Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 122216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
When we enter the cabin, Brendan helps me take off my boots, shaking the snow away before taking my coat off. I do the same, helping him out of his winter gear.
“Go sit by the fire.” I try and make my voice stern and bossy.
He kisses me before he does as he’s told.
I look over to the cat house that’s shaking. “Oh my God! Those two never stop.” I swear those cats get it on more than Brendan and I do, and that’s saying a lot.
“I think she's pregnant,” Brendan says as he drops down onto the sofa.
I stand there with my mouth hanging open. Mrs. Claws showed up and I took her in, and then things happened so fast that I never took her for a vet check.
“We’re having kittens?” I whisper. “Kittens?”
“I thought you’d be—” Brendan stops talking, because I start screaming.
“Oh my God we’re having kittens!” I jump up and down. “This is the best Christmas gift ever!” I can’t control my excitement.
Brendan just smiles at me. I’m sure I look like a crazy person dancing around, overly excited about having little baby furballs, but I don’t care. I need to begin knitting them little kitten outfits.
“Come here.” Brendan motions for me to sit with him on the sofa. He pulls me into his lap. “I think I got you something you might be just as excited about.” He pulls out a small box from between the cushions. What’s with people hiding things in sofas around here?
He opens the box to reveal a ring. “Give me your hand, angel.” I lift my shaking hand as he slides the platinum band on my finger. A red ruby sits in the center, the gem surrounded by diamond sparkles. It’s perfect.
“It’s beautiful.” I stare at the ring as my eyes begin to water. I don’t know how life keeps getting better and better, but somehow it does. I know it’s all because of Brendan. He makes me feel confident and secure.
“I know we’re already married,” he says.
“You never even asked me.” I nudge him with my elbow. He just set us up with new identities that said we were married.
He winces, then tries to cover it with a smile.
“Sorry.” Crap, I nailed him in his wound. The same one I’ve been on him about being careful about. “See? This is why you shouldn’t put me in your lap.”
“I’ll risk it.” He wraps his arms around me. “Now tell me you’ll be my wife forever.”
“I don’t really think I have a choice. You and those magic fingers would just keep hacking into some system and making us married somehow. Deleting divorce papers,” I tease.
“I better never hear that D word come out of that sweet mouth of yours again.”
“Never.” I shake my head, then lean in to brush my mouth against his. “I’ll be your wife forever. There’s no getting rid of me. You’re stuck.” My fingers dig into his shirt. “I'm a clinger, remember?”
“One of the many things I love about you.” He kisses me with his tongue, slipping it into my mouth. I moan a happy sigh. “Who wouldn't love a beautiful sexy woman clinging to him all the time?”
I hold on to him tighter. “I love you.” I smile against his mouth, knowing that I’m about to get lucky. I start to shift to straddle him.
“You going to let those cookies burn?” He smirks.
I squeak and almost fall off Brendan’s lap, but he makes sure I don’t. I look over to Laura, who’s leaning up against the wall eating what looks like the roof of one of the gingerbread houses I made.
I point at her. “You don’t eat those!”
She stops before she takes another bite, inspecting the cookie roof. “I don’t taste anything wrong with it. I’m trained to detect that.”
For once, I actually know she isn't joking. I bet she truly is trained for something like that.
“It’s decoration.” I wiggle to get off Brendan’s lap. He doesn't let me.
“Well, don’t make it so yummy then.” She walks over and plops down on the love seat. “What’s for dinner?” She polishes off the roof.
“Where did you even come from?”
“I live over that way.” She points to the back of the house.
“You’re so full of it.” I shake with laughter.
Brendan whispers in my ear that he invited her.
“I’d rather be full of dinner.” She pats her stomach. “Do I get a kitten?” she asks as Charlie pokes his head out of the cat house.
“No,” Brendan and I say in unison.
I’m keeping all the kittens. I don’t care if I become a cat lady anymore. Maybe one day I’ll become a mommy too. Wife, mom, best friend—I could get extra, extra lucky and Laura could turn me into an aunt.
Laura pulls another cookie out from her pocket, then bites the head off a gingerbread man. It’s going to take a special kind of man to tie her down. I smile, realizing how lucky I am that I found mine.