“Do you not trust me? Do you think I wouldn’t be brutally honest in my edits and let you publish something less than perfect?”
“No!” I tell her quickly.
“Babes, this book is fucking phenomenal. You’ve earned this.”I feel myself nodding, tears filling my eyes at being so overwhelmed.
“I gotta go. Call me. Keep me updated. I love you. Keep kicking ass.” Ruby makes a kiss sound through the phone before hanging up.
I hear the door shut behind me, but I’m so confused by this little five-minute conversation that I can’t draw my attention to it.
“You’re shaking. What happened?” Oakley’s voice is hard, like he’s ready to go to bat for me, and I love him all the more for it.
“I, uh… That was my editor.”
“Was there a problem? I don’t understand all the things it takes to, you know, release a book or whatever, but did something happen?”
“I went viral. And that sounds so fucking lame, but look.” I shove my phone in his face, the page that shows my pre-orders still up.
“Is that how much you’ve made? But it’s not out yet? I’m confused.” His brows are furrowed, trying to understand what he’s looking at.
“That’s how many people have pre-ordered. Just the number of orders, not how much I’ll make. You know, my last book? That pre-order number is double what I’ve sold total since my last book has been out.”
“Holy shit.” His eyes are wide as he continues to stare at my phone.
“Yeah,” I breathe out.
He hands me back the phone, making sure I have a good grip before he lifts me up and spins me around.
“Bestseller lists, here we come!” he yells into the night, and I can’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm.
“What in the hell?” Rina calls from the back door.
“Willow blew up. I mean, her book.”
I put my forehead on his shoulder, mine shaking with laughter.
“Hell yes! Amazing job, Will!”
Everyone comes in a huge group hug, and the only thing I can think of is how Lennox is missing.
“Okay, enough about me. It’s just pre-order. So much can change between now and release. You guys are picking up Lennox?” I ask Ledger and Ainsley. I can see their looks, but now’s not the time to focus on me. We have a brother that needs us.
“Yeah, we’ll pick him up and bring him home. How do we want to do the check-ins?” Ledger asks.
“Group chat? That way, it feels how we normally communicate,” Rina offers.
“I agree. That way, we don’t solely focus on him.” I nod.
“Alright. I’ll keep you guys updated on everything tomorrow, but otherwise, family dinner next week? Lennox’s favorite?”
“Absolutely,” I agree.
“Well, we’ll talk to you guys tomorrow then,” Oakley says as he leads me inside.
Guess we’re leaving now, but with the pre-order news and the stress of bringing home Lennox tomorrow, I’m ready to go back to my little cave of a house.
“Love you!” I yell over my shoulder as we head to my car.
There is so much still happening in our lives. I’m just glad I have James here to support me every step of the way.
