Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
If I remember correctly, Jennifer was one of the masses who thought gaining Donovan's attention would be the highlight of their lives.
That might've been back in high school, but I wasn't sure much had changed since then, from the look in her eyes.
"Hello lieutenant, how're things down at the station? I heard you guys found a body down at the cove, that must've been something huh."
Darla seemed more excited at the prospect of a corpse than getting into Donovan’s pants, which made me want to laugh.
"No, you two enjoy your meal we've had ours. You have to forgive Darla, she's training with me at the coroner's office, so right now she's into all things macabre." Angela made light of the other woman's inquiry.
"So little Shania, how long are you home for this time?"
I blushed and looked at Donovan before answering Jack's question.
"Oh ho, so it's like that is it? Angie hinted but I didn't quite catch on, well it's about time you two got it together, took you long enough."
That just made me blush harder and Donovan pulled me even closer to him, as he and Jack talked shop, while us girls caught up. Before long the waitress came over and the others said their goodbyes.
We made small talk over our appetizers, laughing easily together. The tension of a few hours ago was long forgotten, or so I hoped. I didn’t want that snake Dorian taking another second away from us.
"Jen still has the hots for you." I made a face at him. I guess I can understand a little of what he’d felt with the phone call. I too had the urge to scratch the other woman’s eyes out.
"If I'd wanted Jennifer Moore I would've gone there a long time ago, not interested; not then and definitely not now. I think we have more important things to think about than her anyway."
“Oh yeah, like what?" I relaxed back against him enjoying this easy mood between us.
"Like our wedding, our future." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little light blue box that every woman in the world knew.
My heart picked up speed and my knees shook under the table. It was one thing to talk about marriage in an aesthetic way, and quite another to be faced with the reality. He opened the box and blew me away.
"Oh hell Donovan, I'm surprised this thing fit in that little box." I wonder how many women reacted this way to their engagement, but the man had seriously thrown me.
"Do you like it?"
"Like it, I love it." He took it out and I held my shaking hand out to him so he could put it on my finger.
It was a perfect fit, and for some silly reason that made my eyes fill up with tears. It felt like I'd always been waiting for this moment without even realizing it. Like this moment was the beginning of the best part of my life yet.
Donovan just kept rubbing his finger over the ring as he looked at it in its place.
"You'll never take this off; not for any reason under the sun." His voice had a ring of finality to it and I knew that this was another one of his dictates. He’s got a few where I’m concerned.
I squeezed his hand to let him know I got it; that's when he finally looked at me and it was too much.
How had I missed this all these years, how could I not have seen? It had to have been there, but somehow I'd always thought it was only me, that the attraction was one sided.
What I saw in his eyes just then said I was wrong. I hope to one day be worthy of all that love I saw in him for me.
DONOVAN
Dinner was a blur after I gave her the ring. I just wanted to get out of there and get her alone, but the night had to be one to remember.
So I decided to let her at least finish her dinner before taking her home and violating her.
We spoke softly of things to come, things I always hoped for but never believed possible not for the two of us anyway.
I couldn't believe I was actually sitting here with her like this, discussing our wedding of all things; my little girl, the girl of my heart; life truly is stranger than fiction.
For years, I'd believed her out of reach; she'd been too young in the beginning when I first felt those stirrings of lust and need for her.
Those feelings had grown into a young man's love, but still she was not for me.
Always, I worried what my friends her brothers would say, how would they react to the truth of my feelings for their younger sister? A sister they were all so protective of.