Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 62569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Raven looked sad. I mean she had a smile on her face. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail. She was wearing a white tank top and matching yoga pants I bought her so she’d feel comfortable and cute, my actual words when I handed them over to her. She said she wanted more.
So I bought them in every color.
She thanked me.
I told her she was welcome, and we lay in bed, next to each other, and stared up at the same ceiling, and took turns with Lily only to repeat it all over again.
It was all so very civilized, our arranged marriage.
Sometimes it was so civilized I wanted to build a bomb and set it off so when Lily wasn’t crying something would break the tense silence.
Did I really used to hate noise when I tried to slept?
Last week, I finally broke and told Raven she could turn on Friends, “You know, if you feel like it.”
Pigs didn’t fly but you’d think she just saw one float between us and explode. “Yeah, um sure, I’ll turn it on.”
“Hey,” she said as she and Bella entered the kitchen. She smiled at a sleeping Lily and said without looking at me, “You guys ready?”
“Yeah.” I stood. “We should get her home.”
“Stay!” Bella pouted. “For dinner?”
“Actually…” Raven beamed with pride. “I cooked.”
Ivan’s eyes narrowed. “Food?”
“What else would she cook, dumbass!” Bella hissed.
Ivan smirked at Raven. He loved giving her shit. “Oh, I genuinely thought you meant you cooked as in slang and was about to ask what hobby you took up.”
“Hilarious.” Raven glared. “And all good Italian wives should know how to cook.”
“Yeah, but you’re not one of those.” Ivan pointed out. “I mean a good Italian, I’m sure you’re a wonderful wife.” He winked.
She lifted her hand.
He held up his finger. “Shhh, you’ll wake up Dante Junior and I just put him to sleep in his stroller.”
“His names Zach,” Bella deadpanned.
“That’s what I said.” Dante grinned. “Anyway, enjoy your more than likely not edible meal.”
Raven lunged for him, but he already knew so he started running off leaving Zach with Bella. “You really cooked?”
“Well, I mean…” Raven’s cheeks burned red. “I put the meat in a crock pot with potatoes and followed instructions.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be great,” I said quickly.
Bella shot me a look as if to say good save. “Alright, well, I’ll call at my usual two a.m. when we’re both up for our feedings.”
Best idea we’ve ever had as friends. We realized we were all doing feedings at relatively the same time like the kids knew or something or were telepathically putting both families through hell—so we FaceTimed, me and Ivan and Bella and Raven. It was nice.
Really nice.
I finally had a family, just not in the way I thought.
We said our goodbyes, and by the time I had Lily in her carrier and then in the car, Raven had already gone to the driver’s side. “What are you doing?”
“Driving.” She shrugged. “You were up early. I know you’re tired, you run your hands through your hair when you’re tired then tug on it like you’re trying to wake yourself up.”
“True and yet it never works, the waking up part.”
“Next time I’ll pull.” She offered a serene smile.
We both froze.
The entire world could have burned around us.
That’s all it took, one off-the-cuff comment that could turn sexual and the tension was back.
It was the longest I’d gone not touching a woman—the day I said I do I’d meant it. I just didn’t know it also meant I wouldn’t ever have sex again—ever. Ever!
She cleared her throat and started the car, pulling us out into traffic. We both ignored the silence until we got to our house. By the time I had Lily changed and into her crib I was ready to face plant into dinner or the next day. Some bodyguard I was at that moment.
I checked the cameras again, the front door, looked for a shadowy figure and found none, then went into the kitchen. “Need any help?”
Raven stared at the pot roast. “I think I left it in too long.”
“It looks…great.” It was a lie. It was burnt, all of it. I’d chew it until my teeth broke in half. She’d been too proud. “Look, we can just cut off some of the top and eat the inside.”
“I tried that over in this general area.” She pointed with the knife. “Seriously it said to put it on high for six hours!”
“Show me.” I suggested.
She handed me the saved recipe on her phone. I smiled and handed it back. “Was it frozen?”
“No, why would—”
I nodded.
She cursed. “Stupid exhaustion! I missed the frozen part!”
“Which,” I said gently as I picked up the roast and tossed it in the trash, “should tell you that had it been frozen, this meat would be perfect.”