’d dropped her off at the parking lot outside our office building, I drove straight home. Pulling up outside the villa, I saw a familiar car parked beside Dax’s vehicle. I knew the car belonged to Blake, so he was either here alone or with Kensey.
They came to visit regularly, as did my own parents. They were all basically keeping an eye on things and making sure Dax and I weren’t already on the path to divorce.
My sisters—who loved the villa and were thrilled whenever I invited them over for a girls’ night in—also came often to check how I was doing. But, unlike my parents and Ollie, they didn’t come expecting to discover that the marriage was beginning to go sour. My sisters were far more positive about the whole thing.
Entering the house, I heard muffled voices coming from further inside. I tracked them to the kitchen. Both Dax and Blake sat at the table, a steaming mug in front of them.
As they looked my way, I smiled and said a simple, “Hey.”
Blake’s answering smile was strained and distant. “Hello, Addison,” he greeted politely. “You look well.”
“As do you.”
“Want coffee?” Dax asked me.
I gave a brief shake of my head. “I’m good, thanks.” I would have stuck around and chatted with Blake awhile if his body language wasn’t so stiff and … not quite unwelcoming, but unreceptive. He might be perfectly civil toward me, but he hadn’t quite accepted me yet. “I’ll be in my office if you need me,” I told Dax. With a quick wave to Blake, I left the room.
In my office, I set down both my satchel and purse and then roughly kicked off my shoes. Though I’d known to expect this, it was somewhat annoying that both my father and Blake persisted on withholding their blessing when it came to the marriage. What was the point in it? Any silent protests would amount to absolutely nothing—the deed was done, the papers were signed, the vows were taken. Done deal.
I reached into my purse to dig out my phone … and failed to find it. Remembering I’d left it in one of my car’s cupholders, I padded out of the room. As I neared the kitchen, Blake’s voice drifted to me …
“I don’t have a problem with her, son. She seems like a nice girl.”
I stopped where I was, placing my hand on the hallway wall.
“My problem is you’re both stuck in a marriage where you’re each competing with a ghost,” Blake added.
I frowned. Uh, I wouldn’t have said that. I didn’t compare Dax and Lake at all. I didn’t cling to Lake to avoid moving on. But … I couldn’t be sure Dax operated the same way, could I?
“That’s not good for either of you,” Blake went on.
“Neither is wandering through life alone,” said Dax.
I silently winced. His failure to deny the whole “competing with a ghost” thing … yeah, ouch.
A sigh. “Couldn’t you have at least picked a woman from your past who actually feels something for you? Like Angel, or maybe—?”
“Dad, what’s done is done. There’s no point to this conversation.”
Absolutely no point. And who the hell was Angel?
“It can be undone,” Blake persisted. “There’s such a thing as divorce, you know.”
“Yes, there is. But I don’t want one.” A long pause. “What’s your real issue with Addison being my choice?”