STONE: Her Ruthless Enforcer: 50 Loving States, North Carolina by Theodora Taylor

Author:Theodora Taylor [Taylor, Theodora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rom Tell That
Published: 2019-10-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

Last night, I’d had some thought of making a big deal of Boxing Day, too. Anything to distract me from the husband who’d rejected me that morning.

But on December 26th, I wake up to the ding of a text from Aunt Mari: “Are you ever going to get up? I made monkey bread.”

I’m picking up the phone to shoot her a quick sorry and ETA when a new text comes through. “That’s okay. Your husband’s bringing your plate upstairs.”

That’s all the warning I get before Stone comes through the door with a tray. It’s kitted out with coffee, monkey bread and a scramble of eggs and a bunch of vegetables and meats from last night’s party. There’s also a vase with a flower in it.

“Wow, breakfast in bed,” I say, completely unable to hide my surprise.

This is…well, pretty darn romantic. Too romantic. Looking at the tray gives me a warm and shaky feeling. Like I’m skating on ice underneath a blazing hot sun.

“I just brought it up. Tia Mari made it,” he tells me, as if sensing my conflicted response to his thoughtful gesture. “And Talia’s the one who decided you just had to have a flower in a vase. Said she saw it on TV, and I was like, what the hell you watching?”

“You’re concerned about her watching inappropriate TV, but not about cursing?” I ask, taking the tray from him. “I’m introducing a swear jar tomorrow. You are going to end up paying for that little girl’s college.”

Stone pulls a bill out of his wallet and tosses it on the tray. “Here’s a hundy to start it off. That should hold me through lunch.”

I laugh, not just because of the joke, but because Stone actually made it.

However, the amusement fades from his eyes when I laugh.

“What?” I ask, not sure what happened to our moment.

,“Nothing,” he answers. “I’m just definitely seeing why Rock liked you.”

A compliment. I do believe Stone Ferraro just gave me, Naima Almonte an actual compliment. My heart thrills, only to roller coaster drop when I remember the secret I kept from him. The secret I kept from everybody.

“Um, Stone…there’s something you should know,” I say, setting the tray aside. “I think maybe you should know …Rock dumped me.”

Stone blinks. Then blinks again. “What? No, he didn’t.”

“Um, actually, yeah, yeah, he did.”

Stone stills, sways, then sits down on the bed’s edge like he’s trying not to fall. “When?” he asks, his expression unreadable.

“A few days before he died,” I answer. “But he was a little weird for months before that. After I moved out of Luca’s penthouse, he started calling less and less. We went from going out every day, to once a week, then barely once a month, because he was so busy.”

I lower my eyes, remembering how confused I’d been. Confused but not surprised. Amber had warned me that she didn’t think our relationship was much more than Stockholm Syndrome in disguise. And she’d been right.

“I think he probably would have ghosted me if the circumstances had been different.

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