Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
I'm sure she wouldn't give me a straight answer even if I asked. I would have to be brave enough to ask first, which I'm definitely not. Not even close.
“Do you want to have a girls' day maybe tomorrow?” I probably know the answer already, but I have to try. “Maybe we could go shopping.”
She cringes, “For baby stuff?”
“I was actually thinking more like clothes, and you know it's been a while since I went to the bookstore.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip almost nervously. “I don't know. People and crowds mixed with me don't seem that appealing right now.”
“Then we can hang around the house. Whatever makes you comfortable.” The air is thick with tension, and I can feel her pulling away from me, but I don't want to let go. I can't.
“I don't need you hovering over me, all right? I'm just fine here, in my room, not bothering anyone. What's the big deal?”
“There's no big deal,” I whisper. “Just, you know, I'm here. And I want to see you and spend time with you. I love you. You know that, right?”
Her head bobs up and down, only there's no light in her eyes when she finally looks at me. “I know. I love you, too.”
Right now, that's probably as good as it's going to get. “Okay. I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“You know where to find me.” I want to say something else—anything, so long as we don't leave things like this. But the moment is over too soon. She turns up the volume on the laptop, drowning out whatever I was wanting to say.
What bothers me the most as I leave the room, closing the door on her misery, is knowing I would've sailed straight up the stairs with Callum and not thought about her at all if it hadn't been for Romero popping up.
I can't blame her if she does hate me, but I also can't help her if she doesn't want me to, either. It's a double-edged sword piercing me through the heart whenever I think about her.
CALLUM
“We have to decide how you want to divide the Moroni businesses—if we do it at all.”
“What do you mean, if?”
Romero looks up from his tablet, blinking fast like he's surprised. “If we divide up the businesses. What's wrong with my choice of words?”
“It's the uncertainty you're expressing.”
His jaw ticks before he murmurs, “When. When we do it.”
“We'll work it out.” Checking the time leads me to shrug into my jacket. “Right now, I have an appointment with the doctor for Bianca.”
I can't help gritting my teeth when he follows me out of the office, pecking at me like a fucking hen. “Costello will want an answer before he moves forward with tracking Moroni down. How much can we expect him to do without any idea of what he's getting out of this?”
My irritation only grows with every word that comes out of his mouth. This is supposed to be a good day. A chance to be happy for a few minutes, to look into the future and see every possibility, yet all I can think about is Jack Moroni.
Stopping, I turn to him. He falls back half a step like there's something in my expression that's startled him. “Work out the bottom third of his money makers. That's what goes to Costello.”
“If he wants more?”
“That's why we're starting with a third. I'm willing to go up to a half, although that's my final offer.” With that, I continue to the stairs and call up., “Bianca! We're going to be late.”
“I'm right here.” She's shaking her head and rolling her eyes on her way out of the kitchen. “Honestly, you act like I'm a lazy kid, sleeping in on a school day.”
“You're certainly a smartass.” I extend a hand which she quickly takes in hers, but it's Romero she glances toward. A look his way offers no answers. His expression is unreadable. “What am I missing?”
“Hmm?” Bianca's gaze snaps my way, her eyes wide. “Oh. Nothing. Everything's fine.” It doesn't seem that way. It seems a hell of a lot like I'm the only one not in on a joke—though nobody's smiling, so it can't be good.
“It doesn't look that way from where I'm standing.”
“We're going to be late, like you said.” She tugs on my arm and I follow, shooting another look at Romero. I don't appreciate the sense that secrets are being kept from me. Romero wouldn't… no. He wouldn't dare. Anybody but him.
“What am I missing with the two of you?” I ask as we walk to the waiting car.
“It's nothing.” She won't look up from the flats she's wearing, avoiding my gaze as she slides into the back seat.
It's nothing.
She couldn't have chosen a worse response if she had tried. It's nothing is the first step down a dark, twisted path. By the time I slide in beside her, I'm seething, prepared to grill her for answers. To hell with growth and trying to be a better man for her sake. This is what trying to be a better man gets you. You end up watching the person you love pull away from you, your love dying a slow and painful death.