My Unexpected Vow: California Billionaires Book 2 Harlow James (scary books to read txt) 📖

ago, I’d be scared. But you’ve turned into quite the little cook now,” he teases. “Total wife material.”

Chuckling, I stand and then splash water in his face. “Better watch it. I can still poison you.”

“You’d miss my dick too much,” he counters.

“Your dick? Or you being a dick?”

“Hey, I apologized, okay? I have a man cold. I can’t take responsibility for what I do or say while I’m sick.”

“A man cold?”

“Yeah, it’s a thing. Look it up. Men actually get worse symptoms when they’re sick than women do.”

“Oh, please,” I say while rolling my eyes. “That was clearly devised by a man so he could use the excuse for being a baby while fighting off a cold.”

“When I get out of here, I’m gonna prove it to you,” he declares, shuttering again in the water. “Fuck, I can’t stop shaking.”

“Give it a few more minutes, then get dressed and meet me in the kitchen.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I try to fight off my grin, but fail miserably. “You know it’s hot when you’re bossy. If you want to dress up in a slutty nurse outfit and nurse me back to health that way, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.”

“You’d better stop while you’re ahead!” I call back to him as I exit the bathroom, shaking my head, but smiling nonetheless. God, the man is infuriating, and yet, I can’t help but love how he’s always making me laugh.

* * *

A few days later, Hayes is back to his virile self, and I managed not to catch whatever he had, so I decided it was time for me to be vulnerable with him. I’m terribly nervous and I don’t know why. I’ve been to the shelter a million times. I know what I’m doing.

But I’ve never brought anyone with me, and I think that’s the difference.

Last week when Janet pried for an update between me and Hayes, she said she could practically see the hearts dancing in my eyes. I told her how everything has transpired between us in the last month, and seeing that it’s the middle of May and we’ve been married for four and a half months now and things have drastically changed since then, Janet assured me that it was time to let Hayes into this aspect of my life.

When I told Hayes that there was somewhere I wanted to take him but it was a surprise, he instantly thought it was something dirty, like a sex shop. And while I’m not opposed to that idea, I explained that this was much more important to me than that. As soon as he took in the change in my demeanor, he flipped the switch and told me he couldn’t wait to see what I wanted to show him.

“I know I shouldn’t be nervous,” I say as we close in on the shelter. I opted to drive since Hayes didn’t know where we were going and I didn’t want him to until we got there.

“The fact that you are is kind of cute, babe.” He reaches for my hand and gently rubs his thumb over the top of it before planting a kiss on my skin.

“This is just a big deal to me.”

“If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me,” he assures me as I turn on my blinker and wait for traffic to pass so I can enter the back parking lot.

Once I find a space and shift into park, Hayes’s eyes take in the building before us.

“You know how you always tell me that there’s a lot I never knew about you?” I turn in my seat to face him.

“Yes.”

“Well, this is something you never knew about me,” I say, gesturing to The Rescue Mission.

“You brought me to a homeless shelter?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“What does this have to do with you, Wave?”

“I volunteer here at least twice a week, Hayes,” I reply with a shaky breath.

“What?” His head spins to face me so fast and the questioning gaze he gives me has my heart pounding inside of my chest.

“I’ve been volunteering here since I was sixteen.”

“Wow. I… I never knew.” Confusion flashes in his eyes as he runs his hand through his hair.

“No one does, well, except for Emma and Wes.”

“Why… why didn’t you tell me? When do you come here?”

“While you’re at work, and… I just don’t tell people.” I shrug. “I understand how it might look to someone on the outside that a rich girl volunteers because of how it will make her look to others. But that’s not why I do it. Seeing people with far less than I have always helps put things into perspective for me, especially in those moments where I get frustrated with my life. And this place gave me a purpose years ago when I felt really lost. Hell, it still does. I connect to these people. I’ve shared in their stories and invested time making a difference for someone else. It’s also reminded me to keep fighting for what I want because everyone is fighting something in their life, and some people lose.” I share the story of how I found The Rescue Mission with Hayes next, and he just stares at me in awe.

“You are incredible.” He leans forward to kiss me, and I gladly accept but then pull back quickly.

“Thank you, but my reason for bringing you here wasn’t so you’d think differently of me or make me out to be some sort of martyr. I just wanted to share something important with you that you don’t know about me. But this is it. I’ve shown you everything now, Hayes.”

“Wave …”

“And there’s someone inside that I want you to meet,” I say with a smile, reaching for the handle on my door and eagerly exiting the car.

Hayes slams his door shut once he gets out as well and then locks the car before grabbing my hand and allowing me to lead him inside.

We enter through the steel door in the back, walking through the