Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I’m comforted by the low murmur of voices also drifting up from the first floor. They sound warm and already familiar. When I’m dressed and go downstairs, all three men look up as if they’ve been waiting for me.
“Morning, Kira.” Eyes crinkling, Atlas pauses over a plate that holds enough food for my entire day. Rays of morning light shining in make the gray in his hair more pronounced. He’s always clean shaven in the morning, though his face shades in with dense stubble by dinner.
“Hey, sunshine.” Grizz is at the stove, cooking something in a skillet. His thick hair and beard both look like he didn’t do anything more than run a hand through them when he got out of bed. “You’re just in time,” he says. “Viper was about to steal your portion of the eggs and say it was an accident.”
Viper, who’s slicing an apple with expert precision, doesn’t even blink. “Not my fault if she oversleeps.”
I slip into the chair that’s become my spot at the big table. “I wasn’t late.”
Viper slides some of the apple slices onto my plate, but doesn’t say anything.
“Don’t mind him,” Grizz mutters as he deposits a generous pile of scrambled eggs next to the apples. “He’s always quiet in the morning. And the rest of the day.”
Viper chews and swallows a piece of apple. “I save my words for when they matter.”
After adding three slices of bacon to my plate, Grizz settles into a chair across from me. “Right. Because breakfast is a tactical operation requiring silence.”
Atlas, who’s been quiet through this exchange, has a smile in his voice when he chimes in. “Given that you burned the bacon yesterday, Grizz, maybe silence would’ve helped.”
Grizz points the end of his fork at Atlas. “I was distracted.”
Viper raises his coffee cup like he’s saying cheers. “Nothing like a smoke alarm to keep you focused.”
I laugh before I can catch myself. It’s undoubtedly the first time I’ve laughed in days. The sound echoes around the big open room, and all three men look my way, the lines in their faces softening in ways I didn’t realize they could.
I was in my room when the alarm briefly sounded yesterday morning, and Atlas had run up to assure me everything was okay.
“Breakfast smells amazing,” I say in Grizz’s defense.
The big man puffs out his impressive chest and taps his fist against it in an exaggerated display of pride. “Thank you. Finally, someone appreciates greatness.”
Viper, who’s leaning against a wooden beam rather than sitting at the table, smirks. “Let’s not get carried away.”
Grizz gestures to me with one of his meaty hands. “You need to do more than smell the food. You need the calories. Want some toast?”
“This is plenty. Thank you.”
Atlas gives me an understanding smile. “She’ll need time to get her appetite back on track.”
Discussion of how much I’m eating, or not eating, leads me to think about Preston again. Despite the pregnancy, he encouraged me to eat lightly for the past couple of months, so I’d be sure to fit into my wedding dress. I hadn’t listened to him, but his frequent remarks about my weight affected my appetite nonetheless.
At the time, I thought he’d been looking out for my health. The rose-colored glasses I’d been wearing must have been awfully thick.
Viper refills his coffee mug, then heads toward the hall that leads downstairs.
“You’re welcome!” Grizz calls after him.
Viper doesn’t even turn. “I didn’t thank you.”
“You’re still welcome!”
Grizz’s warm brown eyes are bright, and I’ve seen enough of the men’s interactions to know this is all light-hearted, even though Viper never cracks a smile.
I’m smiling, though, and I end up eating more of my breakfast than I expected to.
My world may have been turned upside down in the snowglobe of chance, but I’ve landed, at least for the moment, somewhere friendly and comfortable.
I’d never felt entirely at ease with Preston and his preoccupation with appearances, but I accepted it as a necessary part of his job. The scheduled dinners and conversations, the clothing chosen for how it would look on camera, the need to smile even when we were in the middle of a serious discussion—none of that felt as right as what surrounds me now.
Grizz, Atlas, and Viper are the opposite of Preston in many ways. They’re older and gruffer, direct, and very what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Their rustic home, with its mismatched plates and chipped mugs, doesn’t contain anything frivolous or showy. Everything serves a purpose.
Everything’s real.
CHAPTER 9
KIRA
After breakfast, Atlas invites me to go downstairs with him to their operations center. I’ve only gotten glimpses of it when I showered in the lower-level bathroom, but I understand it’s where they run their business and spend much of their day.
The main floor, where the kitchen and living room are, is at ground level, so the operation center is in the basement. As Atlas gives me a brief tour, he explains that the space is partially dug into the mountain itself. In fact, the first place he takes me is down a long hallway that leads from the operations center to a door that exits to the forest. “Remember this, in case you ever need a fast escape,” he warns.