Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“Then go get lucky.” She winks. “Have fun tonight. If you happen to fall asleep, I’ll call at six-thirty to wake you up. Will that give you enough time to get back here before she wakes up?”
I nod. “Okay. If I do happen to drift off, I’d appreciate that call.”
“Or if you happen to not fall asleep at all?” she asks with amusement in her tone.
I move in for a hug. “You’re the best, Martha.”
Her hand lightly strokes the back of my head. “So are you, my darling dear.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Greer
I place my tote on the seat of one of the chairs next to Holden’s dining table. After Martha left my bedroom to head down to the kitchen to make her nightly cup of tea, I took her advice. I slipped a fresh pair of lace panties in my bag along with a blouse.
I’m currently wearing a light blue T-shirt and white jeans. I have no idea how the night will go, but if I do stay over, I’ll be able to walk out of here in something slightly different than what I arrived in.
It’s not that I’m worried about an early morning walk of shame. There will be absolutely no shame attached if I spend the night in Holden’s bed. It’s what I want. I can’t speak to what he’ll want, but I’m hoping it’s the same thing.
“Can I get you anything?” he asks from where he’s standing near the door.
He greeted me with a hug and a soft kiss in the lobby of the building. I was grateful to see him waiting for me when I got out of the rideshare. As we rode the elevator up, he reached for my hand, weaving his fingers in between mine.
It was contact I wasn’t aware I needed, but it gave me strength and courage.
Very few people in my life know my story.
I’ve kept it that way for many reasons, including the need to protect Olive. She knows most of what happened before and after she was born, but I’ve shielded her from the majority of the details surrounding my divorce from Aaron.
“I’d love a glass of wine,” I say without hesitation.
I won’t indulge in more than one, but I know the alcohol will calm my nerves a bit. I could use that right about now.
“I’ll pour one for each of us.”
He breezes past me. His cologne lingers as he does. I inhale deeply. There’s just something so comforting about the small details. His glasses, his cologne, and the sound of his laughter have all become a part of who he is to me.
I smile when I spot the friendship bracelet on his wrist. I’m wearing mine tonight, too.
As soon as he’s back in front of me, he hands me a glass half-filled with deep red liquid. I smell it with my eyes closed because it’s just that good. I can’t help but smile when I have my first taste because it’s a notch above anything I would ever buy for myself.
He sips, too. “It’s good, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
Nodding, he takes another drink before placing his glass on the dining room table. “You’re nervous, Greer.”
He’s right, so I don’t argue the point. “I am.”
“Talking about the past isn’t easy.” He tilts his chin down. “I know that from experience.”
“Because of your divorce?” I whisper.
“Yeah.” He moves a step closer to me, stopping to rest his hand on the back of one of the chairs. “Finella and I were on and off for years before I asked her to marry me.”
I shouldn’t feel even a bite of jealousy since we didn’t know each other then, but I do. It’s irrational, but the thought of him loving someone else enough to ask her to marry him stings.
“How long were you married?” I ask, placing my hand next to his on the back of the chair.
His hand inches forward until his fingers brush against mine. “Until I caught her in bed with a friend of mine. It wasn’t that long after we got married.”
Shocked that any woman would cheat on him, I shake my head. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“It was rough,” he says curtly. “In other ways, it wasn’t. To be honest, we probably shouldn’t have gotten married in the first place, but there was some family pressure.”
I didn’t have to deal with that. I married Aaron because I loved him, or I did until the day it all fell apart.
“I’m sorry you went through that, Holden.”
His gaze finds mine. “I appreciate that, but it was for the best. Finella wasn’t right for me.”
I want him to say I am, but we’re not there yet. He doesn’t even know the details of my divorce.
I take a deep breath. “I was married to a man I met in high school. On the day we got married, I thought Aaron and I would go the distance.”