Status Updates From Todos os caminhos me levam ...

“You know, you keep on being nice to me, and I’m going to think you like me.”
That big body stopped right where he was and one gray eye was on me over his shoulder as he asked in that rough, serious voice,
“Who says I don’t like you?”
Excuse me?
Did he just say . . . ?”

Ughhh RHODESSSS 🫦🔥😮‍💨😩👀

“Aurora.”
I looked at him over my shoulder.
His jaw was tight again. The lines across his forehead were back too. “You look beautiful,” Mr. Rhodes said in that careful, somber voice a heartbeat later. “He’s an idiot for looking at anyone else.”
I swear to God my heart just totally stopped beating for a second. Or three.”

HE’S SUCH A BROODING CUTIEEEE 🫦❤️‍🩹😩🔥😮‍💨

“Man, if only I could go back in time and tell a younger Aurora not to be stupid and settle.
I wanted to think I’d loved him so much that’s why I’d put up with it, with the secrets and the subterfuge. Now, some part of me thought I’d just been desperate to be loved, to have someone, even if it cost me.
And maybe love always had a price, but it shouldn’t have been that high.”

🤧❤️‍🩹

“The chair beside Mr. Rhodes was pulled out, and it took me a second to realize he’d pushed it with his knee and it hadn’t been magic. He was chewing as he gestured to a stack of plates on the counter beside the containers of food. I picked one up, feeling a little shy all of a sudden, and loaded it up with a little bit of everything—not really that hungry for some reason but wanting to eat anyway.”

Ughh

He could barely get the words out. “Angel . . . that’s not a hawk. It’s a golden eagle.”

ANGEL?!?! MELTEDDDDDDD! 😮‍💨😩🔥😶🫦🫦🫦

“Who did that to you?” he asked in a slow, slow voice.
“No one,” I tried to explain again.
“Someone jump you?” Mr. Rhodes asked, drawing out each word.
“No. I dropped—”
My landlord got up to his feet at the same time one of those big, rough hands went to my shoulder and curled around it. “You can tell me. I’ll help you.”

RHODES 😩🫦😮‍💨