Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 60711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
“Rise and shine, koukla mou.”
Andie slowly woke to the feel of Paul gently running his knuckles down her cheek. She sat up, started to smile at him, and would have if not for what she saw behind him through the windows.
Huh?
She had thought he was taking her back to his home. Or her aunt’s place even. But this—surely, she was wrong. Surely, he couldn’t be...nah.
Her gaze turned back to Paul, remembering that she did have a half-smile to finish...until she saw the way his gray eyes were gleaming, and she just knew.
“You lied!”
She hadn’t meant to yelp so inelegantly, but she forgot about wanting to apologize when Paul simply smiled.
“Did I?”
“You so did,” she accused. “You said you wanted me to wear this dress because we were going out on a date—”
“This is a date.”
Andie pointed to the steady stream of glamorous-looking guests walking inside the all-glass museum. “That’s a party!”
“Indeed.”
“Then you did lie—”
“I beg to differ, koukla mou. We’re having a date while attending a party, and so if you don’t mind—we wouldn’t want to be late, would we?”
Argh!
Andie tried to dig her feet in like a child, but Paul only laughed while Butch struggled but completely failed in keeping a straight face as her husband captured her waist...before using to bodily lift her out of the car.
“This is so not cool, this is—mmph!”
Paul had cupped her face, his mouth already covering hers before she could even think of pushing him away, and when his tongue slipped past her lips, well...of course she could only swooned, the world melting away as her body sank against his.
By the time he lifted his head, she couldn’t even speak, much less think straight. They both knew who had won that round, but still.
“That—that was so unfair!”
Andie glared up at her husband, but his gray eyes only gleamed with amusement. “I never thought I’d say this about anyone, koukla mou...but you are quite the sore loser, and I find that very hot.”
She had no chance to answer, with Paul having already led her up to the entrance doors, and when they stepped inside, everyone’s reaction to him was the usual. This was what always happened whenever Paul entered a place. People would stop. Look. Then they’d all rush forward with smiles that made it seem like they needed something that Paul alone could give?
Stop thinking bad thoughts, Andie!
Star had been texting her daily devotionals since the wedding, and thinking such thoughts were definitely against today’s Philippians 4:8.
Anything that she couldn’t guarantee to be true, anything that didn’t honor God or others, anything that wasn’t right, lovely, admirable, excellent or worthy of praise—
God says it wasn’t worth thinking about, and so...no, she would stop assuming these people had ulterior motives in approaching Paul. Unless of course they had proven otherwise beyond reasonable doubt, then in that case...she would have to check what the Bible said next about it.
A server was assigned to escort them to one of the tables in front, and Andie didn’t know if she was being silly, but—
“Your table, sir, madam.”
“Thank you, Hal.”
She just felt so ridiculously proud about the way her husband never failed to thank everyone, and addressing them by names, too!
Paul pulled a chair out for her, and that was when she saw the placement holders.
Mr. and Mrs. Mitropoulos.
She couldn’t take her gaze off it as she took her seat. She was so, so tempted to reach for her phone, but...hesitated at the last second. To take or not to take a photo. That was the question, and—
Paul’s hand rested on the small of her back, distracting Andie from her thoughts as she turned to face him.
“I need to leave you for a moment,” he murmured.
“Oh, um, sure.” Andie smiled at him reassuringly, but as soon as he walked away...she took her phone out, having realized that it was his presence alone that had been holding her back. But now that he was no longer there—
Of course I’m going to take a photo of this, duh!
Andie took her phone out of her purse, but just as she was about to take the sneakiest little photo—
Her phone buzzed, a text message coming in...from Paul?
I’d like a copy of the photo, too, please.
Andie’s face went dark as she dropped her phone back in her purse and crossed her arms over her chest.
Ha!
Did he think he was funny, reading her mind like that?
Did he?
Well, she had news—
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of someone tapping a microphone for attention startled Andie out of her thoughts, and she quickly turned her attention to the stage. The event’s host was already there, and after giving the usual spiel to thank everyone for their attendance and support—
“And now, a word from our keynote speaker and this year’s biggest benefactor—ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Paul Mitropoulos.”
Andie couldn’t understand why her heart suddenly started pounding as Paul took his place behind the microphone.