Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“No.”
“I’ll find her,” he insists.
Meeting his gaze, I ask, “How?”
“I’ve already got others looking into things. I will find her.”
“Okay. When you do, I’m yours,” I tell him.
“That’s a large statement to make.”
“I’m telling you the truth. Find her for me.”
“And if you don’t like what I find?” he asks.
“What does that mean?” His phone beeps, and my stomach bottoms out, my heart racing as he ignores his phone. “What are you expecting?”
“What if she did run away? What if she ran away with him?” he questions.
“She would never have done that. Trust me.”
“You seem to be sure of that.”
“One day, Arlo, when you let someone in, you’ll be sure of their actions and motivations,” I tell him.
“I hope that day is soon.” As he pins me with his gaze, he leans in and kisses my cheek, his lips lingering there. And I let them. Because it feels good, and, believe it or not, he’s starting to become a comfort to me. I’m not even sure when that happened. “Good night, beautiful. Try to get some sleep,” he whispers near my ear before he straightens. I keep my gaze trained on him as he strides away until I can no longer see him.
“Woman, get in the car and stop dreaming about that man.” I turn to find Sebastian holding the car door open for me. I was so focused on Arlo that I never even saw him get back out of the car. “I think you should marry him,” he proclaims as I climb into the back seat.
“W-What?” I stammer.
“Marry him,” he states as if that’s the answer to everything.
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I scoff. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not? When was the last time you were with a man who was this obsessed with you? A man who shows up in the middle of the night because you asked him to. Kisses you good night even after he asked you to go home with him, and you turned him down?”
“Arlo doesn’t want marriage,” I tell him, to which he makes a screeching sound, making me jump.
“So, you’ve thought about marrying him.” His eyes spark with excitement.
I shut the car door, and we leave Delaney’s house.
“I know what you’re doing,” I say. “And, no, I have not thought about marrying Arlo. He simply isn’t that type.”
“So, why does he send your mother flowers every week?” The question hits like a slap, my mouth parting as I blink at him, struggling to form a single word. Did he also pay for her care? It had to be him. He is the only person I know with that much money at his disposal.
After blinking a few times, I say, “He what?”
“I found the florist and talked to them after you mentioned it. It wasn’t hard to figure out it was him.” He shrugs. “I confronted him about it while you and Boston were inside. His response was, and I quote, ‘Because I know she would never accept them.’” He then starts to fan himself. “That man has fallen hard. And I think you’re falling too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t agree to keep seeing him.”
He’s right. I am developing pretty strong feelings for Arlo, but every time I think I have it sorted out in my head, something arises that pushes me back. It’s like someone’s holding a red flag and a green flag at the same time, and I’m dancing between both of them with him. But I must admit that I enjoy the red flags in the bedroom.
On the drive to Sebastian’s house, he continues pushing about Arlo, telling me to give him a chance. I didn’t realize he was on the Arlo bandwagon. When we drop Sebastian off, I tell him I will let him know if I hear anything about Delaney.
Alone in the car now, my mind spins.
What if Arlo is like Rylas—a complete fucking liar? He’s already keeping things from me. Things he thinks I can’t handle. Maybe he is right. Maybe knowing would only break me. But then there’s the way his touch stays with me long after he’s gone, like some sort of imprint I can’t shake. The way his eyes follow me is intense and unrelenting, like I am the only thing in the room that matters. It messes with my head. Because my mind screams at me to be cautious, to run, but my body keeps leaning in and craving him. Despite everything, I don’t know.
I attempt to call Delaney again, even though it’s late. But this time, it doesn’t even ring. My concern for her grows, even with the relief that Arlo got Boston involved. Because despite everything, I feel like I’ll soon be getting an answer to what the fuck is going on, and I might not like the answer I get.