Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Ethan was exhausted when he walked through the door. All he wanted was to take a hot shower, make love to his wife and go to bed, although he wasn’t sure if he’d get any loving from Riley. Lately she’d been neurotic about the hours he spent in the office although he’d explained to her how important the case he was working on was to his career. In the beginning Riley seemed to understand that but once she’d met his new assistant she slammed him with all kinds of accusations.
Ethan wanted to put it down to the fact that she was hormonal. She was a few weeks into her second trimester. It was a surprise for them both because Riley was on the pill and still finishing her senior year of college. Despite those facts, they were both happy about the baby because they wanted children. Ethan hoped this jealous phase was just that. A phase.
The second he walked through the door he could already tell he was in trouble. He could hear Riley on the phone. “I know Mom. He says he’s working. I want to trust him.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. It wasn’t that Riley’s mother was a mean person but she’d made no secret of her dislike of him. Whenever Riley spoke to her mother or sister Raine, an argument usually ensued.
He walked into the living room to find Riley on the coach. Her back was turned to him and she didn’t notice he’d arrived. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss at the top of her head.
“Ethan!” she shrieked in surprised. “Mom, I have to go, Ethan is home.” She paused for a minute. “Yes, Mom. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll call you later on this week.” Once she hung up and slid off the couch to face him, he could tell from the expression her face, his night wasn’t going to go according to planned.
“Ethan it’s almost ten o’clock. I know you said you’d be working late but I expected a phone call at least.”
“I told you’d I’d be late tonight before I left this morning. I’ll be pulling these kinds of hours for the next few months but once this case is over and I’m successful, this can mean big things for us.”
“For you, you mean. You’re spending hours away from home because of you. And I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to have a paralegal who hangs on your every word and bats her eyelashes at you while your wife is at home getting fat.”
Ethan pulled her against him wanting to defuse the situation before it escalated. “You’re not fat. You haven’t gained a pound yet and if you did, I’d love you no matter what. Let’s not argue okay? It’s been a long day and I wanted to spend some time with you.” He bent down to give her a kiss but she pushed him away.
“You smell like another woman’s perfume. I can’t believe you have the nerve to come home to me after her!” She turned her back on him.
Ethan had tried to rein his temper in but failed miserably. “Are you fucking kidding me? Can I come home one night without you throwing accusations at me? I have not and would never cheat on you. I can’t help that the woman wears a lot of perfume. We work in close proximity to each other which might explain the scent. I’m not sure how many times I have to say you’re the only one I want. And yes, I am working hard for me and for you and our baby. What’s wrong with a man wanting to have the means to provide a comfortable life to his family?”
“If you cared so much about your family, you’d be home more often. You make it sound like you’re the only one who’s got a busy life. I’m in school full time and I take care of our home. Although I’m not sure why I bother with the latter considering you barely notice it. I cooked your favorite meal tonight and I ate dinner alone just like I have for the past several weeks. I’m beginning to think my mother was right about you.’
“Are you married to me or your mother? Why does she have so much input in our marriage. If you can’t trust me that’s your problem not mine but for the record, Doreen and I work together. Nothing more.”
“And I bet she was there with you tonight wasn’t she? How many other associates were there in the office with you?”
“I’m done with this conversation. Believe what you want.” Ethan stormed past her.
“So you’re just going to walk away before we finish talking?”
He halted and released an agonized sigh. “Were we talking or were you accusing me of something? I couldn’t tell the difference.”