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)
Now I was really confused. “Why would you be here if not for me to find you?”
Before she could open her mouth, the door opened again and I turned to find Benjamin, holding an iced tea in one hand and a coffee in the other.
His face reddened. “Shit,” he muttered.
Just as he opened his mouth again, I cut him off. “What the hell is going on here?”
“I haven’t had a chance to explain it,” she said to Benjamin. “He just walked in and found me.”
I looked between them. What the fuck are they doing behind my back?
“We were going to call you today to let you know she came into town last night,” Benjamin explained.
My head whipped toward her. “You’ve been here since last night?”
Her breath shook. “Benjamin, would you mind leaving Dorian and me alone for a bit?”
“Of course.” He set the coffee on the end table. “I’ll be out back drinking my tea.” Benjamin placed a supportive hand on her shoulder as he passed.
“When did you get in?” I asked her once he’d closed the door.
“I flew in yesterday and came straight to the mansion last night. Before I could ring the doorbell, though, I heard music coming from the pool area. I peeked through the bushes and saw you with your girlfriend.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. The security lights. That explained it.
She exhaled. “It didn’t feel right to interrupt, so I ran off. The motion set off some lights, and Benjamin ran into me while checking things out. I really wanted to leave, and I was ready to head back to the airport, but Benjamin insisted I stay the night and think things through before going home.”
“Why would you have gone home without saying anything if you came all the way here?”
“Because clearly it was a mistake, Dorian.”
“What were you hoping to tell me last night?”
She looked down at her feet. “I called off the wedding.”
Holy shit.
She went on. “I couldn’t go through with it. It wasn’t the right decision for me even before you showed up. But after? I was never able to get you out of my mind. And it culminated in a panic attack at my final wedding dress fitting.” Primrose stood and began to pace. “The night I decided to tell Casey everything, he said your name before I had the chance.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
She sighed. “Apparently he’d been looking at my search history and had seen how often I’d googled your name in recent weeks.” She looked away. “I missed you and kept wanting to stay connected. I didn’t feel like it was okay to contact you once I’d told you I was moving forward with the wedding.” She shook her head. “I made a mistake in thinking I could lie to myself.” Primrose took a step toward me. “But you’ve moved on with your life, and I have no right to disrupt things just because I came to the right conclusion at the wrong time. I’m in way over my head here because I waited too long. That’s on me.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I don’t know what to say.”
She nodded. “Much like you needed to see me to tell your truth, I needed to see you to tell you mine. If all I get to do is tell you I made a mistake, I’m still glad I came.”
She stood before me, her eyes filled with vulnerability.
“How long were you planning to stay if I’d been alone last night?”
“A week. My return ticket is in seven days. My daughter is sad that I’m gone. It’s the first time I’ve ever left her. But I needed to do this. I knew you were dating someone, but I guess seeing you with her last night made me realize how serious it is.”
Wait. My eyes went wide. “How did you know I was dating someone?”
She hesitated. “I saw photos on Candace’s social media.”
I took a deep breath in and let it out. “Her name is Liv. She’s at the house right now,” I said. I needed to remind myself of my girlfriend’s existence, considering how consumed I was by Primrose at the moment. “I came over here to see if Benjamin had eggs because I was going to make breakfast. I need to get back before she comes looking for me.”
Primrose fidgeted. “Of course. I’m gonna change my ticket and head back.”
I shook my head. “You can’t do that—not until we’ve had a chance to talk this through.”
She nodded, and I was relieved. I needed to hear more of what was going on in her head, just not right at this moment.
I walked over to the refrigerator and removed the carton of eggs. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Wait for me, okay?”
She hugged her arms and nodded again. I squelched the urge to embrace her. I couldn’t do that, nor could I assure her of anything right now, since it felt like my head wasn’t attached to my body.