Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
She was still left with much more than any one person would ever need in their lifetime. And she was grateful for it. But Granger’s staggering betrayal of her mother’s trust was what upset her the most. And she despised him for that.
Cade was speaking, asking the questions Fern would never even think of to ask, but she was no longer paying attention. All she wanted to do was go home and process this information.
She was still lost in her thoughts when one of Cade’s questions filtered through the white noise in her head and jolted her back to the present.
“Would Abernathy be able to reverse this if at any point before her thirtieth birthday, Fern and I happen to—uhm—split up?”
Her head swiveled toward his implacable profile. Why would he ask that? Was that what he wanted? To split up sooner rather than later? He didn’t turn his head to meet her gaze, instead his hand tightened around hers.
Cyrus seemed startled by the question and he paused for a moment to stare at them through narrow, appraising eyes.
“Is there something I should know?” he finally asked.
“No. I was curious.”
“Odd thing to be curious about,” Cyrus said.
“Allow me to rephrase,” Cade said with an impatient sigh. “If I were to be hit by a bus at some point between now and Fern’s thirtieth birthday would her inheritance remain safe from that predatory fucker?”
Cyrus’s lips twitched and he adjusted his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose.
“Well, I assume she’d be left a wealthy widow, so she wouldn’t really need her inheritance, but no, her stepfather is no longer a threat to her. Especially since we will be pursuing criminal charges against him for his fraudulent activities.”
Cade’s smile was frigid.
“Good.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Cade invited in the car on their way home, half an hour later.
Fern tugged at her lower lip with her index finger and thumb for a moment, before replying, “I’m wondering why you asked Cyrus that question. About splitting up?”
Cade was driving, something he rarely did in the city, so he spared her only the briefest of inscrutable glances.
“It’s a pertinent question, don’t you think? Considering our circumstances and the conversation we had last night.”
“Is it what you want? To split up sooner?” she asked, a lump in her throat at the possibility of losing him sooner than she’d anticipated. Then she berated herself sternly for thinking in terms of loss. She didn’t have him currently. He was on loan to her. And he would never belong to her. Not really.
“Fern.” His voice was achingly gentle and the lump in her throat expanded to about the size of a hen’s egg, making it difficult to swallow. “I was thinking more about what you wanted.”
“What do you mean, what I want?” she repeated in confusion, not sure what he meant.
He stopped at a red light and reached across to tenderly stroke her cheek with his thumb.
“You deserve better, remember? You said so yourself, just last night. I asked Cyrus about it because I wanted you to understand that if, at any point, you want to end this sooner, you can do so without any repercussions from Granger. You now have that option.”
An angry horn sounded behind them and he dropped his hand to shift the car into first and continue driving.
“I remember saying that we both deserve better,” Fern reminded him softly. “But thank you, Cade. It does make me feel more at ease, knowing that we both have the option to end this whenever we’re ready.”
“So, what will you do?” he asked and she was almost certain there was an undertone of tension in his voice.
“I don’t know yet. I don’t think we need to think about that yet. Maybe we should give it a year? Splitting up now or in the immediate future, will make us both look like liars. And I’d rather not tarnish your reputation like that.”
“Aah, sweetheart, there you go again, putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own.”
“You’re one to talk. Have you ever put yourself first?”
“See?” he teased, his tone light. “Always worrying about someone else instead of yourself.”
“We’re a fine pair of martyrs, aren’t we?” She laughed and he grinned.
“Where are we going?” she asked, noticing for the first time that they weren’t heading home.
“I thought we could get some lunch and do some Christmas shopping. I also figured maybe you’d want to get some decorations? Make the place feel a bit more festive?”
Fern’s face lit up like a beacon and Cade felt more than a little smug to have placed that look of sheer joy on her face.
She was going to go nuclear when she saw what was waiting for her back home.
“Seriously?” she squealed. “Right now?”
“Can’t think of a better time than now. We’re celebrating, right?”
“And I can finally afford to buy you lunch,” she joked with a gleeful chuckle and despite his complicated feelings about their discussion the night before, he laughed in response.