Pieces of Me by Pua Ramona (small books to read txt) 📕

your ass Missy” I say as she continues to laugh. What a little shit. Before we make it to the counter I see Reese smiling at us.

“Good morning my two favorite girls,” he says. I look at Emma but before I can even ask if she remembers Reese she goes flying toward him with her arms out ready.

“Hi, Uncle Reese,” she says while hugging him.

Reese picks her up and says “How’s my little munchkin doing?”

She giggles and says “hungry” and he laughs at her.

Reese looks over at me and asks “Can I take her to pick out what she wants?”

I smile, “Of course.”

He starts to walk off but slows down and says, “ Leila is in the office if you want to say hi.”

“Thanks Reese.”

I go to order my coffee because I needed some badly and I hear Reese say, “You look good Sina, you should smile more often it really looks good on you.”

I freaking blush like a schoolgirl. I grab a couple of cupcakes, order my coffee but I have no patience and go ahead and start inhaling my cupcakes before I've even paid for them. Mm this is pure heaven. I stand there taking baby bites of my cupcake because I wanted to savor it. By the time my coffee came I was done with my second one. Dammit! I stand there debating if I should go for another one or just chill, but screw that I deserve six more of these magical cupcakes. I grab a napkin and make my way to an empty table. I sit there and for the first time in a very long time I feel a piece of my heart beat and it makes me smile. My phone buzzes so I grab it from my purse and I smile some more when I see who it is…

Marino: Hey gorgeous, want to grab some coffee?

Me: I beat you already, I’m at Pixie’s with Emma.

Marino: Is it okay if I meet you there?

That’s weird, did I just feel butterflies in my damn belly over Marino? No way. It was probably just gas. Guh, don’t be weird Sina.

Marino: Is that a no? ☹

I smile again like a fool.

Me: It’s a yes. I’ll see you in a little bit. ☺

Marino: See you in a few☺

I sit there and I know that everything is going to be okay, that I am going to be okay. I look to see where Reese and Emma are and I see that they’re eating cupcakes and reading a book together. Emma was reading to her Uncle Reese and it is the cutest damn thing I’ve seen for a while. I sit back on my chair, close my eyes and take my first real breath since I left home all those years ago. I am going to be okay. I open my eyes and see Marino walking through the door. Swoon. Wait, what the hell? Did I just say swoon? Oh my freaking dammit, I need to un-swoon myself. But he’s so handsome, ugh stop it Sina he’s not a damn rebound you little hussy. Marino sees me and smiles, I sit there watching as he walks over to my table.

“Morning beautiful”, he says as he kisses my forehead. I sigh. Damn, stupid ovaries. Butterfreakingflies. I swoon so hard. Marino’s that guy you take home to meet your parents. He’s kind, sweet, funny and very respectful. When I’m around him, he makes me feel safe. List of things I wish Eli had. But I’m not going to sit here and waste my time thinking about that asshole. Marino was here and I was going to spend time with him.

Chapter Sixteen

Eli

We are all in Lei’s office just bullshitting when Reese gets up to look at something, or someone with a big smile on his face.

“I’ll be back babe” he tells Lei as he walks out the office.

“What was that?” I ask her.

She just looks at me and says “It’s probably Sina and baby girl grabbing cupcakes and hot chocolate.” I get up so quickly that I knock the chair over that I’d been sitting in.

“Woah there, crazy” Lei says.

“Why didn’t you tell me she was stopping by Lei?” I ask her as I start to work out a plan out how to go and fix things with my girl.

She gives me a what fuck look and says “Because she’s none of your business, and she’s welcome here anytime.” I’m not going to lie, that stings a little because I know Lei’s right, but still a little head’s up would’ve been nice. I walk over to the door to see where Reese is and I feel the air leave my body when I see how beautiful she is. I don’t want her to see me so I stay back and just watch her like a fucking creep. Shit, she’s gorgeous and all she’s wearing are yoga pants that make her ass pop and a red tank top with her hair in one of those messy knot things. She was the most beautiful woman ever, breathtaking even. I can’t hear her conversation with Reese, but I can see that she’s smiling. Reese carries her daughter to the other side of the cupcake counter and I feel a burning feeling in my chest. I’m fucking jealous because he’s talking to Sina and that he’s holding Emma. I watch Sina as she heads over to the counter to join the queue put in her order, and grabs a couple of cupcakes, eating them as she stands in line. How does she manage to make the simplest of things look so damn cute. I want to go talk to her so bad, but I know she isn’t ready for that talk, not after the shit that I pulled. She gets her coffee grabs herself another cupcake and my heart starts to hurt, fuck I miss her. Even though we haven’t had an actual conversation, I fucking miss her. I