Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“Thank you, Addie,” he said as he rose up to kiss me.
“That’s not all,” Daimon said as he reached into his jacket and took out an envelope.
My father looked at it skeptically. He then turned his gaze at me. I shrugged, not really knowing what Daimon had planned. My father slowly opened it and looked at the contents carefully.
“What did you get him?” I leaned back and asked Daimon, but Daimon only smiled at me.
“It’s a ticket to go back home,” my father murmured.
“What?” I said taken aback.
“I got you an open ticket. You can leave when you want and come back when you feel like it,” Daimon stated.
“It’s been years since I’ve been able to go back home,” my father lamented. I knew how much he had wanted all these years to go back, but he couldn’t. I struggled in vain to save up money for him to go, but something always came up.
“Thank you, son,” my father breathed, as he looked over his ticket, not once looking at either one of us.
Daimon’s breath hitched the moment my father thanked him. I looked up to see an expression I had never seen Daimon have; he was touched. Daimon was affected by my father’s simple words. Jesus, what happened to him to make him so jaded? It was Daimon after all. Nothing had ever affected him before.
Daimon coughed and finally spoke. “I'm glad…you like it,” Daimon said awkwardly. “Don’t you think we should go now?” He turned to me, his sky-blue eyes not asking but telling me.
“I guess,” I muttered.
“Okay, kids, you go and enjoy the rest of your night and thank you for spending Christmas with me.” My dad stood up to walk us to the door.
“Dad, there’s no other place I’d rather be.” I smiled and hugged him.
“You know you’d rather be in our bed,” Daimon whispered to me as I put on my winter coat. I turned and glared at him, but all he did was wink at me.
I left Daimon in the house as I marched out, annoyed at his behavior. The asshole knew exactly how to goad me and he loved it. To be honest, it was really my fault since I let him get to me.
“Joke! A joke!” he shouted out as I stood by his car. Daimon beeped the car and the door unlocked. I slid in not acknowledging him. “Come on. Don’t be like that. It’s Christmas,” he mocked.
“Why did you do that for him?” I asked without realizing.
“What? The ticket?”
“Yes, the ticket,” I murmured.
“Why not? Your dad worked hard and I just thought he deserved to go back home.” He shrugged as he started the car.
“Thank you for doing that for him.” I smiled as I felt my heart well up.
“I didn’t do it for him. You did. I figured you’ll play nice tomorrow since it’s our first real outing as a married couple,” he taunted.
The very moment I felt my heart grow for him, it shriveled into nothing the instant he spoke. “Yeah, I’ll play nice,” I bit out coldly.
Dinner
I stood in my overstocked closet, filled to capacity with clothes Daimon had prepared for me. He deemed it Addie-worthy. One side was filled with casual clothes like jeans and shirts, while the other was filled with evening-wear such as cocktail dresses and evening gowns. He told me I would need them since I was married to such a big shot. Not to mention the entire corner of my side of the closet was filled with expensive lingerie. I mean the type that cost a mortgage payment.
I walked over to my dresses and thumbed through them. I noticed each dress was just at the right height to hide my scar. I kept searching, finally stopping at one I thought was just right. The color was ivory and the corset underneath was nude. It was a beautiful dress with a fitted bodice made of lace and a ruffled skirt of various lengths. I matched them with a stunning pair of ivory sling backs. After following the YouTube instructions of how to create a smoky eye effect, and was convinced I looked presentable, I emerged from the closet. But this time, I wasn’t seeking Daimon’s approval. I learned not to do that anymore. I smiled, happy with my efforts as I looked into the full-length mirror that was just outside of the closet.
“Are you coming?” shouted Daimon from downstairs.
Drako barked. I pretended he was telling him not to rush me. Drako came running to my side and wagged his tail at me as he walked me down the stairs. Daimon was on the phone, speaking angrily to someone on the other end. I shrugged it off. It was normal to see him that way. I walked around to the kitchen wanting some water. I figured at the rate he was arguing on the phone, it would take a while.