Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 76959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“What did I miss?” Lloyd walks back into the room at the worst possible time.
“Nothing,” Trina snaps. “We weren’t talking about anything.”
I hold in a laugh before turning my attention to him. I slide to my feet to help him get seated in his chair.
As I do that, he drops something in my palm.
Goddammit.
Every other curse word invented runs through my mind as I stare down at what he deposited in my hand.
“Trina.” Lloyd turns his back on me so he can face my wife. “I noticed that you don’t have a wedding band.”
Trina’s fingers trace over the large diamond on her left hand. “This is an engagement ring and a wedding band all in one.”
It’s a good comeback, but it’s not going to stop what is about to happen.
Lloyd shakes his head. “The wedding band is the anchor. It anchors both the engagement ring and your heart in place. Without one, you’re not bound forever to Graham, so I have something for you.”
I fist my hand around the diamond-encrusted wedding band that Lloyd gave to me.
“What is it?” Trina whispers.
Lloyd glances up at me. “Give it to her, Graham. I put it on my precious Sela’s finger many, many years ago. I want you to put it on Trina’s now.”
Panic darts over my wife’s expression. “Oh no, we couldn’t, sir. That’s too special.”
“Nonsense,” he cuts her off. “Graham is going to put it on you. I have a feeling it will fit perfectly.”
I see no way out of this, so I round the table and reach out a hand to my assistant.
She takes it tentatively before she allows me to help her to her feet.
“Say a few words,” Lloyd instructs. “Let us know how much Trina means to you.”
Well, shit.
I take her left hand in mine and slowly slide the band in place next to her engagement ring while I look into her striking blue eyes. “You’ve made one man very happy, Trina. It takes an extraordinary woman to make the commitment you’ve made to me.”
Her gaze searches my face before it drops to the wedding band on her finger. When she glances back up, I see tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
“You must kiss the bride,” Lloyd shouts. “Give me a replay of the wedding kiss.”
Like hell I will.
I scoop a hand behind my wife’s neck, drop the other to her hip, and I take her mouth in a kiss that I want Lloyd to remember for as long as he lives.
Chapter Thirteen
Trina
I will never forget this kiss.
Who knew Mr. Locke had this in him?
The man knows how to leave a woman breathless. I’m proof of that.
I let my body guide me as my hands leap to his shoulders.
My lips part before he dives his tongue in for the briefest touch against mine.
It shouldn’t leave me wanting more, but it does.
He breaks the kiss, and I instantly wish that I could transport back in time to that moment right before it happened so I could experience it again because that was the best first kiss in the history of first kisses.
We stare at each other as Lloyd claps.
He says something but the pounding beat of my heart echoes through me, drowning out everything else.
Graham steps back. “Trina will treasure the ring forever, Lloyd.”
My gaze drops to the diamond band on my hand. Its meaning holds so much value that I can’t look at it without tearing up. I take a deep breath and glance at Mr. Abdon to find him smiling broadly.
“I think Trina likes it as much as Sela did.”
Guilt grips me from the inside out threatening a confession, but I swallow it back. I need to remember that this is what Mr. Abdon wants. We are fulfilling his dying wish, even if it feels utterly wrong in every possible way.
A noise sounds through the penthouse. It’s an alarm of some sort. Graham and Lloyd don’t look panicked, so I take my cue from them since I’m supposed to live here.
“Someone is here,” Graham says nonchalantly.
What?
Someone is here? I didn’t sign up to play the role of his wife for an audience larger than one. This show we are putting on is for Mr. Abdon only.
Graham tugs his phone out of the pocket of his pants. He glances down at the screen. “Dessert has arrived.”
I was hoping that we’d skip right to bedtime after dinner.
This has been the second longest day of my life. Yesterday took top honors since I woke up single and ready to mingle and ended the day married to a man who doesn’t know anything about me other than how exceptionally well I do my job.
“I can’t wait.” Lloyd rubs his palms together. “Tell me that you ordered Sela’s favorite dessert of all time, Graham.”
I hope to hell he did, or Mr. Abdon isn’t going to be happy.