Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
“Lindsey,” I call out.
She tenses before slowly turning around and looking at me. “Miller? What are you doing here?”
I hear the other woman mutter, “Is that him? Damn…”
Lindsey gently pushes the other woman while the little boy gasps. “Mom! You said a bad word.”
“Please,” I beg.
Lindsey just stares at me, but the little boy walks up and holds his hand out. “Hi. I’m Eli Davenport. Who are you?”
His mom admonishes him. “Eli!”
I chuckle and squat down next to the little boy, putting my big hand in his. “I’m Miller Brody.”
His mom walks up to us. “Hi, I’m Tammy, Lindsey’s sister and Eli’s mom.”
I stand up and nod at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She blinks up at me and then turns to her sister, taking the bags from her hands. “I’ve got these. Talk to Miller.” She lowers her voice. “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
Lindsey doesn’t give any emotion as Tammy and Eli walk away. The little boy looks back and waves. “Bye, Miller.”
I wave back. “See you later, buddy.”
He smiles real big and then skips over next to his mom.
“What are you doing here?” Lindsey asks again.
I want to reach for her, but I hold my hands to my side. “I needed to see you.”
She closes the trunk of her truck. “We don’t have anything to say to each other. I told you in a text that I’m not interested.”
I hold my hands up. “Please, just let me explain.”
She shakes her head. “There’s nothing to explain. We’re not together. You can see whoever you want—”
I cut her off. “I want to see you.”
She blurts out a laugh. “Yeah, well, I’m not interested in being a notch on your belt.”
“You’re not!” I exclaim.
She shakes her head. “Look, whatever last night was or whoever the woman is, it made me realize that you and I are not a good fit. I had a lovely time the other night, but—”
I move in front of her as she starts to walk away. Holding my hands up, I beg her, “Stop. Listen to me, please. Just let me explain, and then if you don’t want to see me again, I’ll walk away.”
I’m lying to her. There’s no way I’m giving up on her, but maybe I can buy some time. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks at me through hooded eyes. “Fine. Talk. I’m listening.”
I start talking fast, worried that she’s not going to listen to the whole story. “My brother is in love with a woman he thought cheated on him. She didn’t, though. Anyway, they got back together, but my other brother didn’t know it, so he set him up on a date with another woman. My brother asked me to go on a date with the other woman. I danced with her, and we sat at a table with my whole family. Nothing happened.”
She takes a deep breath, and now that I’m going, I can’t stop. “And then my brother’s girlfriend got kidnapped last night, and I had to help find her.” I shrug. “She’s safe now.”
Lindsey tilts her head and stares up at me. “So you’re telling me that your brother fixed you up with another girl. And that same brother’s girlfriend was kidnapped last night and you had to go save her?”
Her voice is laced with doubt, and I can’t say I blame her. It sounds ridiculous. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
She purses her lips and nods. “You could just tell me the truth, Miller.”
I blow out a breath. “No matter how ridiculous it all sounds, that is the truth.”
Her forehead creases. “Okay, well, I’m uh, glad your brother’s girlfriend is okay, but none of that changes things, Miller. You and I are too different.”
I can’t stop myself, and I reach for her, pulling her flush against my chest. “Don’t say that.”
With her hands between us, she pushes against my chest, and even though I don’t want to, I let her push me away. I shove a hand through my hair in frustration. “I fucked up, I know I did, Lindsey, but let me make it up to you.”
She takes a step back. “And how exactly do you expect to do that?”
I shrug and think back on other women I’ve dated. “I dunno. You want jewelry? I will fly you to Tiffany’s right now.”
Her mouth drops, and it’s immediately obvious that I said the wrong thing.
She stomps her foot and shakes her head. “That right there, that’s why we can’t be together. You can’t buy me, Miller. I don’t care about your money.”
I let out a laugh because what she is saying is so unbelievable to me. Everyone wants something from me. The only people that don’t are my brothers and sister.
I plead with her. “Can we just start over?”
She looks at me and then shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Miller. I like you, I really do, but when I look at you, I know that if I date you, I’m going to have a broken heart in the future. I can’t.”