Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
He glanced at the woman next to him.
Originally it was because his brothers forced him to attend.
Now?
He only had one excuse.
Her.
To see her. To hear her voice. To be near her.
She also gave him the hope that he’d eventually be able to move on and to push past the guilt for doing so.
Mark James had been a love of a lifetime for her.
The same as Jackie had been for him.
The difference was, once Liyah got her footing, she continued to live the life she was meant to have. Only without her husband and father of her child.
Did she hit some speed bumps? Of course. Life never went as smoothly as anyone hoped. Despite that, she kept her head up and marched forward by raising her two sons, running a very successful business, and helping others. Even stubborn fucks like him.
The woman was impressive.
And he was simply a dick.
A hand clamped around his forearm, making him jerk back to reality. “Can you stay and help me put everything away?”
What? The meeting was over already? Had he been that lost in his head?
He glanced around and noticed everyone getting to their feet and collecting their belongings.
“Nox?” she whispered.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
He continued to sit as everyone gathered by the front door in front of the refreshment table, stuffing baked goods into their mouth or grabbing a couple of whatever she brought tonight to go.
He stayed where he was as the group slowly funneled their way out the door until only one or two people remained, talking to Liyah.
They were all smiling and joking, unlike his miserable ass.
For fuck’s sake, he just wanted his life back.
The way it had been.
Even though that was impossible.
His life would never go back to being what it used to be because one major piece of it was missing.
He studied the woman standing there, being kind and encouraging to others…
She could do more for him than any fucking therapist.
Because she wanted to help. She wasn’t doing it because she was being paid. She was genuine and not only going through the motions.
When the last two group members finally left, he unfolded himself from the chair and headed over to where she surveyed what remained on the table.
Mostly nothing but crumbs and a couple of empty plastic containers.
“I saved you one.”
“One what?”
She held up a Rice Krispie treat tucked in a napkin.
His mouth watered. Damn it. “Your boys must love them.”
“I’ve found that all boys love them. Including adult boys.”
He pressed a hand to his stomach. “I had a big dinner.”
“Stop being so damn difficult.” She shoved the treat at him.
Of course, that meant he had no choice but to take it. So he did. She stared him down until he took a big bite.
He blinked as the sweet treat hit his taste buds. “What did you do to them?” he asked around a mouthful.
“If I tell you my secret, you’ll have to sign an NDA.”
“NDA?”
“Non-disclosure agreement,” she explained.
“I know what an NDA is, Liyah. But we’re talking baked goods here, not NASA secrets.”
She grinned. “I was just seeing if you were paying attention, unlike during the group meeting. I add a dash of vanilla and cinnamon.”
He wasn’t any kind of baker but now that she mentioned it, he tasted those flavors. Nothing overwhelming. She added the perfect amount.
After she watched him inhale the rest, they got to work cleaning up the room and putting away the table and chairs.
As they carried the last of the folding chairs to the storage closet, she said, “You told me you were no longer coming to the meetings.”
“Did I say that?”
“I heard it and actually believed it. I was completely shocked when you walked through that door. I figured you couldn’t face me.”
“Why’s that?”
Inside the closet, she stacked a chair and turned toward him, settling her hands on her curvy hips. “You tell me.”
He put the chairs he was carrying with the rest, making sure they wouldn’t fall over like noisy dominoes. “I’ve got nothing.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have plenty, but you don’t like to share. Like in the group. I’m also sure you aren’t spilling your guts during your sessions with your therapist.”
“Maybe you should stick to baking and selling houses, instead of accusations.“
“Accusations? What did I say that’s wrong?”
“That I couldn’t face you. Me being here dispels that notion.”
“You probably wouldn’t have shown up if your job wasn’t threatened,” she countered.
“You’d be wrong.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because I only came here to see you.” Shit. Did that just tumble out?
An audible breath slipped from her lips as her hands dropped to her side and her head tilted. “You came here to see me?” she repeated softly.
Her reaction made him immediately stop regretting his slip-up. “I certainly didn’t show up tonight to hear Jack’s honeymoon story for the third time.”
Her perfectly shaped eyebrows knitted together. “Jack?”