Read Online Imperfectly Real (A Series of Imperfections) by A.E. Woodward - Free Book Online Page A

in my arms I was reminded again of how tiny she truly was. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must have looked like when she was pregnant. It pained me that I would probably never know.
    What. The. Fuck?
    I told myself to pull it together. Seriously, I was going off my rocker.
    I felt her finally relax as she leaned back onto my side. She put her hand in mine and sighed.
    “So,” I said, “are you going to tell me what’s going on with you?” She stiffened and I could tell her mind was reeling, trying to figure out her next move. “You’ve gotta give me something, Half-Pint. I have a right to know what I’m getting myself into.”
    “I know you do.”
    “So …” I prodded again.
    “I want to tell you everything, Tyler. Truly I do. But I don’t want to spoil this. Let’s just wait and see where this takes us. For the first time in a long time, I feel alive. I just want to be with you, without worrying about anything else. Just us.”
    I wanted to argue with her and demand that she tell me the full story, to know what sort of damage had been done. Yet at the same time, all I wanted was for her to smile. I sat up and pulled her back tightly to my chest. My heart jumped to my throat and I kissed her on the cheek. “Just us,” I promised.
    She smiled up at me. “See, isn’t that so much better than worrying?”
    “Well, I can think of something else that would be even better than this.” She immediately blushed at my innuendo. It was refreshing to see someone as prim and proper as her. The only girls I had ever surrounded myself with had been rude and crude—case in point, Emma Sloan. She could cuss with the best of ‘em, and that included Rob. I’d heard the two of them showdown with some downright dirty words before.
    She turned around and let her lips meet mine again. We got lost in one another until I felt little hands slapping my leg. I broke away from her, my stomach in knots, and looked down at Felix who was giggling. “You little devil!” I picked him up and tossed him into the air, and he squealed in delight.
    I looked at Elizabeth, who had a smile plastered on her face. I winked at her, in spite of the road we had chosen to travel down. It didn’t really matter though, it was already too late—there was no turning back now. In a matter of days, Elizabeth Sloan had wrapped me around her little finger … again.

 
     
    We were laughing at something Emily had mumbled when we walked back into the condo. Shane, Em, and Rob were sat at the kitchen table and immediately turned from their coffees to look at us. Well, stare would be a more appropriate word.
    “Have fun?” Shane asked while Rob’s eyes pierced right through me. That son of a bitch wasn’t going to let me go on with this without hearing his opinion.
    Ashamed, I looked down to my feet. “Yeah, the kids had a great time,” I muttered as I unfastened Felix from his stroller. Emma quickly stood and grabbed him from my arms, smothering him in kisses. “I missed you, baby boy,” she purred.
    “Well, jeez, I’ve only been gone a couple of hours,” I joked, hoping to divert some attention. Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head before excusing herself to go feed Felix. Elizabeth discreetly followed her up the stairs with Emily and headed straight into Felix’s nursery. The door shut and I grabbed a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table with the guys. Rob glared at me as his foot struck my shin underneath the table. I winced before shifting my attention back to Shane.
    “You guys enjoy sleeping in?” I asked, hoping to change the focus to someone else.
    “We sure did, thanks, man.” Shane stood and stretched. “Well, I’m going up to go take a shower.”
    I watched helplessly as he walked away from us, knowing the onslaught of verbal abuse I was about to face. I wanted to flee, because I knew what was coming. Rob was about to light into me. He smiled smugly while his own eyes followed Shane until he finally