Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Honestly?” I ask, throwing the truck into park. “She’d love it. Hell, if I told her we were getting married, she could probably have a whole wedding planned by next week.”
“Sounds like my mom. Especially if it was you.” Scarlet laughs under her breath before turning serious. “It doesn’t bother Atlas that she wasn’t there?”
“Nah.” I kill the power. “He gets it and knows she loves him. She also sent a nice gift, so I’m sure that helps.”
“That makes sense.” She tips her head side-to-side.
I huff out a laugh. “Does it?”
“Your mom is still deeply grieving the loss of your dad, Sunshine. I know you said she likes to have fun— she waggles her brows—“but she loved him so deeply that the mere thought of going to someone’s wedding other than yours pains her.”
“I guess,” I grumble, hating the thought of my mom’s so-called fun.
“I mean, clearly it works for her,” Scarlet says, unbuckling James from his car seat. “She looks great—healthy, vivacious, even if she is still sad.”
I groan. “She looks like trouble, and I have a feeling the two of you together are gonna be double trouble. We were so worried about never letting her and your mom meet, it didn't even occur to me the kind of antics you two would get up to.”
I catch her gaze in the rear view mirror and she smiles mischievously. “Only time will tell, Ellis Wilder. Only time will tell.”
THIRTY-FOUR
SCARLET
Leaving the house this morning for work was harder than ever before—and trust me, leaving Ellis Wilder’s bed is always a challenge. But with both his mom, who I officially adore, and James there? Yeah. I definitely regret not taking off.
Today’s also my first time driving myself to work since my car was vandalized, and while I don’t want to say I’m on edge, I’m not not on edge either.
The only upside is Ellis has texted me cute pictures all morning of him and James.
The downside is, I’ve almost gotten caught on my phone twice, and while Dr. Snider is amazing to work for, she’s a stickler for the rules. Usually, I have no problem following them, but today… the struggle is real.
My phone pings yet again, and I can’t help but smile when I tap the notification and find another picture of Ellis and James. This time it's of James sitting in the high chair, his face covered in what looks like spaghetti sauce, his chubby cheeks mushed up in a huge grin.
I giggle and immediately fire off a reply.
Me: Stop. What a cutie.
Sunshine: Wish you were here.
Me: I'm sorry. I should have taken off. *sad face emoji*
Sunshine: I wasn't trying to guilt you. I just miss you. And James does, too. He keeps calling your name and walking around the house looking for you.
My heart melts a little in my chest, but before I can reply, there’s a knock at the door, alerting me to the arrival of my next patient.
By the time my lunch break rolls around, I'm half tempted to drive home to see them, but it would be pointless—half my lunch would be over by the time I got there, and I’d only get to visit for a few minutes before having to turn around and drive back.
So, a sandwich and a soda in the break room it is. Except Clint stops me in the hall just outside of the door. “You ready?” he asks, spinning his keys around his index finger.
“Ready for what?” I ask, wondering if we made plans I forgot. He, Cara, and I get lunch pretty regularly, but there’s nothing in my calendar for today.
He looks at me like I should know what he's talking about. “Lunch. Cara said she was gonna tell you. She's meeting us there.”
“Oh. Hmmm.” I grab my phone and quickly scan through my texts, but there's nothing there. “No? She didn't tell me.”
He sighs. “She must have gotten busy. So do you just want to ride with me? She said something about having to grab a prescription or something first on the way, so she left a little early.”
“Okay. Yeah, sure. Let's go. Um, what are we… what are we eating again?”
“Miss Fortune’s.” He pushes the bar on the exit door, holding it open for me.
“Oh, that’s the new diner downtown, right?” Cara and I definitely talked about trying them out. Their social media pages are cute as hell and the food looks good.
He nods, falling into step next to me.
“Sweet, I've been wanting to try them. I've heard really good things.”
“I went when they opened. The food’s to die for. And, they have a salad bar.”
I rub my tummy as it rumbles. “I do love a good salad bar.”
He glances at me from the side of his eye as his car comes into view, his mouth curling into a small smile. “Well then, you're in luck.” He opens the passenger door for me. “After you.”