Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 86(@200wpm)___ 69(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 86(@200wpm)___ 69(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
She shot me a sheepish smile. “Sorry—I have a horrible habit of putting people on the spot. It didn’t used to be this bad, but Cecily and Athena have rubbed off on me quite a bit.” I laughed a little. I wasn’t bothered by her—just more caught off guard. “Anyway, I’d love to take some flyers or business cards back to work with me; I’m a nurse at the local doctor’s office. Do you happen to have any with you?”
“Yes!” I rushed out. I reached into my wallet and pulled out a single business card, my cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment. “I don’t have more with me at the moment, but—”
She waved me off. “No biggie! I’ll make copies of these at work. Feel free to swing by any time and drop off brochures or whatever.” Her name was called, and she waved at me, backing away. “It was nice to meet you, Mikayla! I hope to see you around the clubhouse sometime.”
I waved at her as well, my heart swelling in my chest. I loved how welcoming she was—how welcoming almost everyone I’d met seemed to be, really. And the fact that she was basically Beau’s family… well, it meant a lot that she seemed to like me.
And Beau actually talked about me? I was still a little hung up over that.
A light knock sounded on my office door, and I glanced up from my lunch, an immediate smile pulling at my lips when I saw it was Beau. “Hey,” I greeted. I gestured to one of the chairs in front of my desk. “Feel free to sit down. I bought this earlier but then got swamped when I came back. This is my first opportunity to actually be able to eat.”
“I heard you met Harbor,” he told me. “She really likes you.”
A light pink blush stole over my cheeks. “She was really nice and very sweet.”
He snorted. “Don’t let the initial meeting fool you. She can be very stern if she needs to be when it comes to family.”
I shrugged. “That’s not particularly a bad thing. I’m sure it takes a small army to control six men.”
He barked out a laugh. “You wouldn’t believe. I love her, Cecily, and Athena to pieces, but I know the six of us plus the kids can give them hell.” That was the second time I’d heard of Cecily and Athena, and I was growing curious. It must have shown on my face because he said, “Oh—Cecily is Adler, our president’s, wife, and Athena is Seb, our vice president’s, wife. They each have a kid, and Elliot and Harbor have a kid, too. Seems to be a thing now. Everyone’s falling in love and getting married and popping out babies.”
I snickered. “I like kids, but I have no interest in having any of my own.” They were a bit too much to handle. I adored them so long as I could give them back to their parents once I’d had enough.
“Same,” Beau told me. “I love my niece and nephews, but it’s nice to pass them off to someone else.”
I winked at him. “At least we’re compatible there.”
He leaned forward, his biceps flexing as he leaned his elbows on his knees. His eyebrow arched, curving perfectly on his forehead. “Goldie, I’m hoping we’re compatible everywhere. Not going to lie, I’m a bit obsessed with you.”
My cheeks turned red. “That’s bold.”
He grinned at me, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. It was adorably lopsided—one side tilting up more than the other. “I’d rather be bold than leave you second-guessing.” He nodded at my salad. “Finish eating. I’m going to jump on the treadmill for a little while. I’ll help you clean up later if you need it.”
“You don’t—” I started, but of course, Beau cut me off, not wanting to hear a word of my argument.
He waved me off. “I want to help, goldie, so let me.”
With that, he walked out of my office. A dreamy little sigh spilled from my lips.
This man was going to wreck me, but I had a feeling it was going to be a beautiful kind of disaster, and I would never want to be repaired.
five
Beau
“What do you feel like watching?” Mikayla asked as she settled onto the floor next to me. We were at her place with fast-food burgers and fries spread out on the coffee table in front of us. She was holding the TV remote in her hand, scrolling through the numerous subscription service streaming channels she had downloaded. We had the couch behind us, but she informed me she was sometimes a messy eater and her shirts tended to wear her food, so she wanted to sit on the floor.
She was so fucking adorable. I couldn’t get enough of it.
“Something mindless,” I told her with a shrug.