Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Deny it all you want.”
“Did I mention she’s asleep at two p.m.?” Elton asked, scoffing. “She dropped out of college to start a band with her situationship, who dresses like Elvis. She wears a push-up bra. She’s at least ten years from wanting to settle down and I’m—”
“Ten minutes.”
“Admittedly.”
“How do you know she wears a push-up bra?”
“Forget I said that. The point is, Veda is a living, breathing headache and Alexis is exactly what I’m looking for—” Elton broke off suddenly, his last statement followed by a pregnant pause. “Veda. When did you get here?” Madden’s best friend took a heavy breath. “I don’t know what you heard, but I didn’t mean . . .” Footsteps. “Come back here. I’m sorry.”
“Shit,” Madden murmured to himself.
“Fuck. I have to go. I’ll call you—” Again, Elton stopped talking, that floorboard near the front door groaning in the background. “Hold on, someone is pulling up.”
Madden pushed off the building, his pulse playing leapfrog. “Who is it? Media?”
“No.” He made a raw sound of disbelief. “Holy shit, Mad. It’s Eve’s sister.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Coming home to Lark and Landon was like a balm to Eve’s soul.
They’d heard snippets of adult conversations and clips of the news surrounding Eve and Madden, but they were more interested in convincing their aunt to take them to McDonald’s for dinner. Some very welcome normalcy.
“Please, Aunt Eve. Please,” Lark pleaded.
Landon clasped his grubby hands together. “Please. I have a loose tooth!”
Eve reared back. “And chicken nuggets are good for loose teeth?”
“Yes,” Landon said, solemnly, his chef’s hat sitting askew on his head. “Toys are good for them too.”
“Oh, really? I’ve never heard that.” Eve laughed, though she could hear the strain in her own voice. “Guess we better get some extra.”
They ran full speed into Eve, wrapping their arms around her legs and squeezing. Normally, she was a hair ruffler in these types of situations, but she found herself kneeling down in front of the twins and opening her arms, the smell of dirt and crayons going a long way to reassuring her that everything would be fine eventually. Maybe not today or next week, but no matter what happened, these kids would still call her Aunt Eve and think she walked on water. God, that was comforting.
She rubbed circles into each of their backs, pressing her cheek to the top of Lark’s head. “Go stuff your things into your backpacks. Toothbrushes, especially. We should hit the road and let the Pages get back to their regularly scheduled program.”
“I won’t hear of it,” Vivica said from her spot in the kitchen. “Not until we know for sure those vultures aren’t lurking outside your apartment.”
“Vultures?” Landon asked, wide-eyed.
Vivica winced. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Eve took Landon by the elbows and smiled. “It’s nothing to be scared of. People who work at the newspapers want to ask me about Madden because he’s so famous. Did you see his big play?”
Landon beamed. “Yup!”
“I saw it too,” Lark piped up. “That other guy is a dick!”
“Whoa. Language.”
Lark pointed across the room to where Elton was pacing in front of the door for some odd reason. “Elton said so.”
The bad influence in question held up his hands. “Guilty.”
“Good lord, Elton,” Vivica chided. “She’s never going to leave these precious babies with us again.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” Eve teased, standing as the kids ran off to collect their things. Or play in mud, whichever struck their fancy. Then in a more serious tone she asked, “How will we know if there are people outside my building?”
“Veda was supposed to swing by and check,” Elton said, his tone irritable. “But she fell asleep, and her phone is dead.”
“Ah. She must have been out last night.”
“Oh sure, just a little five a.m. outing. No big deal. No idea if she’s in a safe establishment. Or if there’s anyone making sure she gets home all right.” Elton waved his hands around. “Let’s all just fly by the seat of our pants here, shall we?”
“Are you okay?” Eve asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, I’m just peachy,” Elton said sourly, looking down at his phone, then at her, covertly enough that her instincts pinged. That was Madden calling. The knowledge alone that her husband was on the other end of the call made her chest knit up like a baseball glove. Where was he? What was he doing?
Was he still half stuck in the afterglow of last night and yearning to be back there, the way she was every time she closed her eyes?
The proof of his touch lingered everywhere on her body, from the chafed patch on the curve of her neck, courtesy of his unshaven face, to the soreness between her legs. His gruff midnight voice wouldn’t leave her ears, sneaking up on her in the middle of lectures to herself. Self-admonishments for getting too cozy. For letting herself dream about a future for her and Madden. For going to the hospital and acting like Madden’s wife in the first place when . . .