Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“None of your fucking business,” I retort, refusing to give him anything. “You want to talk about this calmly, I’ll talk, but you come at me or at her, and we’re going to have bigger fucking problems than we already have.”
“We got big fucking problems, the first is you dating my fucking sister.” His voice gets louder and I glare at him. “When did it fucking happen?”
“The night they announced I was taking over for Martin,” I reply, shocking him. “I didn’t know who she was. We met at the hotel bar.”
“That’s a fucking lie,” he hisses.
“Her flight got delayed and then cancelled. She stayed at the hotel next to the airport, the same hotel I stayed in when my house was flooded.” His mouth opens. “I didn’t know who she was until I came over to your house and saw her in your pictures.”
“Holy—” His hand goes on top of his head.
“She’s the best thing to ever happen to me,” I admit to him. “I’ve never wanted anyone more than I want her. But I won’t let her get eaten by the media for me.”
“Then you’re a bigger fucking idiot than I thought you were”—he shakes his head—“and you don’t fucking deserve her.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss at him. “What would you do,” I ask him, “if you knew the press was waiting for any reason to tear me apart? Tear her apart? What the fuck would you do?”
“I’ll tell you what I wouldn’t fucking do.” He puts his hands on his hips. “I wouldn’t walk away from her. I would never walk away from her…” His voice trails off. “Until my last dying breath, I would never let her go.” He walks away from me, headed to the door. “You don’t love her enough.” He pulls open the door and I see Knox and Kirby there, shocked expressions on their faces. “Stay away from my sister.”
“Fuck you!” I shout and Knox’s and Kirby’s eyes go big.
“You hurt my sister, and you’ll have more to worry about than keeping your job,” he hisses as he walks out of the door and slams it shut.
thirty
Victoria
I get out of the SUV and walk to the trunk to grab the two fabric bags that have wine in one and everything to make margaritas in the other. My heels click on the cement driveway as I walk up the steps to the front door and juggle the bags in my hands to open it. “I’m here,” I shout, “and I brought reinforcements!”
I walk down the hallway past the staircase and to the family room, seeing Jagger on the couch hiding behind Lexi. “I told him to hide so you don’t take him from me.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Traitor,” I tease him, leaning over the back of the couch and tickling his belly, making him laugh.
“Hey,” Ariella says, coming into the room. “You didn’t go home after work?” she asks me and I shake my head.
“You said ‘my house, four o’clock,’” I remind her, walking to the kitchen and putting my bags on the counter. “So I figured since it was already six, I was late.” I look over at Lexi. “Some of us have to work. My boss, she’s—” I don’t say the word.
“She’s needy,” Lexi fills in, laughing as she cuddles with Jagger. “I tell Kylie all the time to lay off, but she’s such a bitch.”
I snort-laugh at her and look around. “Where is Kylie?”
“She went home to change,” Ariella says, taking the bottles of wine out of the one bag and the tequila out of the other. “Go upstairs and change into comfy clothes and then we can watch the game.”
“Wait, you guys haven’t started watching?” I groan out.
“It’s a watch party, Tori,” Lexi explains. “We are recording it and we’ll start it from the beginning when Kylie gets here and so does the food.”
“Or we can fast forward and just see if they won.” I hold up my hands when they both look at me. “I’ll go change.” I point to myself. “You two start making me a margarita.” I turn to walk toward the stairs. “Not spicy like last time, I had heartburn for four days.”
“No one told you to drink that much!” Ariella shouts from the kitchen. “You were like ‘it’s sweet and spicy.’” I laugh as I kick off my heels at the door and jog up the stairs, going to the bedroom to change out of my work clothes.
I grab a pair of yoga pants and a Warriors T-shirt before heading back downstairs. “I’ve come to be supportive.” I sway, walking into the room with my arms outstretched, showing off my shirt.
Lexi laughs at me and the front door opens and then shuts. “I’m here.” We hear Kylie say as she comes into the family room where we are all standing. “Oh good, you didn’t start the game yet.”