Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134073 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134073 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“No, we’re not doing this again. You’re not running from me.”
“Dash,” she says softly as she comes to an abrupt halt, nearly hitting my chest.
I hear that rotten giggle again and I look over to see Victoria leaning against the banister as Charlotte slowly walks out of the kitchen to join her mother.
“No!” My voice is louder and clearer this time and Brooklyn snaps her head up to look at me. “We are not doing this again. I’m not going to lose you because of a misunderstanding.”
“What’s to misunderstand?” she asks, and though I might be completely desperate, it sounds like there’s a shred of hope in her voice.
“I wanted to tell you in private, I was going to tell you all of it. I didn’t mean for it to happen like this.”
I hear the front door open behind me but I don’t turn around to see who it is. I don’t give a fuck right now. The only thing I care about is making Brooklyn understand and keeping her from running from me. If everyone at this party hears this, then so be it.
“What’s he doing here?” I hear Charlotte hiss to Victoria.
Brooklyn looks back at them and then past me to the person who just walked in. “I know that guy,” she says, mostly to herself, and I finally peer over my shoulder to see my cousin Josh walking in like he owns the place.
He sees me and his steps falter for just a moment before he continues on his path to where we’re standing.
“Cousin!” he says with his arms stretched wide, like he’s going to hug me. “Great to see you here.”
“You know him?” I ask Brooklyn, ignoring Josh, and she nods slowly.
“He came to the school last week asking me about enrollment.” She blinks a few times and shakes her head. Then she leans closer and whispers, “He gave me the creeps.”
I turn around to face Josh and position Brooklyn at my back. For all the shit hitting the fan right now, I feel her move in close to me and place her palm against my shoulder. Good. I need her on my side right now.
“I’ve been looking for you,” I say through gritted teeth, and he drops his arms and cocks his head to the side.
“Why didn’t you just call me, Dash?” His smile falls just a fraction as he looks beyond me to Victoria and Charlotte. “You know I’m always happy to help with whatever difficulties you’re having.”
That motherfucker has the balls to wink at Brooklyn before he slicks his dark hair back out of his face.
“I’m done playing with you, Josh.” I crack my knuckles and some of the color drains from his face. “As of a phone call this morning, I’ve got enough evidence of your embezzlement in the company bank account to send your ass to prison. I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you fucked around and messed with the woman I love.”
He spurts out a few words and then holds his hands up. “Let me explain.”
“There’s nothing left to explain. Not only were you skimming money off the top, but you created the fake profile to trick Brooklyn’s roommates into thinking I was still on the market. Geoff emailed me the information this morning from the dating app and their records. You didn’t even bother to cover it with a different email, you stupid fuck.”
His face is turning bright red now as he looks around the room. “You won’t get away with this. I’ll have my lawyers crawl up your ass.”
“You’ve gotten caught with your hand in the cookie jar. The feds are at your house right now. You’re finished, Josh. The trust is voided based on felony charges, and whether Brooklyn is pregnant or not, you’re out of the running.” I lean in a little closer and smile so big my teeth show. “You lose, cousin. The company is mine.”
Before he can say other word, there’s a sound to my right and I see Brooklyn’s father speaking softly to someone in a suit. The guy who must be security comes closer to us, but Josh takes off out the door before he can catch him. I ache to chase him down and beat his face into the driveway, but I don’t want to leave Brooklyn’s side. Not when she’s hurting and I still need to explain to her.
“You love me?” she whispers, and I turn around to hold her in my arms.
“I should have told you everything about that contract before it got this far.” My voice is solemn but firm. “But I fell so fucking hard and none of it mattered. I love you, Brooklyn. I loved you at first sight and went deeper with every second I spent with you.” I touch my thumb to her cheek and graze it along her soft skin. “When I said I’m yours, I meant it.”