Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“I swear,” Travis said, reading my mood. “I’d never, not ever, put her in any danger.”
I swallowed, then took a step back.
Travis watched me. “Give her a kiss, man.”
Those words sent me into a tailspin. A memory slammed into me so hard that I gasped in a breath.
***
“Give her a kiss, man,” Travis growled. “We gotta go!”
I grinned and turned to my wife, who was bent over, strapping our kids into my sister’s car.
I walked up behind her and smacked her on the ass, laughing when she yelped and turned.
I caught her head before she could slam it on the roof of the car, and she glowered at me.
“I’m sorry,” I lied. “I don’t know how that happened.”
She snorted, then turned to finish buckling Toni into her car seat even though Toni had been able to do it herself for a while now. At her age, she was well on her way to doing a lot of things on her own. Her momma still doted on her. Then again, her daddy did, too.
Toni was my girl. My mini-me. The little bit of a girl who would always love her daddy more than her mommy.
Which sucked for Lily. Me, not so much.
I walked forward until my hips were pressed against Lily’s backside, and pulled her back by her hips so that she could feel the erection that was clearly evident.
“You’re terrible,” she muttered, backing up.
I let her come, and then grinned when she turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m terrible,” I agreed. “But sometimes I just can’t help myself.”
Lily grinned, her bright eyes shining with happiness. “I love you, Dan-Dan.”
I snorted at her pet name for me and wrapped her up tightly. “I’ll be back late. Don’t wait up for me.”
She returned the kiss, and then I let her go before pushing her to the side and leaning into the car. “Y’all be good for Mommy tonight, do you hear?”
“Yes, Daddy,” both girls said like the angels they were.
I snorted. “Love ya!”
Both girls blew me kisses, and I backed out of the car, turning around to see Lily staring at where my ass had once been.
“Now which of us is terrible?”
Lily grinned. “I didn’t smack your ass, which is more than I can say for you.”
I snorted and smacked her ass again as I started to walk away.
“I love you, Dan-Dan!”
I waved at her over my shoulder and took the shotgun seat in Travis’ truck.
“Let’s go.”
We pulled away before Amy had even gotten behind the wheel of the car, and she waved as we made our way out of the parking lot.
Travis and I waved back, passing over the huge bridge that spanned the length of the river.
My eyes went down, and I grinned over at Travis. “We should go fishing. With the river up like it is, the trees won’t stop us from going downstream.”
Travis grunted. “What does it matter? The last time we went fishing in that river, you made me get out and wade over the fallen trees. Even when you said the same damn thing that time, too.”
I chuckled, then sat back in my seat and closed my eyes.
The river was completely forgotten as I thought about all the paperwork that we were going to have to do for this recovery.
It was going to be a long damn day.
***
“D?”
I swallowed and looked up to find not just Travis in the room, but Rafe, Evander, and Parker—another new hire—there as well.
Parker and Rafe had been working there for a while now, but this was my first time actually meeting Parker.
And what I saw in his eyes matched mine.
He’d lost someone, too.
Fuck.
We both looked away from the other’s pain, and I turned to Travis. “If you’re sure about keeping her, I would like you to hang on to her. I don’t know how long I’ll be, though.”
Travis hitched Mary up higher onto his hip, and then walked forward and waited.
I dropped a kiss to Mary’s forehead, once again wishing I could kiss my other two babies one more time, and headed out the door without another word to anyone there.
Chapter 11
I used to be like you, all smiley and shit.
-Cobie’s secret thoughts
Cobie
My eyes opened, and the first thing I saw was the white ceiling. The next thing I saw was the bright white IV pole at my bedside.
The next thing I became aware of was when I let my eyes trail down the length of the IV pole, hesitating slightly at the monitor that was there before they continued on down until something else caught my eye.
My mouth fell open.
Then the pain made itself known, and I moaned.
Dante, who was at my bedside sitting straight up in his chair but asleep, shot up like I’d stabbed him in the thigh.
“Cobie?”
The concern in his voice had my eyes filling with tears—though that might’ve been due to the pain as well. I wasn’t really sure at that point.