Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
He was pretty talented at tennis. He enjoyed watching it, played regularly, and practiced hitting every day on the private court. His hands were rough and calloused from years of daily practice.
One of Smith’s only stipulations when they were choosing a house was that it have a tennis court.
His passion for the sport was something she hadn’t really known about him before their marriage. There were a lot of things she hadn’t known about him, she thought with a pang of regret. A lot of things she still didn’t know about him.
Kenny had always enjoyed surreptitiously watching as he slammed practically every ball spat at him from the machine across the court. His movements were always so smooth and graceful. It was the only reason she had her breakfast on the patio every day. Of course, she’d always pretended to be busy with some device or the other. She had been so concerned he’d think she was spying on him, or worse, interested in him.
Now she wondered what he would have done if she’d allowed him to see how truly fascinating she found him. How much she enjoyed watching him. Just being with him.
It was time to stop being so afraid. Kenny only hoped it wasn’t too late.
Smith was gone.
Kenny was forced to acknowledge this painful truth an hour later, after she’d scoured the house for him. Even after she’d seen the half empty closet in his room and the lack of toiletries in his bathroom, she’d wandered from room to room, vainly hoping to find him still in the house.
The only place still unchecked was the small room attached to the master suite, which they’d both agreed would be the best place for a nursery.
She reluctantly opened the door and stepped into the room she hadn’t ventured into at all since her miscarriage. They’d only been in the beginning stage of decorating it. A few items of furniture, still wrapped in plastic, stood against the far wall. The massive teddy bear, nearly three feet tall, that Smith had given Kenna the day he’d proposed was perched on the comfortable rocking chair in front of the picture window.
She gazed at the bear, bittersweet memories of that day floating into her brain. He’d shown up at her former apartment, disheveled and nervous, with a hesitant smile lifting the corners of his beautifully shaped mouth.
Eighteen Months Ago
The bear was awkwardly tucked under one arm and Smith nearly dropped it as he rooted around in his pockets with his free hand. After awkwardly shifting the bear to his other arm, he finally found what he’d been hunting for.
A dark blue velvet box.
Kenny stared at it in confusion as he held it up and dropped to his knee in the same motion. The bear dislodged from beneath his arm and bumped against her shins. The unexpected solidity and weight of the stuffed toy caught her off guard and unbalanced her a little.
She stumbled and he leaped instantly to his feet to steady her with his hands, an embarrassed flush highlighting his sharp cheekbones.
“Fuck. I’m making a mess of this,” he muttered after they’d both regained their balance. He was standing very close to her, warm hands clamped around her upper arms and despite her height, Kenny still managed to get a crick in her neck as she tilted her head to look up at him. The difference between her five foot ten and his six foot three felt much greater than a mere five inches with his solid, muscular bulk invading so much of her personal space.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a hoarse whisper.
“Trying to propose.” His response was dry, then his eyes widened in comical horror before he said, “Fuck, where’s the…”
He thankfully released her arms and stared wildly down at the floor before releasing a shaky breath and bending to retrieve the box that had fallen from his hand when he’d reached for her.
“Nana Pat—my mother’s mum—must be rolling in her grave right now,” he told her with a lopsided, self-effacing grin that charmed Kenny in spite of herself. He flipped the lid of the box to reveal a delicate and obviously vintage pale gold band showcasing a beautiful pear-cut diamond, haloed by a constellation of smaller diamonds.
Kenny knew that her appalled reaction to the lovely ring was far from flattering as she staggered a few steps back.
“But why?” The question flew unbidden from her lips and she winced at the panicked pitch in her voice.
His smile disappeared almost instantly, even though it still lingered in his gentle eyes.
“I know it’s not anything like how you may have imagined your marriage proposal would go,” he said, laughter lurking in his voice. “But—”
“I hadn’t imagined a proposal at all,” she interrupted, her eyes dropping back to the ring.
He faltered for a moment, before clearing his throat and continuing, “But the way I see it, marriage was a given. The baby has just accelerated the timetable a little.”