Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 142818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Before I could even process what was happening, tears were spilling down my cheeks.
He wiped them away as they escaped without my consent.
“It’s the hormones,” I blubbered.
“Baby, you didn’t shed a single tear, not one since you had your life turned upside down two years ago,” Elden said gently, not knowing about the breakdown in the closet. “And crying doesn’t make you weak.”
I scowled at him. “Well how come I’ve never seen you cry?”
“Watch Up with me, I’ll cry on command,” he smiled down at me.
I gasped. “I don’t even know where to start with that… you willingly watched an animated movie to begin with or that’s what makes you cry.”
His eyes twinkled. “Well, you’ve got a lifetime to discover that, and more.”
“A lifetime?” my breathing quickened.
His expression turned serious. “Violet, I would not have taken you raw, would not have fucked you, if I didn’t intend on being the only man doin’ that for the rest of your life.”
More tears wet my cheeks.
Today had been a lot. A whole lot. Elden was just verbalizing what I already knew in my heart to be true. Despite that, despite what my mother said today, despite everything, it still terrified me.
Which I guessed was the point. If you weren’t afraid, you weren’t living.
“Since I found out the truth about my father, I’ve felt a sense of guilt because of what my mother lived through to give me what I had,” I whispered, staring at Elden even though I itched to turn my gaze away from him. “On a wider scale, I have so much more than the generations of women who came before me. To give myself the title of ‘Old Lady’ and nothing else does a disservice to everything I thought embodied my character my whole life.”
I took in a ragged breath, looking to the ceiling.
“But…” I forced myself to meet the eyes of the man I loved. “I don’t give a fuck about being extraordinary. I just want to be yours.”
Elden’s lips landed on mine. I kissed him hungrily.
“You’re mine, and I’m yours,” he promised.
And he spent the rest of the night proving that.
We woke up together the next morning. I did not sneak out. But Elden had. I woke up to his lips on my forehead and the smell of coffee. He was dressed and holding two cups of coffee from Julian’s.
“Okay, I’m officially glad you impregnated me,” I mumbled, still half asleep.
Elden gifted me with a dazzling grin as I sat up, handing me the coffee cup.
“And he smiles,” I added, cradling the cup and letting its warmth seep into my bones. But the majority of the warmth filling me wasn’t from the coffee. It was all because of Elden’s smile. It would take some getting used to, seeing him like this. It was utterly wonderful, but I couldn’t help feeling tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“You’re happy,” I pointed out.
“You’re in my bed,” Elden kissed my forehead. “And you are pregnant with my baby.
“And that’s all it takes to make you happy?”
His eyes were glittery and stormy at the same time. “No, it’s everything I need to make me happy.”
My stomach did a flip. Which definitely had to do with what he said … and maybe a little bit to do with morning sickness.
“If you’re happy then maybe I can convince you to reconsider your plans for the day,” I said after taking a sip and placing my cup on the side table while my stomach decided whether it was going to expel it or absorb it.
“You mean my plans for eating you for breakfast then fucking you after that?” Elden moved the comforter back to expose my bare legs and how his tee had ridden up past my waist.
Elden spread my legs apart, his hands creeping up the inside of my thighs.
“Okay, I’d really like that,” I murmured, my eyes already rolling to the back of my head. “If you promise not to talk to Swiss today,” I added while I still had coherent thought.
Elden’s hands stopped moving.
I scowled at him.
“You’re not changing my mind on that, Violet.”
My scowl turned into a pout.
His mouth turned up. “That’s not gonna work either.”
“Why can’t we just enjoy a day together that’s … normal?” I whined.
“Because things aren’t normal with us. And whatever will pass for normal can only happen once we’re not keepin’ this a secret from the club and from your stepfather.” His lips were a thin line. “This is real now, Violet.”
I sat up farther in bed, thinking his plans for the morning may not be happening due to the turn of the conversation.
“I know it’s real, Elden,” I groused, snatching my coffee.
He frowned at me over his own. “This being real means me having a difficult conversation and maybe a fistfight with Swiss.”
“A fistfight?” I gasped, almost choking on my coffee.