Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Hey, no offense. I’ll go see Rem and Erin tomorrow. Hell, I’ll have Ryan meet with us, too,” she says with a sigh. “I should have just come to see you the other day, after Marion brought it up, rather than being a nervous wreck about it the last few days. It’s been exhausting. And then Holden showed up at the coffee shop today, and he always makes my brain want to bleed out of my ears.”
“What did you just say?”
That makes her blink and swallow hard, then she shrugs a shoulder. “Nothing. I’m obviously so tired, I’m delirious.”
“You’re talking about Holden Lexington, right?”
She sighs and rubs her fingers over her forehead. “I can’t believe I freaking said that. I’m such an idiot.”
“Answer the question, Mill.”
“Yeah, Holden Lexington. And you can forget I said anything because it doesn’t matter. So what if he’s hot? So what if he’s good in bed? I don’t care.”
“You think Holden Lexington, the son of the arch nemesis of our family, the one who’s at least ten years older than you, is hot? And, as if that’s not bad enough, he’s had his motherfucking hands on you?” I run my tongue over my teeth and try to decide if I should hunt the man down and kick his ass tonight or wait for morning. Just out of principle.
“Jesus Christ, I have to leave,” Millie says, sitting up. “My mouth won’t shut the hell up.”
“Millie, you slept with Holden Lexington?”
“Forget I said that, Chase.” She shakes her head, blowing out a gust of breath. “Seriously, wipe it from your memory banks. It was a long time ago, and it won’t happen again. He didn’t hurt me. It was consensual—”
“For fuck’s sake.” I drag my hand down my face.
“And it’s done. When he’s around, he scrambles my brain a bit, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand.”
“Millie, Dad would never be okay with you being with him.”
“I’m not with him!” she yells back and stands to pace the room. “I can’t believe I even said anything. I guess I was just dumping all my secrets out, and that came tumbling with them. And trust me, I regret it. I am not now, nor will I ever be, with Holden. Trust me on that.”
But I see the look in her eyes, and I know that she wishes things were different.
Personally? I don’t have an issue with the man. But I’m not lying when I say that Dad would never be okay with any of us marrying into that family.
Hell, Remington would blow a gasket if he knew.
“You can’t tell anyone,” she says, as if she’s reading my mind. “Promise me, Chase.”
“I won’t speak of it,” I reply evenly.
“And you won’t go talk to Holden or rough him up.”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to promise that.”
She just lifts an eyebrow, and I let out the breath.
“Fine. I won’t say anything to him, either.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Her shoulders fall in relief. “So, Summer Quinn, huh?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“You bet your ass I am.”
“Chase, you’re seriously so talented.” Erin runs her hand lovingly over the top of the bar that I’ve just finished for her. “If the police thing doesn’t work out, you can make a good living making things like this.”
“It’s always good to have something to fall back on,” I reply with a grin. “I’m glad you like it. Send me a list of the other things you need to have done before the wedding.”
“It’s in two weeks,” she reminds me, and just saying that out loud has worry filling her eyes. “And I need something big.”
“How big?”
“Well, I’d like a stage.”
I stare at her, shuffling my feet. “You want a stage? How big?”
“Big enough for a band?” She bites her lip. “We’ve hired a band for the reception, and I know that my uncle Leo and Sidney will want to sing. I can’t have all of that in the grass.”
“Hold on.” I shake my head and let out a laugh. “You’re telling me that Leo fucking Nash is going to sing at your reception?”
“He’s my uncle.”
“He’s a freaking superstar.”
“He’s my uncle,” she stresses. “And he and my mom usually sing something together. Now we have Sidney in the family, too, so she’ll want in on the action. You don’t understand. This is what we do at family gatherings.”
“Leo performs at your family gatherings?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Okay, well, that actually sounds awesome, but I can’t build something like that in two weeks, sweetheart. You’re going to have to rent it.”
“I was afraid of that,” she says. “Okay, I can rent it. I just thought it would be nice to have something permanent out here that we can use for future events.”
“We can discuss that later.” I grin at her. “I know that my brothers geeked out about who your dad is, and don’t get me wrong, I loved watching him play ball when I was a kid, but the fact that Leo Nash is going to sing at my brother’s wedding is kind of mind-blowing.”