Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
He was always awake at five thirty, and they had been ready for breakfast on time. Each morning, he rounded up the kids, helping with buttons, hair, and collecting all their homework. After a braid disaster, he did stop helping the girls with their hair. Alex had to unknot their hair. Alex couldn’t even understand how he’d been able to make it so bad, but this was Roman, and well, he clearly knew what he was not good at. The dishes were always done before they left for the school trip. Each morning, he fist-bumped the boys, telling them to have an amazing day. The girls kissed his cheek, and he told them the same, but added to kick all guys in the balls.
Alex tried to talk to him about that, but he wouldn’t have any of it.
When they got home, he insisted she did her studies and he cleaned the house. This was another new adventure.
Roman had never cleaned a day in his life. The first day of his attempts to help, he smashed multiple pictures and had somehow burned out the motor on the vacuum cleaner. Again, she had no idea how he did it. She had a feeling he tried to vacuum up some spillage of water, but he denied it.
In the end, Alex ended up showing him how to clean. They did a little bit each day, and when he felt she was doing too much, he forced her to study. When she was in the study, Roman was there, complete with a laptop and doing his own work. From what she figured out, he was working from home. His dad called him all the time.
Liam stopped by, but he also made sure to give his son-in-law a warning.
Alex knew her father was pleased he had turned up though.
One week, turned into two.
Then three.
Before she even realized what was happening, they’d been living together for over three months. The weeks just blended together.
Roman was there, always. There were a few occasions he left to go and take care of business. Whenever he came back, she knew when the work had been dangerous as he was dressed differently. He never brought it home.
The kids were demanding, but Roman was always there, helping. They had gone out together as a family to theme parks, and the beach.
The first couple of weekends of doing nothing, Roman had made it his mission to bring experiences.
They were a little stressful as Alex liked to keep a constant eye on them. Going to the beach, allowing some of the older kids to go off and do their own thing, was hard. She got through it, keeping the youngest entertained.
Little by little, Roman was fixing and changing the house, with Antonio, Marlo, and Cash’s help, along with a few skilled workers Roman vetted.
Alex stared across the lawn, watching Roman as he was going over the details for a tree house. He didn’t want one built out of his sight and insisted it be near the house. He had also brought in an architect to draft one.
Roman had gotten all the kids around the dining room table with a notepad, and he made them all, in an orderly fashion, talk about what they wanted their tree house to be like.
He’d listed every single item.
She smiled just thinking about it.
“Can you believe the lengths he’s willing to go to?” Antonio asked.
Over the past several months, Alex had learned to forgive his friends, and it had taken time, but she did believe they weren’t trying to seduce her anymore in some illicit plot to out her to his family.
Roman had already taken her virginity.
“He loves to make them happy,” Alex said.
“And you,” Antonio said. “All of this is for them and for you. You’re his family. I’m not saying that because he put me up to it or anything. I’m speaking the truth.”
“You don’t have to,” she said, holding her hand up.
“Yeah, I do. You think I don’t see this between the two of you? Months ago when he made up his mind not to give up and to find a way of winning you over, I thought he was wrong. I figured a clean break was what you both needed, but I was wrong. What you both need is each other. You love him, Alex. You know you do.”
Antonio left, and Alex turned to watch Roman. He was pointing at the design.
They slept in the same bed with each other. Every morning, she woke up in his arms, feeling the evidence of his … arousal against her hip. She was the one who always pulled away first.
Damn it.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Not to her.
Not to them.
Roman clapped the man on the back and then headed down toward her. He kissed her lips, which he always did, regardless of who was around them. “It’s a done deal. He can have it done in about four weeks.”