Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 97525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
A few steps away. Bodies moved aside, gave me a better view of him.
Closer. My slippers caught on the tile, and I tripped slightly. I caught myself, my face heating.
I heard the murmur of his voice and reached out. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I pulled gently.
He spun on the stool, glancing over his shoulder as he came full circle to face me.
In the next few minutes, everything about our relationship changed.
I had fallen for him. Planned our future, already mentally accepted his proposal.
It turned out I didn't even know him.
Chapter 20 - Brant
I’d intended to propose in Belize.
Cancelled that plan when the jet was nixed.
Reestablished that plan when Layana bullied us into commercial.
Then our trip had a hiccup; she got sick, and the moment never happened.
Tonight would be my second attempt. I shook a pill out, placed it under my tongue and tried to relax. Swigging ice water, I stared at the back wall of my office, a wall of windows offering a million-dollar view of the city.
Everything should be exact. Everything perfect. She deserved nothing less. This would be the moment that solidified our future. A story we would tell our children's children. She was already a loose cannon and will no doubt foil tonight's plans in some impulsive way, but everything is in place to minimize the impact. All that mattered, at the end of the night, is that I would have the ring and could articulate a question. The rest would sort itself out.
She would say yes. It was a given, one that was statistically certain. We loved each other. The bond between us was unquestionable. My personality had needed a quantitative analysis to make my decision, but she wouldn't need anything other than her emotions. The urges that made her throw her arms around me and kiss my neck. The grins I watched streak across her face. The smolder that burned in her eyes when we made eye contact across a crowded room.
She was committed. We were in love. Marriage was the next step to forever. I pocketed the ring and checked the clock, reaffirming that I was on schedule.
Three hours to forever.
Two hours to forever. I watched her fasten her earrings, the stance before the mirror one of casual elegance, yet sexual all the same. Slightly spread legs, her hip cocked, head tilted, all of her curves present before me. I settled in behind her and our eyes met in the mirror as I pulled her an inch back, the press of her fitting into me perfectly.
She was nervous. There was a darkness in her eyes, a tremor in her hand as she pushed the diamond stud through her earlobe. Something was off—from the deep inhale of her breath to the smile she gave me. It's not the false front she served out to others, but it wasn't the smile I knew. It was a distracted mix of the two. Something was on her mind. Something in her eyes that she didn't seem ready to talk about. I bent forward, inhaled the sweet scent of her as I placed a kiss on her collarbone. "Would you rather stay in? We don't have to go out." It was a question that could ruin tonight's plans, but I didn't want a reluctant companion. Not tonight, at the official start of our life together as one.
Another smile that was off. “No, we should go. I want to." Her breathing was quicker than usual. Maybe I should pull her into the bedroom. Slide up her dress and connect with her. Lose both of our senses in the hard press of our bodies. Reassure myself that she is mine and she is happy.
Instead, I held open her coat, letting it fall over her shoulders and opened the front door for my future wife. Suddenly, everything I knew felt up in the air.
Maybe not tonight. Maybe I’ll wait until this funk passes and she's back to normal. I watched as she took the steps down toward the car and followed.
One hour to forever. She didn't question the helicopter or that night's unorthodox use of the car and my driver. Tucked under my arm, she looks out the helicopter's window, the rooflines of San Francisco tiny against the shoreline as the chopper moved steadily through the sky. As I followed her gaze, the reflection of the setting sun shone off the peaks of rocky waves.
"I love you," she said softly, the words coming through my headset as if she were whispering it in my ear.
My arm tightened, embracing her. She loved to be held; a part of her always hungry for the physical confirmation of our bond. "I love you too."
She tilted her chin up and met my eyes. "Forever," she said firmly.
"Forever," I repeated, leaning down and pressing a kiss against her exposed forehead. The copter shifted and I tightened my grip. "Hold on. We're landing."