Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
I went into this bond completely blind, and so did he. Maybe he, like so many people, thought the wheelchair defined me and my every waking moment revolved around my disability.
I took a deep breath. I was being overdramatic. Samuel wouldn’t come to visit to tell me the wedding was canceled. He’d talk to my brother as the master of our family, and Danilo would have warned me and probably raged like a madman if that were the case.
The bell rang. I’d spent too much time fretting over things that were unlikely to happen. Since my accident, I often felt anxious when I encountered a new situation. I shook my head. Everything would be all right. After a glance in the mirror to make sure I looked presentable, I left my room.
When I wheeled into the foyer, Samuel and Danilo were shaking hands. Their tense expressions would have renewed my worries if I didn’t know that these two weren’t friends, and thus, all of their encounters lacked enthusiastic greetings. They’d argued often in the past, even if I wasn’t aware of the details. Maybe it was bound to happen because each man was marrying the other’s sister.
Samuel glanced my way, and his smile became less tense, but it was still far from joyful or warm. He looked like the perfect ice prince in his beige coat, white dress shirt, and beige dress pants. I smiled, but it felt just as tense as the atmosphere in the lobby.
“Good afternoon, Emma,” Samuel said with a small nod. I had to give it to him; he didn’t look at my wheelchair in that awkward way some people did, but neither did he ignore it completely as if it offended him.
His gaze slid lower to my heels, and a hint of surprise crossed his face before he focused back on my face. “Good afternoon,” I said quietly, my cheeks hot. Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t worn the heels or, better yet, not bought them at all.
“You came here to talk about the wedding?” Danilo inquired in a tone that bordered on rude.
“I don’t have much time. I’m returning to Minneapolis early in the morning…” Samuel trailed off.
“Let’s go into the living room. We can discuss everything there,” Danilo said.
Danilo went ahead toward the living room, leaving Samuel and me behind.
I wanted to say something clever, or at least mildly entertaining, but with Samuel’s blue eyes trained on my face, I couldn’t come up with anything. He motioned in the direction of the living room. “After you.”
“Thank you,” I said and moved ahead. I could tell he was slowing his steps to stay behind me as his walk was usually more brisk, but I appreciated this small gesture. However, I wanted to see his expression, even if it was hard to read. At least it gave me a little something.
Danilo settled on an armchair, and I stopped next to him. Samuel removed his jacket and put it over the armrest of the sofa, then sat down. I had to resist the urge to stare. The dress shirt really looked great on his tall, muscled frame.
“What is it you want to discuss?” Danilo asked, tearing me from my thoughts.
“I’m in the process of renovating the house Emma and I will live in, and I wanted Emma’s input on certain design aspects to make sure she would feel at home.”
My eyes widened in utter surprise. Of course, I’d known we’d move in together but until now it had been a distant concept. Now it suddenly became very real. And I had to admit I was incredibly touched that Samuel had thought about ways to make the house accessible for me.
“If it’s a two-story house, then you need to install an elevator so she can reach the upper floor. There’s a lot to keep in mind. Ramps into the backyard and out of the front door.”
I glanced between them, growing increasingly frustrated over their discussing things as if I weren’t present. “An elevator would be good,” I said firmly, causing both men to look my way. Samuel’s unwavering attention drove heat into my cheeks, but I returned his gaze. “A floor-level shower, wider doors, a lower kitchen counter and sinks, handles beside the toilet…” I trailed off. Then because I didn’t want him to think of all the difficulties my disability might cause him, I added, “Once the house is accessible, I can live a completely independent and normal life.”
Samuel nodded. “It’ll be done.”
“Maybe you should ask for help from an architect who has experience with this?” I suggested.
“Do you know someone?” Samuel asked, surprising me.
“Not in Minneapolis, no. But I could ask around…”
“I’ll handle it,” Samuel said firmly. “Don’t worry.”
Danilo’s phone buzzed, and he got up. “Excuse me for a moment.” His eyes cut to me, asking if it was okay. I’ll be fine, I told him with my expression, and he left.