Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Blinking my eyes open, it takes a second to remember where I am and another moment to realize the sound that woke me is blaring through the room and coming from the television. It’s one of the tests that TV stations send out in the middle of the night. Rubbing my hand down my face, I start to sit up so I can search for the remote but stop when Everly grumbles something, wraps her arms around my waist, and burrows against my chest, her weight feeling like it belongs against me. Just when the emergency test ends, her body against mine grows stiff, letting me know she’s awake, and a moment later, she jerks back, making me grunt when her hand collides with my abs, and she pushes away.
“I’m so sorry.” She shoves her hair out of her face as she blinks at me. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
“I did too,” I tell her, actually surprised; normally there’s so much on my mind it takes me hours to drift off.
She looks around the room, seeming a bit dazed. “What time is it?” She gets up off the couch and flips off the TV before turning on one of the lamps.
Glancing into the kitchen, I see the time on the microwave. “Just after one.” I get up and pick up the blanket that fell off her at some point, then toss it onto the back of the sofa.
“Sam is going to be up soon.” Her eyes come to me, and she tucks some hair behind her ear. “He normally wakes up around two, wanting a bottle before going back to sleep.” Her eyes bounce off me as they travel around the room once more. “It’s late. Are you going to be okay to drive home?”
“Don’t worry about me,” I tell her, and she licks her lips, seeming at a loss for what to say or do as I walk into the kitchen to grab my keys off the table.
“You can stay.” I turn to face her, and even in the dim light, I notice her cheeks are darker than they were. “I can make up the couch for you, if you want.”
“I need to get home. Tutu has been there all day on her own. I’m sure she’s wondering where I am.”
“You left her all day?” Her eyes are wide, and I smile.
“She has access to the dog door, food, and water, and my neighbors’ kid comes to hang with her when I’m out,” I assure her, and she visibly relaxes as I walk down the hall toward the front door with her at my side. “Tomorrow, I’ll pick you and Sam up, and we’ll head to my parents’ together.” I don’t bother making it sound like a suggestion. If she has an out, I know she’ll take it, and if I’m going to get her to open up to me, I need to use every opportunity I have available.
“Oh, okay. Sure.” She wraps her arms around her middle as I open the door.
“I’ll be here at five.” I turn to face her, and her eyes drop to my mouth for the briefest of moments.
“See you then,” she says quietly, and unable to help myself, I reach out and touch her cheek with the tips of my fingers, then turn and leave.
When I get out to my truck, I find her watching me from the doorway, and even with the space between us, I can see she’s at war with herself. One thing I’m learning quickly is that she might be attracted to me, she might like me, and she might even like spending time with me, but it’s not going to be easy to get over the wall she’s built up to protect herself. The thing she doesn’t know is that, in the military, I made a career out of analyzing each obstacle placed between me and whatever it was I wanted, and I was the best at finding a way to reach it in the shortest amount of time.
Chapter 9
EVERLY
With Sampson sitting on the fancy protective cushion that I placed over the shopping cart seat, I walk down the baby aisle at the grocery store, trying to focus on the task at hand. It’s something I’m finding more and more difficult to do every time my phone beeps, signaling a new message. Between last night and this morning, Lex has sent me a multitude of texts, each one more hurtful than the previous, and now I’m struggling to figure out if I should even reply.
If he were even a little bit involved in Sam’s life, I might feel more inclined to explain to him what happened when we met his mom yesterday, but as things stand, I don’t think it would change anything. Time and again, he’s made it clear he does not want to be a father, so him telling me that his mother wants him to get a DNA test really does nothing but piss me off. First, because he should know I never, ever would have cheated on him, and second, because the point is moot. Even if Sam weren’t his—which he 100 percent is—would it matter? He’s never acted like he’s his father, never shown any interest in him or his well-being, and he has made it clear he does not want to be involved in any way.