Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
“Fate, divine intervention, destiny—whatever you want to label it,” Harley gushes with a shine in her eyes.
“Okay, Teary Tess, hold it together,” Jewls chides.
Harley ignores the jab.
They all gawk at me, waiting for me to answer Rowan’s question. The other day, Harley and Jewls accepted the short explanation of Talon being my patient. But now it’s obvious they were biding their time for the full story. I think about skimming the details, but my instincts tell me it would be useless.
I take a large swallow of my drink and launch into the day at the clinic when Abe was out and Talon was assigned to me. Shayla keeps my drink topped as I wind through the story, ending with this morning when he left for work when my grandparents arrived as if it were a normal occurrence.
The words come easy and when I get to the part about the incident in the salon with Rylee, I delve into the details of her betrayal with my stupid ass ex-boyfriend. Each time I mention Talon, my pulse races.
Retelling the last five weeks has my heart and stomach fluttering in sync. I take a deep breath and wave my hands in a fanning motion. “And now we’re here.”
There’s a pause before they pounce.
“He catered lunch to your whole office?”
“He sent your dog a stuffed unicorn?”
“He borrowed a dog to go to the park?”
“Your sister is a world-class bitch.”
“That douche-canoe deserves the STDs.”
Pretty sure that last one came from Bex.
“He did borrow Pepper to impress her,” Ember confirms. “Cruz told me about it when he heard I was meeting you tonight.”
“I’m going to strangle him at my dress fitting next week. He was in on the secret!” Rowan’s shriek has several male heads turning our way.
“Jesus, Bridezilla, want to squawk a little louder? Not sure the dead are rising yet,” Shayla teases.
Rowan blushes, bumping her. “I’m not bridezilla”
Whatever is said next is drowned out as my gaze is drawn to the edge of the firepit where Talon is staring at me intently. His eyes roam over my face and his mouth splits into a side-grin. He may not know the exact conversation, but he’s aware that we were in the starring role.
His eyes crystalize and send a shiver through my system.
Feelings I’ve never felt consume me.
And not one bit of it scares me.
A warmth glides over my neck as the band around my stomach tightens. Slowly, my mind stirs awake as my eyes try to focus in the pitch-black room. Talon’s hard body is pressed close, his breathing shallow against my skin. I savor the feel of him, the serenity he’s giving off as he sleeps.
Outside of Monday in the hospital, the last five nights I’ve spent curled into him, he’s always the first awake. I’ve questioned if he even sleeps. But now, I get the full experience of having this.
The comfort of his sweatshirt, the feel of his hold, the scent of him cocoons me.
Pieces of last night replay in my mind.
Any hesitancy I had about sharing my Talon story was smashed when I learned of some of the other tales.
Those girls should create a reality series about fairytales coming true.
They’ve been through a lot.
Gunshot wounds, stabbings, kidnappings, torture—all of it terrifying.
I felt myself slipping into my fears. Bex noticed and took control. She only had to say a few words to set me straight. These men are selfless, determined, badass heroes.
They fight hard for their idea of justice.
It’s not a nine-to-five job, but it’s what makes them who they are.
One glimpse at Talon and all the apprehension was gone.
Strong, powerful, smart, gorgeous, courageous, kind, gentle, caring, patient… my god-like unicorn.
After that, the night took a turn.
Kids were fed and hyped up on s’mores, running off their energy and keeping the dogs wild. Ford, Ace, Talon, and Major grilled the food, Rowan brought out side dishes, and the drinks kept flowing.
There were no more heavy subjects. Ronnie, Bea, and Janice were definitely women I could see my grandma getting along with—maybe too well.
At some point after dinner, they took all the babies back to Jewls and Major’s house.
Robbie, Finn, and Ford set up the other kids in the media room with a movie.
It became a party.
Declan, Raven, Harley, and Ace disappeared without explanation.
I’m pretty sure my jaw hit the ground when they returned and Declan was carrying his guitar.
Mike hooked up a speaker.
Declan proceeded to play a new song the band was working on. The edgy chords of music were a complete contrast to the beauty of the lyrics.
The acoustic version was phenomenal. I couldn’t imagine what the final product would be.
When he was done, Raven was beaming. It was obvious the words were about her.
She leaped into his lap, covering his mouth with hers as he dropped his guitar and wrapped her in his arms. The kiss was frantic, like they were the only two people around.