Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“My dad needs me to go to Vegas,” he says. “He’d go, but he hasn’t handled anything regarding this property, so he wouldn’t know where to start, and they’re not telling him much over the phone, except they were digging at the site and something happened, causing the county to issue a cease and desist. I’m going to meet our attorney there to get it all sorted. If I could send someone else, I would, but…”
“It’s okay,” I insist. “It’s part of the job.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promises. “But while I’m gone, can I call you?”
The pleading in his tone has me saying, “Of course.”
I’m so confused about where we stand, but one thing I know is that I need to stop avoiding him. No matter what happens, he’s the father of my baby, and we’re going to be in each other’s life for a long time.
And then a thought hits me. “Will you be back for my twenty-week appointment?”
“That’s not for over a week.” He scoffs. “There’s no way I’ll be gone that long. From what my dad said, there’s a snag with the county. Probably a permit that wasn’t filed correctly. If all goes well, I should be back in a few days at most.” He leans in and presses a kiss to my temple. “And when I get back, we’re going to talk about us, Paige.”
chapter twenty-four
PAIGE
“Good morning, beautiful.”
I smile into the phone at Nate. He’s been gone for four days, and every day, he’s made it a point to video-call me in the morning and evening.
“Good morning,” I say back, rolling to my side and snuggling into my pillow. “How’s it going?”
Nate’s brows pinch together at my question, and my stomach knots at the look of distress on his face.
“Not good,” he admits. “When I arrived, they notified me that they had found bones, but this morning, they confirmed they’re human.”
“What?” I sit up in shock. “Like people bones?”
I scrunch my nose up in disgust, and Nate chuckles.
“Yeah, tests came back positive for human DNA. Everything has been shut down while they investigate.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. Do you really want to build a hotel on top of a murder scene?”
Nate barks out a laugh and shakes his head. “Yes, we do. Otherwise, hundreds of jobs will be lost on top of the millions of dollars in man hours we’ve already spent on this project. Right now, we’re hoping the bones are from a murder and not part of an Indian burial ground because if they turn out to be from an Indian tribe, we’re fucked.”
“When will you know?”
“Hopefully in the next few days.”
“You still awake?”
“No, you’re talking to a sleeping person,” I joke, making Nate chuckle.
He has dark circles under his eyes, his hair is a mess like he’s been running his fingers through it all day, his suit is rumpled, and his tie is barely hanging on, yet he’s calling me to say good night.
I hate that he’s being stretched so thin, but when I told him he doesn’t need to call me every day, twice a day, he told me talking to me was the best parts of his day, so how could I deny him that? Besides, if I’m honest with myself, it’s the best parts of mine as well.
It’s been eight days since he left, and I’m missing him more than I thought I would. Since he’s come back into my life, the longest we’ve gone being apart has been the few days I avoided him after the partnership and marketing plan were finalized.
Missing him has me wanting to tell him I want to give us a chance because the thought of us not being together physically hurts my heart, and the idea of him listening to me and going back to Dallas makes me feel sick to my stomach. But then I remember how upset his brother Dustin was about Nate walking away from the company, and I’m at a loss as to what the right thing to do is.
The problem is, Nate being gone and calling me twice a day has given us the chance to talk. While I’ve been worried about Nate feeling forced into moving to Rosemary—despite him saying he doesn’t feel that way—he’s done a damn good job of proving otherwise, which is making it really hard for me to continue to keep him at an arm’s length. I’m worried that once he comes back, I’m going to selfishly give in and give us a chance because the truth is, that’s what I want. I want Nate here, with me, and not just because he’s the father of my baby, but also because I love him and can see a future with him. But more than that, I can’t see a future without him.