Page 152 of Surprisingly Us

Rhys:I almost forgot how beautiful my fiancée is

Colette:I’ve been gone for nine hours

Rhys:I miss you when you’re gone for nine minutes

I suck in a deep breath, trying to control the giddiness I feel reading his text. I’m not sure where we stand anymore. What is real, what is fake. Right now, with everything going on with my parents, I don’t have the energy to figure it out. All I know is what is happening between us feels good.

Colette:I wish you were here, but I understand why you’re not.

The three dots appear, then disappear. Then finally a text comes through.

Rhys:Goodnight, Princess

Colette:Goodnight

I plug in my phone and roll over onto my side to get comfortable. In such a short amount of time, Rhys has become the person I rely on the most. Maybe it’s our arrangement, the fact that we’ve got a common goal, but it’s starting to feel like more than that.

I stare at my phone. It’s nine-thirty. The latest I’ve slept in years.

My dad will be here any minute, but I don’t want to get out of bed. I can’t seem to face the thought of the three of us saying goodbye to this house. Spending one last night in it before it’s listed for sale.

My mom swings open the door, nearly scaring the hell out of me. “Your dad’s here.”

I pull the pillow over my head and groan.

“Get up, sleepy head,” she sing-songs. Man, she’s awfully chipper to see her soon-to-be ex-husband.

I hear the door click shut and I’m thankful she’s leaving me to wallow in peace.

But then the edge of the bed sinks and I realize she didn’t give up that easily.

“I’m getting up. I just need—”

A warm hand settles on my back.

A large, firm hand.

Why, Mother, what large hands you have.

I’m about to tease her with the line from one of my favorite books as a child when I peek out from under my pillow and realize it’s not my mom sitting there.

It’s Rhys.

CHAPTER 46

Rhys

Lettie leaps into my arms, knocking me off the bed and onto the floor. Unfortunately, my arms were already reaching for her, so I end up taking her with me. With a loud thump, I land on my ass, with her straddling my lap.

“You came.” She wraps her arms around my neck and fuck if this isn’t the exact welcome I was hoping for.

“I rode up with your dad.”

A huge grin spreads across her face. “Wow. You must really like me. Four hours in a vehicle with an economics professor with marital problems couldn’t have been easy.”

“No, it wasn’t, but after listening toThe Economistpodcast for hours, I’m caught up on my world politics and business news.”

She laughs and the sound is all the reward I need for waking up at the crack of dawn this morning.

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