Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
He heard what I said—or didn’t say—and still came inside me. He still didn’t give me back my pills when he knew what I wanted from him. He knew my condition. I wanted his love in exchange for his baby.
So all of this can only mean one thing, right?
That he lo…
But then I feel something on my tongue. I feel his fingers squeezing my mouth open and then placing something on my tongue. I blink my eyes open and see him looking down at me with dark, swirling gaze. A second later, he descends on my mouth, and I feel him pushing that tiny thing into my mouth, making me swallow it.
My birth control pill. Only it feels like poison.
Chapter Thirty
I’ve always thought Isadora is the most beautiful girl in the world. Her hair’s the kind of shiny every girl wants, and her eyes are so big and luminous. Plus her dressing sense is killer. It’s a mix of chic and hobo with tons of frills and loose-fitting dresses that also somehow compliment her slim figure.
Like the one she’s wearing at tonight’s party. She has a red-colored dress with thin straps and that sits snugly across her chest but flows down like a river around her hips. She has it paired with hunter green high heeled suede boots. Super classy and fun. I love it. I think I should ask her where she got the dress and maybe she can also tell me about those boots. Mostly, I think I should congratulate her on her engagement. Because I don’t think a girl engaged to the love of her life should look sad.
I understand why and it makes my chest ache. I don’t know her story or majority of what went down between Stellan and her while she was with Shepard. But I know for a long time there, people were wary of her. Callie, who is friendly to everyone, was wary of her too. Not that she let it show but it was hard not to feel the awkward vibes. Everyone thought she was coming between two brothers and the fact that Stellan doesn’t show at family events anymore either has got to make her feel like an outsider.
If I’m being honest here, on some level I thought that too. That she was driving a wedge between Stellan and him. Regardless of it being true or not, she’s with the twin she’s supposed to be with. Holding what happened against her is like holding my lying and hiding things against me. I wouldn’t want that for myself so how can I, in all good conscience, not try to make her feel welcome. I’m a new addition to this family too, right? Just like her.
Besides, how can I expect him to make peace with these things when I don’t try to make mine? And this could be my opportunity.
We’re at a mansion turned into a club kind of thing, complete with open floors, French doors and a back garden. The lighting is dim, and the floor is crowded with not only the team members of both teams, ours and the Chicago FC but also their better halves. Kids aren’t allowed for obvious reasons, but the team had sitters available for tonight. All the girls are sitting together in a corner with drinks in their hand, chatting, laughing and getting excited for the game tomorrow.
I’m excited too. I’ve never been to an actual sports game but more than that I can’t wait to watch him play live. Of course, I can’t wear his jersey like I know Tempest is planning to wear Ledger’s. Callie wants to wear one too, that features both her brothers’ numbers, but I don’t think Reed is onboard. He doesn’t want ‘his wife’ to wear anyone else’s number than his. Not that he plays soccer anymore; he used to in high school but ‘that’s not important.’ Quotation marks because that’s how Callie is telling the story, meaning his words and not hers.
As entertaining as all of this is, I’m looking for an opening with Isadora to make my approach. She’s thrust in a corner with a pink drink in her hand as she listens to the conversation around her, contributing here and there and smiling. While everyone is making her feel included, I still think she isn’t all that comfortable. I wonder if I can help with that. As soon as Callie and Tempest leave to go to the restroom and Wyn gets busy with some of the other wives, I make a beeline for her.
As I sit beside her and smile, I really hope it doesn’t look like an ambush. “Hey.”
She sits up straight and I notice her hand tremble a little bit. But she schools her features and throws me a smile back. “Hey.”
My heart clenches at her nervousness and I rush to put her at ease. “I’m sorry if this was abrupt.”