Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
"You know how I told you they are looking for a family man."
"Yes." I don't think he'll have a problem there. He's so freaking good with Violet. Yet another reason to be attracted to him.
“Well—” He hesitates for a second as though he’s unsure if he should say whatever it is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this way before.
“Spit it out, Carr.”
“I need you to be my fiancée,” he finally blurts out.
“Seriously?” I’m not sure if he’s joking or not until he pulls out a ring. The ring should maybe shock me, but the man produced passports with the snap of his fingers. At this point, I'm starting to think he's a magician. “Is that real?”
“Of course.” I don’t know why I asked. “Hold your hand out.” I should say no, but I swear my hand moves on its own. He slips the ring onto my finger. It fits as though it was custom-made for me. The giant oval diamond sparkles even under the dim overhead lights.
“I don’t think I can wear this.” I’m scared to ask how many carats it is. Four? Five? Probably six. This man is insane.
“It’s a perfect fit.” He seems almost smug about this.
“What if I bang it or lose it?!” I should be focusing on how we are going to fake this, but the ring is so overwhelming. And, well, breathtaking. I didn't know I had a thing for jewelry until now.
“Don’t take it off and you won’t lose it.”
“It’s worth a car, I bet.”
“Or a house, depending on the area or market.”
“Carr!” I gasp.
“Congratulations,” the flight attendant says as she passes by us.
“Oh no, I—”
Carr cuts off my protest. “Thank you.” He smiles at her, taking my hand by my fingers as he kisses the top of it.
“You’re really good at that.” I pull my hand up. He’s already pretending. Carr shrugs.
Every few seconds, my eyes drift back to the ring. I keep stroking the underside with my thumb. When we land, we’re the first off, and Carr has a vehicle waiting to zip us over to a fancy hotel.
“I kind of feel like I’m in a whole different world,” I whisper more to myself when we enter the suite.
“You must be hungry.” I just nod as I explore the giant suite. It has two rooms, but one is set up for a complete nursery. I bet he made that request, and they redid the whole room. The problem is, where the heck am I sleeping?
“Am I staying in another room?” I ask. Violet starts to fuss. I pick her up to change her diaper before making her a bottle. It’s nice that there is even a small kitchen.
“You don’t want to stay close to Violet?”
“Of course I do; it's just there is only one bed,” I point out. He might not have noticed.
“It’s a king.” He picks up the phone to order as if that’s a done matter. Does he really want us to share a bed?
He’s really taking this pretend fiancée thing seriously.
Chapter Eleven
CARR
Osaka is a city of the future from its needle-pointed, futuristic high-rises to the vending machine ramen. Everything you could want can be found in a convenience store from phones and chargers to drinks in bags that you can mix with ice in pre-sealed cups. Addison loves it.
“I can’t believe you can just make your own lattes here for a dollar. There’s even foam on top.”
“Magic.” There’s a little foam across the top of her mouth too. I want to lick it off but settle for wiping it with my thumb. It’s my favorite thing to do lately.
She hesitates, staring at my finger. “Why do you—actually never mind.”
“Why do I lick my thumb after wiping your mouth? Because I like the way you taste.”
“My…taste?” Her voice sounds a little strangled.
“Yeah. It’s salty and sweet. Pretty addicting but not very satisfying. It always leaves me wanting more.”
Addison’s cheeks turn red, and she glances around the shop as if to see if anyone is listening. Her voice drops to a low whisper. “Carr, you can’t say things like that. I’m your nanny. I mean I’m Violet’s nanny.”
“Yes, and?”
“That would not be appropriate.”
“This isn’t a corporation, Addison. We make the rules. If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t touch you. Just say the word.”
I see the hesitation in her eyes before she gives voice to it, and so before she can tell me no, I put a rice ball in her mouth. She narrows her eyes but eats it. “This is pretty good. Do you think Errol could make these? Like I was sort of scared to try it because rice and tuna doesn’t sound like an appealing combination, but it’s delicious.” She rubs Violet on the head. “Too bad you can only drink formula because you’re really missing out.”