Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Milo, who had frozen in shock.
I could physically feel the cold chill that slithered down his spine.
I ended the call without saying anything else because I didn’t give two craps about Karl.
There was only one person who I did.
My brow pinched together as I took two careful steps toward Milo, who was clutching a piece of paper in his hand.
I reached over and pried it out, squinting in confusion as I tried to process the significance of what it said.
To think I was betting on you.
Confusion whipped through on a gust of wind.
Dread clutched Milo, and he slowly turned around, searching the parking lot, terror stampeding through his being.
I touched his arm. “What does it mean?”
“It means when demons run, they don’t always stay hidden.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
TESSA
I eased up behind Milo who stood with his palms pressed to the island countertop with his head drooped between his shoulders.
Late afternoon light streamed through the windows, casting his giant frame in shimmery rays that made my stomach clench and my heart fist.
Everything about him was overpowering.
Overwhelming.
Big and intimidating and rough.
Soft and kind and real.
I wished with all of me he could see himself the way I saw him.
That he could understand the way he made me feel.
I slid my hand up his spine, praying I could offer him comfort.
A shiver raced through his body.
He’d been in turmoil since we’d found his windshield bashed in and the note in his truck on Thursday night, the man in this constant war inside his head that I had no idea how to fight.
Because he’d shut down and shut me out, though he watched over me like he was terrified I was going to disappear, all while looking at me like maybe he wished I’d never existed in the first place.
Like I might be the source of his pain.
“It’s almost time. We need to finish getting ready,” I murmured.
“Not sure this is a good idea anymore.”
A frown curled my brow. “The party, or are you talking about your kids?”
Tonight, we were supposed to be celebrating.
It was our official engagement party. It had been Milo’s mom’s idea. Heck, she’d pretty much insisted on it. At the time, Milo had agreed, but that had been before Thursday.
We’d thought, what better way to profess our love to the rest of the world than to come together with the people closest to us to mark it.
Yeah, we were full steam ahead with this little charade, and if we were putting on a show, we needed to do it right.
But this charade had come to feel too real and complicated and complex.
The ground no longer solid beneath my feet.
Because when Milo shifted to look at me from over his shoulder, my heart stalled out.
It was like my spirit needed the extended beat.
A moment to recognize the profound fullness of what I felt.
I was in love with Milo Hendricks.
Completely.
Wholly.
And I was petrified he might not ever see through his past to love me back.
God, I’d gotten in deep.
Tangled in this man.
So invested I wondered if I’d remain whole when the deceit spit me out on the other side.
But I also knew, no matter how much this hurt me in the end, it was worth it.
He was worth it.
His children were worth it.
It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.
“All of it.” Torment rolled through his gruff words.
“If I know one thing about you, it’s that you deserve to have your children in your life…and they deserve to have you in theirs.”
“Not if it puts them in danger.”
The dread I’d been sporting for two days slashed at my resolve. My voice shallowed out. “How are they in danger, Milo? Tell me what’s happening.”
Milo scrubbed a tattooed hand over his face, and he looked to his boots when he rumbled, “I—”
We both froze when the front door opened without warning.
Milo shot upright, instantly on edge, even though workers had been coming and going all day to set up.
His mother popped her head through the door, one of her affectionate smiles alight on her face, though she appeared a little frazzled as she wrangled in a large white box.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m finally back, sorry about that. Debbie had to show off the cake before she would let me take it. She claims it’s the best she’s ever made, which I’m going to have to agree. Of course, she made it extra special for the two most special people in my life.”
She grinned as she set it down beside us on the counter. In the same beat, she reached for my hand and squeezed just as she set her hand on Milo’s cheek with the other. “Don’t be nervous, Milo. This is a good day. I know you’re not about all the hubbub and big parties, but this is worth celebrating.”
Milo visibly swallowed his reservations, forcing a big smile to his face as he looked at his mom. “I’m good, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”