Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Ten minutes later, Natalie’s finished telling her story, and Smithy escorts us out to his squad car to give us a ride home, insisting we shouldn’t have to brave the subway after the night we’ve had. He even turns his siren and lights on for a couple of blocks as a treat for Crissy, who’s giggling like she’s never experienced a moment of trauma in her life by the time we get home.
She gives both Che and Mrs. Greer—who are both still waiting in the lobby—big hugs and assures them everything is okay now, a fact that has both Nat and me breathing easier as we slip into the elevator and punch the button for our floor.
Upstairs, Natalie makes Crissy a peanut butter sandwich for a quick dinner, gives her a bath, and dresses her in her favorite polka-dot pajamas. We both tuck her in, promising to make the fanciest breakfast on earth in the morning to celebrate everyone being home safe and sound.
Then Natalie and I step out into the hall and into each other’s arms and we stay like that for a long, long time.
Just…holding each other tight and swaying in the dim hallway light.
And then Natalie kisses me, soft and slow, and says, “I wanted to say I loved you for the first time while we were snuggled up by the fire at the swanky hotel I booked for Valentine’s Day.”
“I wanted to say it in the mountains after I whisked you away for a ski trip in March. I already talked to your mom about coming to watch Crissy for a couple days for us and everything.”
She smiles, her eyes shining. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you on that FaceTime call with my mom last week.”
“Why?” I ask. “Mothers love me.”
“Exactly. Soon, you’ll have her wrapped around your little finger, and I’ll be outvoted on what to serve for Christmas dinner every year for the rest of my life. She’s just like you—all about the classic turkey and ham, even though my roast duck with clove dust is a culinary revelation.”
“You’re a revelation,” I whisper as we link hands and step away from Crissy’s door, moving toward Nat’s room. “And I need to kiss every inch of you.”
“I need that so much,” she says, but her brow furrows as she adds, “I’m so sorry about tonight. And that I lied about Crissy’s dad. I was just so happy with you. I felt safe for the first time in so long and I…”
“It’s okay,” I say. “I withheld things, too, remember?”
She sighs. “I know, but I should have been honest from the start. I just wanted to pretend the past was a bad dream. I didn’t want it to scare you away or color your opinion of me.”
“Like I said before, you didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m a lot harder to scare than that.”
Her shoulders inch closer to her ears. “I know, but I don’t like being a victim. I don’t want anyone to pity me, but especially not you. I wanted you to lust after my time and my cooking skills and my stone-cold sex vibe.”
Lips curving, I say, “I lust after all those things, and knowing what happened with your ex doesn’t change that. Which reminds me…” I stop in front of her bedroom door. “We owe Jess a huge thank-you. I don’t even want to think about how this could have played out if she hadn’t gone poking around in your past without my permission.”
I fill her in on my talk with my roommates, the folder Jess put together, and how Che and Mrs. Greer clued me in that Phillip was in the area. “Turns out Mrs. Greer’s one of the good ones,” I say. “I’ll bring her some fresh croissants tomorrow as a thank-you.”
“We’ll both go,” Nat says. “I want to thank her for watching out for us, too.” Her lips curve in a devilish smile. “And explain how much a new kitten would mean to Crissy after everything she went through tonight.”
I return her grin. “You’re an evil genius.”
“I’m not above using a traumatic kidnapping at knifepoint to get my kid a kitten. She deserves a sweet orange tabby to love on after learning that her biological father is a psychotic piece of shit.” Her smile falls away. “He snatched her up by her arm while were in the apartment. She was just…dangling there, clearly in pain, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him.”
I pull her back into my arms, kissing her forehead. “That’s all over now. He’s never going to hurt you or Crissy again.”
“But what if they’re lenient with his sentencing again? Or let him out early because of overcrowding or good behavior or something? He apparently does a really good job of pretending to be a decent human being while he’s behind bars.”