Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
“There was such sadness in him. I felt that same sorrow in Guadalupe as well,” Harlow said. “The anguish was so heavy I wanted to cry for both of them. And maybe for me. But I knew after they left, their lives would be the same, but I had you. I’ll always have you.” That sorrow she felt for Guadalupe and Salvadore, she now felt at the loss of her parents, the weight of the loss crushing her. She clung to the fact that she had Wilder and her friends to help her figure out how she was feeling, to find a way to mourn them.
“We’ll make certain Guadalupe doesn’t feel alone,” Wilder assured. “She’s essentially part of our family, whether she wants to be or not. It won’t just be about her security, Harlow. We’ll find ways to include her.”
Harlow wanted that…but…“I’m not certain Guadalupe can allow herself to genuinely care for anyone other than Salvadore. I don’t blame her; she’s had to lead a double life since she was sixteen years old. I held myself apart for a long time, Wilder. Even from my friends. I didn’t know how to do anything else because that was how I survived. It was Zahra who saved me. She thinks I saved her, but it was really the other way around. Her family completely rejected her. She had a death sentence hanging over her, or she would have been forced to marry a man who was very vicious with women if they didn’t do exactly as he said. Then she escaped to what we both thought would be a safe haven, and the senator attacked her. But you know what? She was so resilient, so open to a real friendship with me, even after all of that. I saw her kindness and caring every day, and that helped me to open myself to the friends I have now. It’s still somewhat of a closed circle, and I struggle to show others my true self. Guadalupe has had far more years of hiding in plain sight than I have. It can be nearly impossible to share yourself after years of being closed off.”
“I’m well aware, sweetheart, but if we keep extending our hand to her, eventually she may trust us enough to take that hand. We just need to have patience and understanding.”
“Like you did with me.”
“Like I do with you,” he corrected. “You’re still having problems at times, Harlow. It’s natural. It will be for Guadalupe as well. We’ll get there eventually. You have reached a point where you trust your friends. You trust Rainier, Sam and Zale. Now you’ve let me in. She’ll get there too. We’ll do it together.”
She loved that about Wilder. He was willing to spend time making certain Guadalupe was comfortable with them. “I hope you’re right. I want her life to be so much happier. Not just to make up for what the senator did, but because she truly deserves to be surrounded by family and feel love every day.”
“I can guarantee if we have a baby, she won’t be able to resist being a grandmother. She risked her life to protect you from her own son. That has to tell you something about how she feels about you. She’s already protective of you. I think we’re halfway there.”
“She did, didn’t she?” Harlow said, hearing the wonder in her voice. Guadalupe had done that. She’d even put herself in front of what she thought was a gun in order to try to keep Harlow safe. “She really meant that, didn’t she?”
“I want to marry you immediately, Harlow. We can get the license today and plan whatever kind of wedding you’d like to have.”
She heard the one single note in his voice that made her very aware he wasn’t as confident of her as she would like him to be. “Love that idea,” she said readily. “Although you were the one who wanted the fairy tale, Wilder,” she reminded. “I’d like it small and intimate, but if you want to go big, we can do that. I’ll marry you any way you want it to happen.”
“Small and intimate it is. If I don’t ask Rainier’s permission to marry you, he’ll likely stop the wedding. If I do ask him, you know he’s going to get all pompous and insist on walking you down the aisle.”
“Sam already informed me that if any of us got married, he was walking us down the aisle,” she said. “Rainier can have it out with Sam.”
Wilder laughed. “As long as neither of them objects, we’re golden.”
“If they object, I’m kidnapping you, so be prepared,” she teased. “I’ll drive the getaway car. I’m a good driver, took a lot of racing courses as well as defensive driving. They won’t have a chance to stop us.”