Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Another bong sounded, and she walked to the phone and picked it up.
A few words were shared, and I distinctly heard the name ‘Audric.’
“Got it,” she whispered softly and came to sit back down.
“He did. We helped each other.” She nodded her head. “It was an arduous process. Both of us had major triggers. He was great, though. Just as I was for him. And we came back out the other side able to have sex with others we fully trusted. Though, admittedly, I never met anyone that I wanted to share that with.”
“But do you fully trust anyone?” I asked bluntly.
She started drawing patterns on my thigh. “I fully trust you.”
And that, my friends, was the comment that broke me.
She fully trusted me.
I closed my eyes on the implications.
“Does that mean what I think it means?” I asked carefully.
“If you’re asking if I want to have sex with you,” her beautiful eyes lifted to meet mine. “The answer is a resounding yes.”
Hours later, I finally got to meet Patty.
He didn’t offer me his hand as he exited the cockpit, but he did smile and stand off to the side so that we could talk a little as everyone finished exiting the plane.
Once everyone had taken off, he said, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I nodded. “I agree.”
“Oh, someone forgot their phone,” Creole murmured as she walked to the fourth row back and picked it up off the ground. “I’ll be right back.”
She hurried off the plane and rushed to catch up with everyone who’d exited, giving Patty and me time alone.
“I want to thank you,” I cleared my throat.
He huffed out a laugh. “I’d say the pleasure was all mine, but we were both pretty fucked in the head. But she is a really good friend, so if you hurt her, I’ll have my husband kick your ass.”
I chuckled. “If I hurt her, I’ll give you a gun and you can shoot me yourself.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m glad she finally told you.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’m fuckin’ wrecked that I didn’t know. I’m glad she told me, but now I feel like I have this heaviness in my heart that is permanent.” I rubbed at the offending spot on my chest. “I want to burn the world right now.”
“And that’s how you know that you’re her one.”
Seventeen
In case anyone hasn’t told you today, I’m beautiful.
—Text from Creole to Audric
AUDRIC
I left Creole sleeping in her own bed—in her seriously messy apartment—and quietly closed and locked her door.
But not before taking her extra set of keys that would let me into her apartment.
My first stop was to my house to shower and change after two back-to-back flights, one to Hawaii, and one back.
I caught almost five hours of sleep on the plane ride home, meanwhile she was in desperate need of a solid six hours to catch up after her long ass day.
I had no clue how she did it.
Her job looked exhausting.
I pulled into the driveway to see Gunner and Lottie in the front yard playing with the water hose.
I saw him bend down and say something to Lottie, and I saw that sneaky little grin that was all Laney overtake her face.
I knew what was coming before I’d even shut the bike off.
I managed to slip my helmet off and brace my legs fully on the ground before she was barreling toward me.
Her wet little body fully covered in a sopping wet Princess Tiana dress my dad had bought her for her last birthday hit me like a tiny battering ram.
“There’s my girl.” I hugged her close, shivering slightly as the water seeped into my t-shirt. “Looks like you’re having fun. What did you do this morning?”
“We ’ad pancakes!” she cried.
“Ohh, special,” I said as I took off toward where Gunner continued to water his flowers. Flowers that he hadn’t had until this week. “Were you good for Gunner last night?”
“Daddy seep with me,” she declared.
My head whipped around to stare at Gunner.
Gunner’s head had whipped around toward us.
And we both looked on with surprise in our eyes. “Is that right, Lottie? You know Gunner is your daddy?”
“Mama told me!”
I frowned. “Mama?”
“In my dweams.” She nodded ferociously.
My stomach somersaulted. “Gunner is your daddy, and I’m your Uncle Audric.”
“I know!” She wiggled. “Down!”
I let her down, and she walked over to some pink flowers. “Look!”
I nodded as I walked closer to Gunner. “What the fuck?”
“I have no idea. It was just us last night. I never told her…”
I slapped him on the back. “Just take the win, man. You okay?”
“My fucking heart hurts,” he admitted. “I can still hear Jett calling me that in my dreams.” He swallowed hard. “Never thought I’d hear it again, to be honest.”
“Enjoy, man. You got a good little girl on your hands,” I said. “She’ll cure you of that broken heart. Maybe not fix it, but she’ll give you the strength you need to keep going, that’s for sure.”