Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
“My dad’s a dick, you won’t like him, but I really think you might like my mom if you met under different circumstances. Her parenting skills may not be what you want them to be,” he admits, “but when you meet my dad, you might understand. He’s not great with boundaries, so she wouldn’t thrive living life with him if she had any. How can she teach her kids to respect boundaries when she doesn’t have any herself? But that’s also why I know I can get her to embrace you regardless of all that’s happened. And if she embraces you, my dad will accept it even if he doesn’t like it, so... Can we just try?”
I sigh heavily. “I don’t have a lot of faith in it working.”
“That’s fine. Just be open to it.”
“I’ll… try. But I’m not ready yet.”
“It doesn’t have to be now. Like I said, we need to get through this week and come out on the other side. Then we can start building our life together.”
I’ve never had a boyfriend say something like that to me before, but I like it.
If someone had asked me at any point before tonight if I thought there was even a remote chance I would ever build a life with Torrance Walters, it would have been a hard no. But I can’t lie. I’m starting to like the sound of it.
CHAPTER 21
CASSIE
The second my eyes drift open, I’m blinded by the light streaming in through the window where it normally doesn’t. I flinch, pulling the blanket over my head to block it out, but as soon as I do, I realize… this is not my blanket.
I yank it back down and look at the bedding, then at my surroundings, and as the sleep fog clears, I realize I’m not in my bed because I didn’t sleep at my house last night.
I slept at Tor’s house.
In Tor’s bed.
That’s surreal enough, then I shift my body and feel a light ache between my thighs. Memories of last night on the boat drift back, then memories of him fucking me right here in this bed after we showered together.
Stretching, I take a deep breath in and out.
I must be hungry because my brain tricks me into thinking I smell bacon.
Frowning at the empty spot on the bed beside me, I reluctantly push back the blankets and get up so I can go to the bathroom.
As I’m coming back out, Tor kicks open the bedroom door and walks in, too.
“Hey, you’re awake.”
I blink at him, shirtless in a pair of gray sweatpants, then at the big plate of food he’s carrying. “Did you make breakfast?”
He keeps the plate lifted and climbs on the bed. “I did. I’m starving, so I figured you might be, too. We had quite a workout last night.”
Rolling my eyes indulgently at the little smirk on his face, I walk back around to my side of the bed and climb on. “I had no idea you could cook.”
“I’m a guy living in a house alone. Of course I can cook.”
It’s quite a spread, too. He made scrambled eggs and bacon and chopped up cheese and fruit to go with it. “This looks delicious. Thank you.”
He hands me a fork, then pulls a cold bottle of water out of his pocket and hands it over, too. “What have you got going on today?”
I grab a piece of bacon and one of the paper towels he tucked beneath the plate. “Mm, I’m not sure yet.”
“I was thinking about what you said last night, about all your friendships getting fucked up with everything that’s happened since last summer. Your coworkers seem to be pretty firmly on your side. The chicken shack is the only local business that told us to fuck off with the armbands. I have to assume that’s because of you.”
The thought of their collective response to the armband fiasco does bring a smile to my face. “Yeah, that’s true. I didn’t know how firmly on my side they were before, but they have definitely shown up for me this week. It’s no wonder work has felt a little like a sanctuary while everything else has gone to shit.”
“Are there any friendships you could build on there? Not Josh,” he says, causing me to roll my eyes. “But the girl who was there last night seemed nice.”
I nod, plucking a piece of cheese off the plate. “Shaley’s a sweetheart. I don’t know why we never hang out. It’s probably me. I haven’t been very open this past year.”
“Do you have her number?”
“Yeah. We exchanged numbers in case we need to arrange for someone to cover for us or something.”
“Why don’t you text her and see if she’s free today? Maybe you could get lunch, have a girls’ day, bond a little. You could go to the salon, get your nails done.” He takes my free hand, running his fingers over mine and making goose bumps erupt across my forearm. “Not too long, though,” he says playfully. “They’ll get in the way.”