Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Every so often, when it was time to leave the office in the evenings, Gideon would send Beth ahead and stay behind—seemingly to finish some last-minute work—and Beth would switch on all the lights in their home, leave the curtains open, and dance for him. After about half-an-hour, he would slam through the front door, draw the curtains, and show her exactly how much he’d appreciated her performance.
Their baby had been conceived on one of those nights.
She ran a loving hand over the ball of her stomach. The tight skin was itchy, and she knew he would be there to massage some lotion on her belly tonight. An intimate ritual that they both—no…they all three—enjoyed very much.
Zoe, Lucy, and The Old Man wandered out to the patio, and the group out there started up a lively discussion about something, loud voices peppered with laughter.
Beth’s chest swelled with joy. Her house, which had once been such a lonely place, had become a hub of love, laughter, and happiness. She glanced up at the framed sketch Gideon had drawn of Granny June and Spock and smiled, wishing her grandmother had been here to witness this. It was everything she’d ever dreamed of for Beth.
Gideon wandered over and Cat chuckled and got up.
“I think I’m in his seat,” she said, before meandering out onto the patio where it seemed the party was really getting started.
Gideon sat down next to Beth and dropped an arm around her shoulder, gathering her close. She snuggled under his armpit and watched the happy chaos that had descended on her house.
“Roast is nearly done,” Gideon whispered mundanely into her ear.
“Did you baste it like I told you to?” Because she was unable to stand for long periods at the moment, Gideon had had to step up to do the cooking today.
“Exactly like you told me to,” he murmured, nuzzling the hair beneath her ear.
“Good,” she said, stifling a yawn. He lifted his head to grin into her eyes.
“You’re not going to make it through dessert, are you?”
“’Fraid not.”
“I could kick them all out after dinner,” he suggested, and she chuckled.
“Good luck with that, you know none of them will leave until after they’ve played at least three rounds of 30 Seconds.”
He sighed, his hand went to her stomach and absently stroked the mound of their baby.
“You holding up?” he asked, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.
“Just tired. But I’m fine.”
“Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“Of course.”
They looked around their full house one more time, and Beth felt Gideon sigh softly.
“Maybe he’ll come next year,” she whispered, reading the reason for his sudden melancholy with unerring accuracy.
Nox remained estranged from the rest of his family. He’d resigned as CFO of the company three years ago and had fallen off the grid. He barely communicated with any of them and she knew that it weighed heavily on all of them. They felt like they’d failed him somehow by missing the signs of his burn-out and deep depression.
“I think that roast is just about done,” Gideon said, and she smiled at him.
He cupped her jaw and kissed her sweetly.
“Love you,” she told him.
He tilted her chin, staring into her eyes with an intensity that made her flush a little.
“You’re my joy and my reason for being, Scrappy. I love you.”