Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Once inside, I drew in a deep breath and moaned. “Oh my gosh, please tell me your mother made her meatballs.”
Ensley glanced over her shoulder as she took her coat off and hung it up. She reached for mine as she said, “Do you really think my mother would make your favorite meal? She said she was making tacos—my favorite meal.”
I shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for wishful thinking.”
“You’re both here!” Vivianne said, as she walked into the living room, first hugging her daughter, then me.
She pushed me back and gave me a once-over. “I made your favorite—meatball subs.”
I looked over Vivianne’s head to see Ensley standing there with her mouth open in shock. I smiled at Vivianne. “I thought I smelled them!”
Wrapping her arm around mine, she guided us through the living room and into the kitchen. As we passed Ensley, I shot her a smirk, and swore I heard her growl.
Once in the kitchen, I spotted her father, preparing a salad. “Hey, Colt.”
“How’s it going, Mr. Wilde?”
He laughed. “Just call me Ladd. My father is Mr. Wilde.”
Ensley made her way into the kitchen and kissed her father on the cheek, then looked down at the salad. “What’s this?”
Looking at the bowl in front of him, then back to his daughter, he said, “A salad.”
With a shake of her head, Ensley put her hands on her hips. “No, that’s Colt’s favorite salad.”
Vivianne laughed. “I make that salad all the time. You love it, Ensley.”
When Ensley looked my way, I raised my brows.
“I like the air-fried garbanzo beans, that’s it.”
Vivianne reached into the refrigerator and took out salad dressing. “You request this salad constantly, sweetheart.”
Ensley glared at her mother. “Mother…I do not.”
Vivianne looked from Ensley to me, then back to her daughter. “Ohhh…I see what’s going on here. That’s right, dear. You do not request this salad all the time, nor do you ask me to make meatballs when you’re feeling blue.”
Ensley blushed, then threw her hands up in the air.
I blinked a few times and looked at Ladd. I must have had a pleading expression on my face because he held up both hands. “Don’t look at me for advice, I’ve got none for you.”
Focusing back on Ensley, I opened my mouth to speak, but she shoved her finger into my chest. “You make me so angry, I want to just punch you!”
“Okay.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Okay? Okay what?”
“Punch me.”
“Ahhh…I’d like to remind you who it is you’re talking to there, Colt. Do you remember when she punched Gatlin and broke his nose?” Ladd said.
“He had two black eyes for weeks,” Vivianne added.
Ensley glared at her parents. “You two hush!” Turning back to me, she drew in a breath and held it.
I closed my eyes—and when nothing happened, I peeked open one eye to see Ensley staring at me.
“If you’re going to hit me, just do it.”
“Not in my house will there be any violence tonight,” Vivianne stated, as if this was a normal, everyday occurrence.
It took me a second to realize Ensley’s attention was focused on my right hand. When I looked down, I saw the bracelet she’d made for me shortly after we started dating. It had been on my wrist for nearly twelve years. I’d never taken it off.
Her eyes snapped back up to mine. “I didn’t notice that earlier today at lunch.”
I held up my wrist. The bracelet had seen better days. “I had on a long-sleeved shirt.”
She swallowed hard and reached for my hand. Her finger ran over the bracelet she’d lovingly made so many years ago. “You’re still wearing it.”
“Of course I am. The only way it’s ever leaving my wrist is if it falls off.”
Those beautiful baby blues looked up at me, wetness building before she quickly blinked it away. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
We were soon lost in each other’s eyes, and just as she leaned closer to me, and I leaned closer to her, Ladd’s throat cleared, snapping us both from our trance.
I quickly looked up and asked, “Do you need me to help with anything?”
Vivianne was smiling, and Ladd was attempting not to, but failing.
Finally, Vivianne said, “The salad’s done and so are the meatballs. I’m just going to pop the sandwich rolls into the oven to warm them up.”
“Would you like to eat in here or the dining room?” Ladd asked.
“The dining room,” Ensley said quickly, as she reached into a cabinet and pulled out some plates, handing them to her mother. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. I’d come over to the Wildes’ plenty of times for dinner in the past and had always been treated like one of the family.
“Silverware still in the same spot?” I asked.
“Sure is!” Vivianne replied, as she slid the rolls into the oven.
Ensley followed me into the dining room with napkins and we set the table in silence. When I took a moment to look at her, she was frowning.