Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
I try to cover my face with my hands, turned on and blushing from his actions and words, but he stops me, shaking his head.
“No hiding,” he reminds me, leaning down to nip at my bottom lip as a reprimand.
As I lie there, cradled in his arms, there’s no way I can deny it. I’m falling for this man. Falling hard and fast.
When we land, there’s a car waiting for us again. The luxury of Damien’s lifestyle compared to my bare-bones living is still a shock to me, and the idea of going back to normal life after this whirlwind of a trip makes me droop like an under watered plant. I like living in this magical bubble with Damien, and it’s hard to want to return to normality.
As Damien’s holding the door open for me, his phone begins to ring. I wave off his apology while he answers, sliding into the leather seats of the car to give him privacy. Deciding I may as well use this time to catch up with my own family, I turn my phone off flight mode and call my grandmother.
She answers quickly, her voice cheery when she realizes it’s me calling. She asks where I’ve been, and I feel myself blush as I tell her a little about Damien. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a man to tell her about, and she asks me everything. My grandma is basically a mom to me, and I can’t help but grin as I tell her about Damien, and she tells me she’s so excited for me.
“You better bring that boy to meet me,” she tells me, putting on her best do as your told voice. She might be in a retirement community, but she’s just as strong-minded and opinionated as ever. Her body might be getting frailer, in need of help that the facility can provide her, but her mind’s as sharp as ever, which she demonstrates by grilling me about every detail of who Damien is.
“I will at some point, I promise,” I tell my grandma. “How about I come visit you this weekend? I’m overdue for a visit.”
“Yes, you are, missy,” my grandma agrees. “I don’t see nearly enough of my favorite granddaughter.”
I snort with laughter. “I’m your only granddaughter, Gamma.”
“Still my favorite,” she maintains, humor in her voice.
“I’ll come see you on Saturday, okay?” I say, missing her too.
“See you then, honey. Love you.”
“Love you, Grandma,” I say back, then hang up.
Damien’s still on his call outside, so I take the time to text my brother to check in with him. He answers quickly, and I tell him my plans to go see our grandma at the weekend. He suggests coming too, and I smile, excited to see him. With him being in college, he’s so busy all the time it feels like I haven’t seen him properly in ages. We agree to meet at the retirement facility on Saturday, and by the time Damien gets back in the car, I’m smiling and excited to see my family. They mean the absolute most to me, and I’ve always been close to them. I work so hard to support them because I love them, and I want to make sure they have the best.
Speaking to them reminds me of that love and that motivation, and between them and Damien, I feel insanely happy and grateful.
7
DAMIEN
Neither of us can stand to be apart from the other, so Delaney stays at mine after a quick stop at her apartment to grab clothes and supplies for work the next day. Delaney is exhausted from the trip, so after I get some food into her and give her one of my t-shirts to use as pajamas, we fall into bed.
I sleep sounder than ever, with her curled up against me, holding her close the entire night. I wake before her, taking a moment to examine how beautiful she is in the early morning light. Her blonde hair is a halo around her head, splayed out on the pillow, strands of it resting against my shoulder and chest. Her eyes flutter a little as she dreams, lashes casting a shadow on her cheeks. She’s warm and soft against me, and it pains me to pull away from her. But it won’t be long before she has to get up and get ready for work, and I want her to wake up to coffee and breakfast.
The urge to take care of her, to look after my girl, is as instinctual as breathing, as impossible to ignore as the need to eat or drink. It’s in my bones, part of who I am.
I slip out of the sheets, disturbing my dreaming Delaney as little as possible, and quickly pull on a pair of sweatpants before heading to the kitchen. The noise of the coffee grinder fills the air along with the rich, dark scent of coffee, and I inhale deeply. I set about the routine of frothing milk and pulling espresso shots, making two coffees, and adding two spoons of sugar to Delaney’s.