Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
He lets out a soft sigh. It’s a happy sound. “This is my favorite room in the house.”
I step inside and hold my arms wide, absorbing the warmth. For some people, they feel a sense of serenity when they step into a church. For me, it’s always been libraries and bookstores.
Spying the cat tree in the corner of the room, I frown. I don’t remember seeing a litter box or any evidence of a cat since I’ve stepped into the house. “You don’t have a cat.”
“Who knows?” He gives me a grin. “Mr. Darcy might want to visit one day.”
I knew he was trying to get on my cat’s good side, but I don’t comment on that. Mr. Darcy and I will be having a conversation about loyalty later. For now, I step around one of the piles of boxes. There are so many cardboard boxes in his library. “More books, I take it.”
He gives me a rueful smile. “You’d be right. The library was the last room to complete. I needed it to be perfect. Now that it is…”
I survey the room with my hands on my hips. “We should start with unpacking the boxes and gathering all of the books from the rest of the house. Once we see what you have, we can start making other decisions like what furniture to add to the room.”
He nods and together, we collect the books from the various rooms. He has volumes on astronomy, deep space exploration, physics, and chemistry.
“Have you read all of these?” I ask as I place one stack on a low bookshelf.
“I’m not stupid,” he says the words so quietly that I almost miss them. But when I register what he said, I turn to him.
“They said I was stupid. That’s—that’s why I deserved it.” He nods to the bookcases, a grown man trying to reassure himself that he’s no longer a helpless kid. “I’m not stupid.”
I’ve been trying so hard to hold my feelings for this cowboy at bay. Trying to avoid being hurt but the look on his face has my resolve crumbling.
I set the books down and step forward until I’m melting against him, my arms going around his midsection. “You didn’t deserve it.”
For a split second, I think I did the wrong thing but then he’s wrapping his arms around me.
I press my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
We stand hugging each other for a long moment until finally I disentangle myself.
“Thanks,” his voice is gruff when he says the word. He goes to ruffle my hair, and I duck.
Fury crosses his features. “Who hurt you?”
I realize what he’s thinking and shake my head. “My scalp is sensitive.” Before I can second guess myself, I blurt out, “I have alopecia.”
He studies me for a long moment before he finally says, “I don’t know what that is.”
I feel sick to my stomach, the same way I did in fourth grade when the other girls made fun of me after the teacher insisted I couldn’t wear a hat indoors. “It’s an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. Basically, I started losing my hair as a kid and now I barely have any at all. I’m bald.”
I gesture to my head as if he doesn’t know where my wig is located. I fight the urge to crawl under a rock as I explain, “I was always the odd one out. Never quite fit in as the balding kid at school then as the foster kid that could never find a home.” I shrug, trying to tuck away a lifetime of cruel taunts and insults. “It’s hard to be the only one that’s different.”
Finally, I risk a glance at his face. His eyes are filled with compassion, not horror or disgust like I expected.
He cups my cheeks in his big hands and tips my face up. “This doesn’t change anything for me. I like you, Lizzy. I couldn’t give a damn about your hair or lack of it.”
I swallow hard, my heart skipping a beat. “If it really doesn’t bother you, then I’ll go out with you. But just one date, Noah. I’m not making promises.”
The smile that lights up his face is brighter than the sun. “One date is all I need to make you fall in love with me.”
He doesn’t realize I’m already falling for him. I just hope I don’t regret it when he decides he doesn’t want me.
Chapter 7
Noah
She’s just like me. That’s what I realized about Lizzy when we were working in my library. She’s spent her whole life hiding behind books, same as I have. Together, we’ll heal and raise little bookworms of our own. But they won’t feel the need to hide from the world. They won’t be afraid that love is conditional or believe they have to earn their way. No, our kids will know all the love in the world.