Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“What’s this?” I ask as I nod to the house. For the life of me I can’t imagine why we’re here. Marek owns a beautiful house already, and no offense, it’s way bigger than this.
Marek just sidles up to me casually, throwing an arm over my shoulder. I look up at him in confusion, but he nods again toward the house. I turn slowly that way, and my mouth drops open in surprise as my parents come walking out the front door to stand on the porch.
“What’s going on?” I whisper, but I already know. In my gut, I know what he did.
“Your parents are brand-new residents of Raleigh, North Carolina,” Marek says, and I can’t even take offense at the smug pride in his voice. He deserves to have it.
Lilly sees my parents and screams, “Mimi, G-Pa!” and takes off running toward them. It’s been two months since she last saw them in person.
“You bought my parents a house?” I ask in amazement.
His eyes darken slightly. “Well, they wouldn’t let me buy a house for them. But I wanted to get them down here fast and not wait for their house to sell up there. So we came to an arrangement. I bought this house, and once their property sells, they’ll buy it from me. For now they’re my renters.”
“Wow,” is all I can say as I blink up at him.
“I see where you get your stubbornness from,” he mutters, and I can tell he’s put out that they wouldn’t let him just give them the house.
Laughing, I turn into Marek and wrap my arm around his waist. I press hard into him, burying my face in his chest as my heart is near to bursting with love for this man.
“I don’t even know what to do with you,” I murmur into his sweater.
“Blow job will work nicely later,” he quips, and I can’t help but laugh. Oh, he’ll be getting lots of those.
Marek’s hand comes to the back of my head. He winds his fingers in my hair and pulls me gently away from his chest so I have to look up at him.
“I love you,” I say quickly before he can say it.
He grins back at me. “I love you too.”
“You’re incredible,” I tell him.
He shrugs and then turns me toward my parents, who are happily taking turns hugging Lilly. His arm goes back around my shoulder and we start walking across the lawn.
“You know,” he says softly. “I wish I knew who sent me that email that you were marrying Owen. I’d really like to thank that person, because it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me in my life.”
I stop suddenly, my face flushing red. Marek’s arm falls from my shoulder and his head tilts in curiosity.
My face burns hot and I give him a sheepish smile. “Um…I sent the email.”
“What?” he exclaims in astonishment.
I nod and scrunch up my nose as if I can’t even believe I’d stoop to something like that. “It’s true. I was so scared and I didn’t want to marry Owen, but I didn’t have the guts to stop it. I guess it was a last desperate attempt to have someone save me.”
Marek just stares at me with wide blinking eyes. “You really sent that email?”
I now not only feel foolish but feel guilty as hell for dragging him into this. I open my mouth to apologize, but nothing comes out, as I’m being picked up in a bear hug and then swung around and around in circles so fast I get dizzy.
I laugh and put my hands to his shoulders when Marek stops. His hands drop to my hips and he grins at me. “You really sent that email?”
“Yes.” My chuckle is earnestly nervous. “Are you mad?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you not hear that it really was the best thing that ever happened to me, Gracie? I’m glad it was you who had the guts to bring me back into your life.”
“I’m so embarrassed,” I say as I push my face back into his chest. “And I’m horrible and rotten.”
“You’re wonderful and I love you,” he says as he pushes me back. He leans in, smacks a kiss to my mouth, then winks. “But this will be our secret, okay?”
“Okay,” I say with a grin.
Then he turns me back toward my parents and we head to our new life together, hand in hand.