Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
So, in a way, they did.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
REN
“Wonder if Max’ll start this morning.”
Ren looked up at the sound of Edward’s voice, finding his eyes already searching her face with concern. Only now did she realize how tense she’d been, how she’d barely spoken or looked up all morning. Her voice came out scratchy: “He’s the best boy and will start right up.”
And, oh. Now that she was looking, she noticed how good Edward looked. She’d been so in her head she hadn’t realized he was wearing a hunter-green T-shirt that made his brown eyes seem hazel, that he’d combed his hair off his forehead and looked so polished and grown-up. She hadn’t taken a moment today to relish the thought that this man was her boyfriend. Her anxiety had become a physical brick in her stomach, not leaving room for anything else.
“How’re we doing?” he asked, bending to meet her eyes. She wondered if anyone else at Corona knew how gentle he could be.
“I’m okay.”
He seemed understandably skeptical. “You sure? You’re a little pale. Want something to eat before we hit the road?”
The thought of food made her stomach lurch. “I think I just want to get there.”
He smoothed her hair back, tucking a strand behind her ear. “Okay, you’re the boss today.”
“I still don’t know what to say,” she admitted, leaning back against the passenger door. “Do I just walk up to his door and say, ‘Hi, are you by chance missing a daughter’?”
“It’s not the worst idea.” Edward smiled and then bent in, giving her a long, lingering kiss. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
He rounded the front of the car, giving Max an encouraging little pat on the hood as he passed. The second Edward turned the key in the ignition, Max roared to life.
Last Tuesday felt like a lifetime ago, but it had been only seven days. Ren remembered waiting at the curb for Fitz to show up, feeling nervous and guilty and queasy from the enormous lie she was about to tell her parents. She imagined having the entire trip to think about what she would do on Christopher Koning’s doorstep, what she would say. She thought she’d have time to mentally and emotionally prepare to hear that there was no way she was his daughter, or—even more world rocking—to hear that she was.
But instead of focusing on finding her father, the trip had become less about what she had ahead and more about what was right in front of her: Edward Fitzsimmons. What started so rocky and contentious had melted into comfort and passion and honesty. It was overwhelming, the way her heart was discovering love at the same time her mind was contemplating the possibility that her entire life had been built on a lie.
“I’m so glad you drove me down,” she told him. “I’d be so nervous alone.”
He glanced away from the road, smiling. “Me too. I’d be useless today if I was up there and you were down here without a phone.”
A phone. It hadn’t even occurred to her that if they were separated for any reason, she’d have no way of getting in touch with him. They’d ditched the burner from the Screaming Eagle bounty; Fitz explained it could have been used for all kinds of illegal things, so it now lived in a dumpster in Rapid City. The realization that Ren would probably need to buy one made a second bolt of awareness land, and she took a minute to piece the words together, staring out at the road ahead of them. “Would it hurt your feelings if I wanted to go up to his house by myself?”
“Of course it wouldn’t. You mean you want me to wait nearby, right?”
She considered this. As comfortable as she was with Edward, and as much as she knew she’d want to tell him everything about what happened, she wasn’t sure she wanted him there to witness it if she was turned away. Everything—even this—was too new. She knew she’d want to deal with it on her own first, even if she needed him nearby.
“I think it’d be better if you went and checked us into the hotel, and I called you when I was ready for you to come get me.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “You don’t have a phone, Sunshine.”
“I know, but you can give me your number. Even if he’s not my dad, he’d let me use his phone, don’t you think?”
“Let’s just go grab you a burner and come back.”
She shook her head. “I’m too nervous. I want to do this now. I’m sure I can use his phone.”
“I’d be more comfortable if you took mine.” He reached for the console and handed it to her before wrapping his hand around hers, squeezing. “I’ll call this line from the hotel and leave the number so you can call me when you’re ready.”