Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Primrose: You’re not still trying to cook, are you?
I smiled.
Dorian: There have been two additional fire alarms after the one I set off trying to cook for you.
Primrose: I guess some things don’t change.
Dorian: Nope. Still burning stuff, despite those lessons we took together.
Primrose: I’ve gotten better at it. I guess that’s what happens when you’re responsible for keeping another human alive and you don’t want her eating crap all the time.
Dorian: Makes total sense, yeah.
After a few moments, I typed again.
Dorian: She turned around and waved at me.
Primrose: Rosie?
Dorian: Yeah. It was cute. She obviously has no idea what a troublemaker I really am.
Primrose: She’s very trusting. It’s something I have to keep an eye on.
Right. Definitely no reason to trust me. Especially since the sole purpose of my being in town is to see if I can steal you away for my own happiness. And fuck everyone else. God, I’m despicable.
Primrose: Anyway, I just wanted to check in. I felt bad that I couldn’t say hello to you and Benjamin.
Dorian: Please don’t worry about that. Despite the surprise, it was nice to see you and informally meet your daughter.
Your boyfriend, not so much.
Dorian: I’ll see you Monday?
I prayed she still planned to come back.
Primrose: Yes. See you then.
I let out a sigh of relief and forced myself not to write back. Leave her be.
Putting my phone aside, I closed my eyes, hoping the heat from the fire would calm my foolish heart. She’d been thinking about me tonight, though I couldn’t let that go to my head. Any false hope at this point could very well wreck me in the end.
But the more I tried to think about something neutral, the more my mind kept returning to what happened today and her daughter’s angelic face.
Rosie, you should’ve been mine.
CHAPTER 23
* * *
Primrose
Casey stopped in the kitchen before he left for work Monday morning.
“Any plans today?”
The spoon I’d reached for to stir my coffee slipped out of my hand. I couldn’t bear to lie to him, so instead I asked, “Didn’t you say you have something after work today?”
“Yeah. A staff meeting. They’ll be providing dinner. So I’ll be home late. You girls eat without me.”
“Okay. Sounds good. I’ll make something for Rosie and me that I know you don’t like.” I smiled. “Have a good day.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You okay?”
God, he’s always so perceptive. “Yeah.” I forced a smile. “Of course.”
He stared at me a few moments before his mouth slowly spread into a smile. “Okay.”
And trusting.
Casey poured his coffee into a travel mug and grabbed the backpack he always took to work. He bent to kiss Rosie on the head. “See you later, baby girl.”
“Bye, Daddy.”
Her sweet little voice was like a knife through my heart.
Casey came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Bye, babe.”
“Bye. Have a good day.”
The moment the door shut behind him, I exhaled. Today had to be the last time. I needed to figure out whatever unresolved stuff I had going on with Dorian and move on. Not only was it making me incapable of focusing on anything else, but keeping it from Casey was wearing on me.
I got Rosie ready for school, and before I knew it, we were headed down the road as my heart pitter-pattered in anticipation for what lay ahead.
When we got to the preschool, I gave my daughter an extra-tight hug, a silent apology. It felt like I had a scarlet letter A on my chest.
By the time I pulled up at Dorian’s rental home, I was certain I’d let him know that today would be the last time I could meet him.
But the moment he opened the door to greet me, and I looked into his eyes, I knew I couldn’t let him go back to California that easily. Today couldn’t possibly be the last time I’d ever see his face.
Dorian flashed a hesitant smile. “Thank you for coming back.”
“Hi,” I said as I stepped inside the warm house. I looked around. “Where’s Benjamin?”
“He went out to explore. He wanted to give us some privacy.”
I nodded, unsure how I felt about that. It might’ve felt less dangerous if Benjamin were here. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust myself. Of course I’d never cheat on Casey. But I didn’t trust my feelings, and the more distractions the better.
The smell of cinnamon registered. “Did you make something?” I asked.
“I made an apple crisp.” He flashed a crooked grin.
I couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, I’m like Benjamin that way, I guess. I cook when I’m stressed. Or in my case, bake, since it’s all I know how to do well. Needless to say, I’ve made a lot of apple crisps over the past five years. I tend not to burn them like everything else.”