Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59954 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59954 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Her cheeks filled with a hint of pink as she rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re looking at my baby weight that way because there’s going to be lots and lots of proof for you to be proud of in the coming months.”
I pressed a gentle kiss to her belly and wagged my brows. “You’re not going to hear me complain. There’ll just be more of you for me to love, and I fucking love the idea of that.”
She shook her head and laughed lightly. “You’re more than a little bit crazy. You know that, right?”
“Crazy for you, yeah,” I agreed with a grin, immensely pleased to see her in a better mood.
My head jerked up when the driver called out, “Get ready, you’re next up.”
I nudged Hazel over and sat next to the door, so I’d be the first one out. Even though Bianca was in the front seat with the driver and would beat me to the curb, there was no way in hell anyone but me was going to help my wife out of the car.
After the limo rolled to a stop and one of the attendants opened the door, I climbed out and turned to offer my hand to Hazel. Her fingers trembled as she slid her palm against mine. I caught a glimpse of nerves in her gorgeous green eyes before she closed them and took a deep breath. When she stepped out and her feet hit the ground, it was as though all the ease I’d teased out of her disappeared. I didn’t understand why it happened; all I knew was that I fucking hated to see her like this.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I led Hazel down the carpet towards the steps and ignored any requests for us to pause for photos. She moved stiffly next to me, but that didn’t stop most of the men from eating her figure up with their eyes when we entered the museum. She looked fucking gorgeous, but I hated how her dress emphasized the lusciousness of her tits and then flowed down in such a way that her baby bump wasn’t visible. It made me want to beat my chest and roar out that she was mine. Since it was the wrong time and place for an over-the-top display, I appeased the beast inside me by tightening my hold on my wife as I guided her towards the table where Justice, Blair, Thatcher, and Imogene were already seated.
We were stopped a few times along the way by clients who wanted an introduction to my wife and to chat with me for a moment or two. Hazel mirrored the greeting the first of them gave us, flashing a smile that didn’t shine nearly as bright as her usual as she echoed, “Hello, it's lovely to meet you.”
She kept that smile plastered on her face as she listened to the conversation, nodding along with it every once in a while. Her reaction was much the same with the next couple, except the greeting she mimicked was “I’m delighted to make your acquaintance” that time. The third time around, she used both since the male client was by himself and was too busy gaping at my wife’s tits to do much more than mutter a hello.
When we finally made it to our table, Hazel was still stilted even though there were only two other couples seated with us who she didn’t know. It was obvious enough that Blair and Imogene sent her concerned looks, while Justice and Thatcher cocked their brows at me and jerked their chins in Hazel’s direction as if to ask “What in the hell are you going to do about this?”
I didn’t know what the fuck was going on with my wife, but I wanted my Hazel back. Not this version of her who was stiff and polite, like so many of the women who were a part of this glittery world. I wanted the girl who lit up my entire life with just one look.
Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I leaned to whisper in her ear, “What’s wrong, peaches? Are you not feeling well?”
“I don’t know what you mean. I’m perfectly fine.” The smile she flashed me was brittle. It was also clearly not genuine since it didn’t reach her pretty green eyes.
“You’re not fine,” I growled. “You’re barely talking to your friends or me, and you look like you’d break if I touched you the wrong way.”
Her gaze darted around, and her cheeks filled with heat. “I. Am. Fine,” she insisted. “Please stop before people start wondering what we’re arguing about. If we have to, we can talk about this later when we’re alone.”
Fuck worrying about what other people thought. Hazel’s opinion was the only one who truly mattered to me. And fuck waiting for later. My wife was the most important person in my world. I wouldn’t hesitate to burn my entire life down if that’s what it took to make her happy.