Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“Hey,” I say softly when we get to the truck. “It’s okay.”
“It’s actually not okay.” She quickly wipes the tears away from one eye. I reach up to catch the tear from her other eye as I cup her face.
“Collins . . .” I start softly. She tries to look down, but I stop her, making her look at me. “It could have been so much worse.”
“I know. That’s the only thing keeping me from freaking out.”
“We need to talk—” My phone rings, and I glance at the caller ID. “I have to take this. Get in the truck, I’ll just be a minute.” I bend to kiss her lips softly, and it calms me down.
I wait for her to get into the truck before I put the phone to my ear. “Hey, it’s not a good time,” I tell Caleb, walking around the front of the truck.
“Someone just tried to break into the office,” he says. “Got the door open and had enough time to grab the laptop off the desk before the alarm started ringing.”
“Shit, shit, shit.” I try not to punch the side of my truck. “Well, someone slashed Collins’s tires.”
“Theo,” he says, “it’s time to go to the cops.”
“Yeah, I think so also. I just don’t want Collins to worry.”
“Well, then don’t tell her until you talk to the cops, but she needs to know to look out for someone.”
“Fuck.” I shake my head. “This is ridiculous. I spent one night with this woman.”
“You ever watch Fatal Attraction? The woman spent one night with him and then made his life hell.”
“This isn’t helping me right now.”
“Who said anything about helping you? I’m going to go fix the door at the office now. You take care of Collins.”
“Yeah. Talk to you later.” I get into the truck.
“Everything okay?” Collins asks. I shake my head.
“We need to have a little chat.” Her face goes white. “Why didn’t you call me?” Her eyebrows pinch together. “When you came out, and you found out your tires were slashed, why didn’t you call me?”
“I don’t know. There wasn’t anything for you to do, really.”
“Collins, do you get that what happens to you means a great deal to me? How would you feel if something happened to me and I didn’t tell you?”
“But—” she starts.
“But nothing. I know you’re independent and want to take care of yourself, but—”
She puts her hand on my leg. “It’s not that, Theo. It’s just that I’ve never had anyone care before. I’ve never had someone who would worry if something happened to me. I’m sorry, I should have called you. I just . . .” She shrugs. “I guess I didn’t think.” I can see she’s exhausted.
“Why don’t we get you home, and you can take a shower while I make us some food. Later, after you’ve had a nap, we can discuss what steps we will both take going forward.”
She puts her head back on the headrest. “That sounds like heaven,” she admits. “I’m so tired.”
I pull out of the parking lot and head back to the flower shop. “Give me two seconds,” I tell her, “then I’ll take you home.” I get out of the shop at the same time my phone beeps with a text from Caleb.
Caleb:
Just got off the phone with Burke. He said to come see him tomorrow morning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
COLLINS
I watch him walk away from the truck and into the flower shop, and the only thing I can do is let out a sigh. My eyes scan the street to see if my father is anywhere I can see him, but he’s like a chameleon.
When Brock told me how much it was going to be, I thought I would throw up on the desk. I was so embarrassed, I had no idea what to say. Standing there next to Theo, who has such a loving family, how could I tell him my own father sliced my tires because he was pissed I didn’t give him money? Even after stealing the money from my account. I know I’m going to have to eventually have a conversation with him, and it’s going to have to be sooner rather than later. Just the thought makes me feel sick.
My tired eyes are burning as Theo walks out of the shop, his arms wrapped around a bunch of flowers. He opens the back door. “Should I put these in the bed of the truck, or is the back seat fine?” I look over the seat at him. “In case you get sick from the smell?”
This fucking man cannot be real, is the only thing I think of as I close my eyes and then open them again, somehow not expecting the flowers to be there.
He closes the door and walks around the truck. “When we get home, I’m going to need you to go into the house and pretend you don’t know about them.” I reach across, putting my hand at the back of his neck. I can feel the smile that fills my face all the way to my ears. After such a shitty fucking day, he’s made it seem like it never even happened.