Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
This little boy would randomly come and sit with him. He was a cute kid, and if Roman was being honest, the longer he spent at the orphanage, all the kids were starting to grow on him.
He liked being around them. Even at breakfast and at dinner, when they were all arguing about what they wanted to eat. Millie would randomly visit with baked goodies, and he’d started to develop a sweet tooth.
Did he want to lie to the kid?
“I don’t know what love is,” Roman said. “Do you?”
Stuart sighed.
He found it cute that he tried to seem tough, worldly even.
“Yeah, I know love,” Stuart said, in his adorable young voice. Words that he shouldn’t be able to speak, but he knew Alex and the other kids had a play in helping this boy. “Alex makes you feel love.”
“What is love though, kid?” he asked. “You can’t touch it or see it.”
Stuart pursed his lips. “You’re wrong,” he said after several seconds had passed.
“I don’t think so, kid.”
The young boy smiled. “Alex. You can see her. She is real. She loves a lot, and you can see it. When she hugs me and kisses my cheek, I feel it. Alex is full of love.”
Roman stared at his wife and knew the kid was right.
“You’re right,” he said, ruffling his head.
“You love her, but you don’t realize it yet. Alex has a way of making you love her.”
“Oh, yeah, how does she do that?” Roman asked, and he couldn’t believe he was listening to a kid for advice.
“She doesn’t give up on you, and she doesn’t force it.” Stuart got to his feet, and much to Roman’s surprise, he hugged him tightly before running off to join in the fun.
Alex tapped out, laughing and a little out of breath.
Roman held up a glass of fresh water, and she came toward him to take it and sip at it.
“Thanks. It has been too long since I’ve been chasing after kids,” she said, hand on hip.
“You should be taking it easy.”
“The doctor gave me the all-clear. I do not need to worry, trust me.”
“I worry, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“I won’t, I promise.” She sat down beside him. “I saw Stuart coming to say hi. How was he?”
“I honestly don’t know. Is that a good thing?” he asked.
She started to laugh. “Stuart’s a good kid. He doesn’t trust easily, but he gave you a hug. That is a big thing in his world. It means he does trust you, a little.” She held her fingers close together.
“Ah, just a little though.”
“You don’t want to push it,” she said, laughing.
“You love all of them, don’t you?” he asked.
At first, he thought it was just Stuart, but he came to realize she loved all of them. They were a part of her life. Stuart just needed a little extra help, but she was here for all of them, and what Roman liked was that they all adored her.
“Yeah, I do. They’re good kids. I wish I could give them what they want.”
“And what’s that?” he asked.
“A family. Parents. You know, the security of knowing they’re being taken care of.”
“You can have that,” Roman said.
“I can’t, my dad, he said I can’t do it.”
“And you’re with me now, Alex. I’m not your dad, and if you want us to have these kids, and to help raise them, then I don’t see why we can’t,” Roman said.
Alex turned toward him, her eyes wide. “Don’t do that,” she said.
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Let me look into it. I’ll make the arrangements, and we can adopt them, give them the proper life you want. You know, all of it,” he said.
Roman didn’t even know where this was coming from, he just knew he wanted her to be happy, and the only way to do that was to give them all a chance.
Alex threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. “Thank you.”
He wasn’t doing this to gain her trust or to make her love him. Roman was being honest, and if he was being entirely truthful, a little selfish.
His father would throw a fit over what he was about to do, but he had a valid reason. By his own orders, he had to make Alex fall in love with him. He was just getting what he wanted in different ways. There were no limits to what he could do to make her fall in love with him.
Alex pulled away and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He watched her go. She wore a skirt this time, and an oversized shirt. There was a slight wind that would show off those glorious curves, and it reminded him of the other night, of having her naked body in his arms. They hadn’t had any more lessons from Antonio, Marlo, or Cash, as he’d been called away to speak with his father and Liam.