Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
As I’m walking her across the room to my mother and father, she leans in to me. “Cole, you didn’t have to do this, I already said yes, but I’m glad you did. Maybe Frank will ease up a little bit now.”
I look at her, and she shrugs. “He’s worried about me, that’s all. He’s the closest thing I’ve got to a dad.”
I shrug, making a note to talk to Frank tonight.
“Mom. Dad. Thanks for coming.”
My mom hugs me and then Luna. “Are you kidding me? You think we would miss this? Luna, I have a day of pampering scheduled for us on Thursday. We’re going to get massages, hair, nails, the works.”
Luna smiles, but I know she’s worried about shirking her responsibilities. “I’ll make sure the shelter is covered,” I tell her.
She nods in relief. “Thanks.”
My mom claps her hands together. “And we’ll go dress shopping. We have a lot to get done before the wedding. Did you pick a date?”
I wrap my hand around Luna’s. “Is Saturday okay?”
She gasps. “This Saturday?”
Before she can tell me no, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against me. I lean down and whisper into her ear, “Please. I don’t want to wait. I need my ring on your finger, Luna.”
I lean back to look into her eyes, and she nods. “Saturday.”
My mom gasps. “Oh my God, we need to hurry then. Luna, can we meet tomorrow for lunch?” She holds her hands up. “Now, I promise I’m not going to be some crazy mother-in-law. I’m just going to be there for you to order around and tell me what needs done.”
My father scoffs. “Right. Like you will be ordered around.”
My parents share a smile, and then Luna says, “Well, honestly, I have no idea what planning a wedding entails. We can do something small, but Eleanor, I would really appreciate your help.”
My mom hugs her. “You don’t know how excited I am to have a daughter. We’re going to be good friends, Luna, I promise.”
I’m not sure which of the women are more touched. I think this means a lot to both of them. “Okay, so I need to talk to Frank for a minute. I’ll be back.”
I walk over to Frank, who’s sitting on a stool. We knew the restaurant would be in chaos, so I hired some extra help to come in. “Hey, you okay?”
Frank nods, but I can see there’s something he wants to say. I gesture around us. “If the ten thousand to rent the restaurant for the evening wasn’t enough to cover everything, let me know.”
He rolls his eyes. “We barely make that in a weekend, Cole. It’s enough. It’s more than enough.”
I sit down on the stool next to him. “What’s bothering you then?”
He turns toward me. “All of this is nice and all, but I didn’t hear anything about love.”
I rear back, and before I can say anything, he continues, “You know, what’s a marriage without love? She deserves that, Cole.”
I nod. “I know she does, but if I tell her that, she’s going to run. She’s not ready.”
Frank gasps. “Not ready for it? Son, she’s been looking for it her whole life. She’s not only ready for it, she’s yearning for it.”
I don’t answer. Instead, I look across the room.
Luna stands between my father and mother.
From here, I can see she’s tense and guarded.
My mother hugs her first and says something I can’t hear.
Then my father, the man that barely shows emotion, hugs her.
When they release her, something has changed in Luna.
Her shoulders aren’t drawn anymore. Her hands aren’t clenched. She’s blinking hard, as if she’s trying not to cry. It’s almost like she’s steadying herself. And even from across the room, I can see it. There is hope in her eyes.
It may have taken me a minute, but I understand.
Luna meant it when she said she didn’t care about my money. She doesn’t care about a crown or status. She wants to be chosen. She wants to be loved.
My chest tightens. Frank was right. She doesn’t just want to be loved. She’s yearning for it.
I look at the man next to me. “I’ll fix this.”
He nods. “See that you do.”
CHAPTER 12
LUNA
The last few days have been a whirlwind. Between making sure the shelter was covered, supervising renovations, and planning a wedding, everything blurred together. Frank hired people to cover my shifts, insisting it was ridiculous for me to work my last two weeks, but I still made a point to see him every day.
And then there is Cole.
Leo and I have officially moved into his house. He’s encouraged me to make any changes, but I’ve got too much on my plate right now.
Cole joins me in the kitchen. “We have to interview drivers for you this week, too.” He shrugs. “Or we can wait until next week after the wedding.”