Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
She gave him a somber look. No way could this man be allowed to break her down like this. She felt weak and silly. This marriage proposal had destroyed her completely—he had to know.
He has blindsided me. I didn’t see this shit coming… Oh, my Lord.
In love and out of her mind…
I gotta do something to throw him off his game. Make him remember this shit forever. You’re not just going to have me sittin’ here crying my eyes out, looking stupid. Oh, I got it… Here’s Johnny!
“Thank you for calling ‘THE WOMAN YOU WANT TO MARRY’ hotline. You have reached Azure Quill.” His expression changed to puzzlement, his brows furrowed. “Your inquiry has been received, and is being processed by our department. We appreciate your call and take your request seriously. You will receive a reply within three to five business days. Please leave your name and number, and a description of the type of ring you’re offering, after the beep. Beeeeep!”
Caspian grimaced and shook his head while she sported her best smile.
“…Why did I even expect you to do the right thing, Azure?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” She shrugged.
“All I wanted was for you to be normal for five fuckin’ minutes?” He held up five fingers, a smirk on his face. “I got down on one damn knee, the one I messed up playin’ basketball with Legend, who cheated in that game by the way, and it’s still swollen!”
She was really hooting now.
“I’m in pain, kneelin’ here on this hard ass floor, pourin’ my dang heart out, and this is the mess you pull. This is the thanks I get! This is being recorded to share with others. Thank God it ain’t live!”
“Oh, we’re being recorded?” She started waving all around the place, trying to guess where he’d set up a camera for the special event. “Hey, y’all! Hi everybody! Cas, make sure you get me in the good light. I shoulda wore my pushup bra today, huh? I like my breasts to be so high and mighty, they look like two Milk Duds stuck together. Conjoined chocolate twins.”
“…You think you’re just a regular ol’ Jade Novah, don’t ya?”
She burst out laughing again, almost toppling onto the floor.
“Yeah. I guess I can marry you, boy.” She rolled her eyes, batted away the tears, and giggled. Smiling, he kissed her forehead then slid the ring down her finger. When she stood to her feet, he wrapped his arms around her and they melted against each other with a kiss. “Hell yes, I’m going to marry you,” she whispered in his ear. “’Cause it takes two, to make purple… the red, vibrant pumping blood of a man who is hell bent on changing the world, and the blue eyes I look into every day to catch my reflection. What is a black beauty without her blue-eyed beast? Nothing but a fairytale with no ending…
…Several days later…
“Shit!” Caspian double-fisted the sheets, gritting his teeth so hard they ached. What if he never woke up from this horrid dream? His back arched and he could feel a weight upon him, pressing him back down to the bed. The nightmare had him by the throat and wouldn’t let go. Clawing at him.
He lay there, covered in sweat, realizing there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do about what he was experiencing. He was all alone with only the television on, playing music softly in the background.
He could feel the heat from raging flames, the blaze licking his face, as if the entire room was engulfed. And then, he heard a woman screaming. More than one woman—familiar voices…
This wasn’t what he meant when he’d asked Mrs. Florence for a clue. The past twenty-four hours had been emotionally draining. He’d been sitting around with both of those damn boxes, looking at photographs, reading cards and letters, trying to glean a clue here and there that may have escaped him regarding his mother’s death. On top of it all, he’d gotten a call back from the lab, but when he went to return their call, they were already gone for the day. Azure had to catch a flight to Anaheim, California at the last minute to go meet a new client and would be gone the next couple of days. His best friends were occupied with life—wives, children, and their careers. People were busy and had things to do.
He, on the other hand, was reeling and drowning in his own perspiration. Fraught with unease. This is what I get for pretending I was fine! I told Legend, Azure, and Axel I was good and now, nobody is here. Nobody can speak for me!
His tongue was wedged against the roof of his mouth, and no words dared be uttered. He felt as if he were being burned alive… Flashes of a small burning house filled his head. The windows bursting. A man screaming inside as Mrs. Florence watched from a safe distance with a smile on her face.