Home > Drawn into Love (Fluke My Life #4)(2)

Drawn into Love (Fluke My Life #4)(2)
Author: Aurora Rose Reynolds

“Shit, I’m sorry.” His eyes close briefly. “I didn’t . . .” He shakes his head. “My head’s all messed up. I want us to be friends. I miss you. I miss talking to you.” Again with the talking. The last two years of our marriage, I did all the talking, and felt like I was losing my mind, like I was being unreasonable wanting time and attention from him.

“I don’t want to be friends with you, Tom. Really, if I never saw you again it would be too soon.”

“You don’t mean that. You love me.”

“Loved. I loved you. I don’t love you anymore. I don’t even like you.”

“So this is it? You’re moving to New York, and I’ll never see you again?”

There is no denying the sadness in his voice, but I no longer care about his feelings.

“I wanted forever with you,” I say quietly. “I wanted forever, and you took that from me. So yes, this is it. I don’t want to be friends, and I don’t want anything to do with you.”

His eyes drop to his feet.

“You will never know how sorry I am,” he tells me, meeting my gaze once more. He looks like he’s really hurting, and my heart—which he already destroyed with his carelessness—crumples in my chest. I hate that he’s in pain, but he didn’t think about how I would be affected by what he was doing to me.

“Bye, Tom.” I close the door on him and this chapter of my life.

“So what do you think?”

I’m looking around the house . . . Okay, maybe house is too loose a term, since the inside is completely bare. There’s no kitchen or bathroom, actually; there aren’t even walls. The structure is an outer shell that sort of kind of resembles a house.

“Ugh.” I scan the room again, wondering if I’m missing something. John, my Realtor, laughs. John is a couple of years older than me. He’s handsome in a Prince Harry sort of way, with copper-colored hair that makes his green eyes seem even brighter, a strong build, and an ever-present smile.

“I get it. It’s not much to look at, but it’s a great price. In this neighborhood, you won’t find a deal like this again.”

“It’s over a million.” I look around. “And there aren’t even walls.”

“Think of it as a blank canvas.” He smiles, showing off a small dimple in his left cheek.

“I don’t really have any other way to think of it, since there is nothing here.” My lips start to twitch when he laughs again.

“I know a great interior architect. He’s new to the city, but all of his work has been amazing. I’ll set you up with him if you decide that this is the house for you.”

“You really think this is a good investment?” I look around again.

“I showed you the comps for the neighborhood. Most of the houses on this street have been going for five million or more. I’m guessing that it will probably cost you eight hundred thousand or so to renovate. So yes, I really think this is a great investment.”

Never in my life would I have thought that I would be talking about spending a million dollars on a home—or about so much for renovations. But here I am, standing in the empty shell of a house and thinking about doing just that. Just the thought of spending that kind of money makes me want to break out in hives, especially after a childhood during which my whole existence could fit into a carry-on suitcase.

“It’s a cute neighborhood,” I say out loud, more to myself than to John, as I walk over toward a window that overlooks a quiet street in Riverdale, a cute area in the Bronx.

“It’s a really nice neighborhood. If you decide to have kids one day, the schools around here are some of the best in the city.”

Kids. That dream is long gone. If I do get this place, I would get a dog—or maybe a few of them—to keep me company. “How long do I have to think about this?”

“I’d love to tell you to take all the time you need, but this place is going to go fast. The developer who bought it and started fixing it up wants it off his hands as quickly as possible, which is why it’s priced like it is.”

“So I need to make an offer,” I say, turning around to face him. I feel anxiety rush through my stomach. I’ve never been good at making decisions without a lot of time and thought.

“If you’re going to make an offer, I’d say do it sooner than later.” He nods, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pressed slacks.

I turn and take in the empty space. I love the area, and I know he’s right. Homes on this block are going for a lot more than I would be paying, even including renovations. It would be an investment, probably a good one. I need to start my life over, and part of doing that is making a home for myself.

“Okay,” I agree.

His head tips to the side.

“I’ll make an offer, but promise me that if it’s accepted, you’ll get me in touch with your guy as soon as possible.”

I don’t mind the place that I’m subletting, but spending close to five grand a month for rent makes me feel nauseated. Then again, there aren’t too many places in the city in decent areas for less than that.

“You got it.” He grins, showing off his bleached-white smile. “Now come on. I’ll take you out to lunch.” He closes the door to the house behind us as we step out onto the front stoop.

I look at my watch and shake my head. “I can’t. I need to be across town.”

“All right. I’ll just get all the paperwork for the offer ready and email the documents you need to sign.”

“Sounds good.” I give his arm a squeeze before he sticks out his hand for a cab that pulls up a second later. “Do you think telling them I’ll pay cash will speed up the process?” I ask as he opens the taxi door for me.

“It won’t hurt,” he says with a shrug. He’s not even surprised at the idea of someone paying a million in cash for a house. Then again, as a Realtor in one of the most expensive cities in the world, he’s probably used to it.

“I’ll keep an eye out for your email.” I smile as I slide into the back of the cab. Looking at the house as the car pulls away, I can feel my stomach fluttering with nervous excitement.

Chapter 2

JUST THE TWO OF US

LUCAS

“Daddy, I’m ready for you to come tuck me in and read me a story,” Madeline says. My little girl is standing just outside her bedroom door, her dark hair still wet from her shower, with a sweet smile on her little face and wearing a pair of bright-pink pajamas with unicorns all over the cotton material.

“Did you brush your teeth?” I glance at the clock and see it’s already eight.

“Yep.” She smiles, and I narrow my eyes.

“Did you put all your girl stuff back on your shelf in the shower?”

Her eyes light up, and a giggle escapes her lips. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Thank goodness.” I place my hand over my heart as she hops into bed, pulling the blankets over her lap. “I don’t need another glitter accident like the one I had last week.”

She falls back into bed, laughing hard.

Smiling at her, I can’t help but laugh myself. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t funny last week when I accidentally used her body wash instead of my own, leaving a coating of glitter on my skin that seemed impossible to wash off. I went to work looking like that damn silver troll doll from that movie. Thank god I didn’t have to meet with any clients that day and was able to hide out in my office.

“You’re so silly, Daddy.” She sits up with a smile on her face.

“So what book are we reading tonight?” I watch her turn on her lamp before I turn off the overhead light and head across the room to sit on the edge of her bed.

“This one.” She hands me the book.

I look at the cover and smile. “Again?”

“It’s my favorite.” She scoots over, and I lie down next to her. I lift my arm so she can tuck her small body against my side like she has been doing since she was a newborn.

“All right.” I open the book and start to read the story of the princess and the pea, stopping only once her soft snore fills my ears. Seeing that her eyes are closed, I place my lips against her smooth forehead and hold them there. I never thought that one day it would be just the two of us, that I would end up a single father. When I met Madeline’s mother, Eva, I didn’t really think much about the kind of woman she was—I got stuck on her looks and her entertainment value. I was a dick . . . or maybe I was just thinking with my dick when it came to her. She was beautiful, had a great smile, and could be funny in the right situation. We had off-the-charts chemistry, and, at the time, all of that was enough for me. But when she told me she was pregnant, everything changed.

   
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