Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Stuart spent years picking me apart in bed. He could be so cruel in some ways, always telling me the things he liked seeing the girls in the videos do. Then sometimes, he’d go and do something nice for me. I never understood his moods, how he could swing between kindness and cruelty in as little as a breath. But maybe that’s the thing about it. He never loved me. He only loved my money and what it could have done for him.
“You’re thinking awful hard over there,” Cord finally says, breaking into my thoughts.
I glance at my watch to see we’ve been waiting for almost an hour. Our flight got pushed back, and I’m grateful. It gave my migraine time to recede to a dull headache. Now, my stomach has settled from the chips and electrolyte drink. “I’m just wondering how a sweet cowboy like you is still single.”
He taps his wedding ring. “Was single.”
“Well, how about it? Any insights?”
“Don’t go there.”
There’s a story underneath the surface, something he’s not telling me. I want to ask him about it, but I don’t let myself. After all, there are plenty of things I’m not ready to talk about with him.
“Are you really going with me on the honeymoon?” I glance around, scanning the airport for him. He’s a busy man. He’s not possibly waiting around for me...is he?
“Eyes on me,” Cord says, his breath fans my face, and he places a gentle kiss on my forehead. It’s the sort of tender gesture that has me unexpectedly tearing up. At least, it does until he adds, “Twelve o’clock. Trying not to be noticed.”
I blow out a breath, reminding my quivering insides that this is for show. The moment the plane touches down, he’ll probably hop right on the next flight home. Not that I blame him. He more than fulfilled his duties as the wedding objector. “So, when we get there, what are we going to do?”
He smirks at me. “Probably what most couples on a honeymoon do.”
I roll my eyes even though I like the way he teases me. I had forgotten how it feels to flirt with someone. With Stuart, I just assumed it was because we’d been together for so long that we’d fallen into a rut. “Kauai has some beautiful hiking options, and there’s snorkeling too. Plus, the sunset dinner boat tour...you know, if you want to stick around.”
“If I want to stick around? You’re stuck with me for life.” His gaze goes to the wedding band.
“Or for a year, like we agreed,” I point out because my foolish heart does not need to be thinking like this. It’s crazy to say yes to marrying a stranger twenty minutes after meeting him. It’s even crazier to take him on the honeymoon you meant to take with a different groom. But hey, here’s to unplanned adventures.
A voice over the intercom announces that our flight is finally boarding, and I glance at Cord. “This is your out.”
“Never taking it,” he stands, reaching for my hand. “Now, let’s go on this honeymoon of ours.”
We have two layovers associated with our flight, but Cord never once complains. He takes everything in stride, and he’s quick to help me navigate the airport, keep up with our luggage, and find food at airport restaurants. If anything, being with him makes me feel like I have a partner. It’s strange because even when I was with Stuart, I never felt like he was on my side the way I do with my new husband. Husband. It’s wild that I’m looking at a stranger and thinking the word.
Behind me, I hear him stifle a yawn as he carries our bags from the car we rented into our villa. We’re finally here in Kauai and after over fifteen hours of travel, I’m exhausted. All I want is to collapse into a puddle and sleep for a whole day.
He lets out a low whistle when he sees the opulent villa with the ocean view. “Nice digs.”
I stiffen, remembering Stuart’s obsession with money. “What’s that mean?”
His tone isn’t defensive when he says, “It means I’m a former Marine who’s used to sleeping on the desert floor. Places like this are usually only seen in travel magazines by someone like me.”
He sets the luggage on the floor. He insisted on carrying everything in even though I told him I could help. He gave me a look that made my panties melt and said, “When your husband is traveling with you, he takes care of you.”
“Sorry. I can be prickly sometimes,” I mutter, feeling bad that I let myself paint him with the same brush. Cord has been nothing but kind and considerate since the moment I met him. It’s not his fault that he’s meeting me just after I learned my ex was cheating on me.