Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 91(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 91(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
“I like the snow. I always have. It’s like a fresh start,” I say as I look at Caleb.
He pulls me tighter into him. “I like you wet,” he says with an incredibly sexy smirk.
I slap his stomach. “This is no time to joke. We’re about to enter the dragon’s lair,” I say as we approach my mother and stepfather.
“I’ll put on a pot of coffee, and we’ll talk,” my mother says. She turns to address Alistair. “Calmly.”
“I’m pretty fucking calm. Cool as a cucumber. As calm as any man could be in my situation,” Alistair says, gesturing for us to sit on the white leather sofa.
Everything about this house is so pristine, so perfect. The house belongs in a Martha Stewart feature spread. Here we sit, the three of us silent, each wanting to say a million things and all scared to start.
And then my mother walks back into the room. “Caleb, she’s a child. My child. You’re old,” she states bluntly.
That’s my mother, never mincing words and saying how she feels, no matter the outcome.
“Frankly, Miriam, you have no say in this,” Caleb says coldly.
He grabs my hand, and I am unsure if it’s to comfort me or himself.
“She’s a legal adult. She’s able to fight a war, consume alcohol, and vote. She’s perfectly able to decide who she wants to be with. And I can promise you this: I will treat her like the queen she is for the rest of my life. I will make sure she’s happy and taken care of. Forever. You know I’m a man of my word. This is my word.”
My mother and Alistair look at each other. They don’t speak, but in that silence, it appears like they’re communicating volumes. I smile at the exchange. My mother has had a hard life, and Alistair is her rainbow at the end of the storm.
He’s her perfect match. Just like Caleb is mine.
“Lexi, you’re my only child. I love you with every fiber of my being. Is this what you want?” my mother asks.
I look at Caleb and smile. “More than anything I’ve ever wanted.''
“Then, that settles it. You’re an adult, and I know Caleb is a good man,” my mother says as she extends her hand and holds Alistair’s. “I know he comes from good stock.” She looks at Caleb, giving him a cold stare. “But if you ever do anything to hurt my baby, I will gut you like a fish.”
“Miriam, I would rather die than hurt Lexi. I’d cut out my own heart before hurting her,” Caleb says in a soft tone that tells me he’s beyond sincere.
I look at the man I love, feeling warm and complete.
Alistair walks over to us. Caleb releases my hand and stands. I’m not sure what’s going on. They circle each other like two wolves about to battle it out for pack dominance.
“She may not be my daughter by blood, but I love her mother, and that love puts Lexi under my protection. We may not always agree, but I know you’re a good man. If you’re what Lexi wants, I won’t stand in the way because I know you would never make a move like this unless she were the one.” Then the two of them shake hands, and just like that, everything we were most worried about, everything keeping us from moving forward, disappears.
Chapter 9
Caleb – One Year Later
“Caleb Hunt, what in the world are you up to now?” Lexi adjusts the silk blindfold on her eyes.
“Hang on tight, baby. Take it slowly.” I haul her out of the passenger seat of my car and into my arms. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“I figured.” She adjusts the blindfold again, clearly not liking the lack of control—exactly why I planned it this way.
Everything about our relationship keeps me on my toes. I was wrong if I thought pining for this woman for five years prepared me for her wild and crazy chaos. And I love every second of it.
“Just a few more steps,” I coo, my hand at her elbow as I guide her around the big house.
“Caleb, you’re crazy. It’s Christmas Eve. Who plans a surprise on a holiday?” She’s rambling, and I don’t try to hide my smile as we come into view of the most beautiful spread I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Ready, baby?” I whisper in her ear, anticipation ready to jump out of my throat.
“So ready.” She shifts against me, an excited grin turning up her beautiful lips.
“Well, I hope you’re not mad”—I slip my fingertips under the silk of the blindfold and lift—“but I took the liberty of doing a thing.”
I spin her toward the house, the one I’ve been working most of my life to make mine, now ours.
“Whoa. This is a little extravagant for a Christmas Eve dinner, isn’t it?” she breathes, taking in the mountain peaks across the valley and the lake nestled at the base with our new home perched on top.