Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
I nod, unable to help the stab of jealousy that overcomes me. I slip into the car and pull out my phone.
Truly is polite and sweet. Even when faced with people who don't deserve her kindness, she remains unbothered outwardly. It is rare in this world we lived in. I thought by letting her go to college and not fighting it, I was doing what she wanted. What she’d requested. I’ve been lied to, and I can’t see Truly being behind it.
Now that the shock of her showing up at my office has started to subside, I'm thinking more clearly. At least better than I was. It's still not helping me come up with a new plan of attack here.
I scroll through my phone, hovering over the number to her father, but I don't click it. The last thing I need right now is for them to show up and meddle. I want to lay into both of our fathers' asses. I will confront them, but that will have to wait. Right now, I need to start working on how I’m going to convince Truly that she wants to remain married to me.
It doesn't take long to get from my office building in the city to the riverfront where my loft is. There aren't a lot of them in this area. Most things have been built, torn down, and replaced with new buildings with a million or more floors.
At one point, it was an old warehouse, but a handful of them have been restored. I knew I wanted to wait to pick out a more permanent home for us, but I also knew I had to have a suitable place for Truly for the time being. One that she would be more comfortable with. This was the best option for that while staying in the city.
"I'll be staying in for the night," I tell Jack when we stop in front of the building. I step out onto the sidewalk and give one of my security guys a curt nod of acknowledgement before punching the code for the first set of doors.
I step into an entryway that has a skylight. There are a few planted flowers around, giving it a warmer feeling. I had them put in a few months ago. I want this place to feel like a home. I punch in another code for the next set of doors before putting my thumb on the pad. The lock clicks over, and I step inside.
It’s an open floor plan when you first enter. I drop my coat over the bench next to the door. I see Truly’s head pop up from the large sectional couch in front of the television. Her eyes are wide but filled with sleep.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, going straight to the kitchen that overlooks the living room. There are only two other rooms that give you more privacy with the open loft layout: the bedroom and an office.
I had the whole place gutted and walls put up in parts to section off rooms. It was no easy feat, but the architect and builder pulled it off. What is more impressive in my opinion about the place is that you have the massive stained-glass windows that line the entire side of the building facing out toward the river.
"Truly?"
"You're home." She blinks a few times. Her hair is adorably mussed, and I want nothing more than to tuck it behind her ears and kiss her soft lips as she slowly wakes. I've thought about that many times. How it would be to wake with her in my bed each morning. It would make this job and life I've been trapped in more bearable.
It would make it worth it.
Chapter Five
TRULY
It must have been the long flight and the mix of emotions I’ve been having since I landed that knocked me out. There was no way I should have been able to sleep, but the second I lay down on the couch, I was out. It was the only option to lie down, with there being only one bed.
“I’ll make us something,” Blake says when I don’t answer him. I watch him walk over to the kitchen and start pulling things out.
When he had his driver bring me here, this wasn’t what I expected. I was sure we’d be in the penthouse of a swanky building a million floors off the ground. Thankfully, we are not. We’re still in the city, but the view gives you a sense of peace.
"You know there is only one bed," I tell him after a few minutes of silence.
"I'm aware." He starts chopping vegetables. I don’t know why, but I never imagined him being the cooking type. It’s a stark reminder of how little I know about him these days.
"If I'm to be here for the next year, don't you think I'll need a bed?"