Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
“Much better.” Lachlan nods.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Come with me.”
“But Lilly bug is comfy.”
“You’re a baby hog, anyway.” Forrest sits on the couch next to me, and I sigh as I hand over the precious baby girl.
“Y’all just need to have your own,” Roman grumbles, sitting on the love seat next to his wife.
“We’re working on it.” Legend winks.
He’s not lying, but he’s also not telling the truth. We’ve mentioned it but made no plans, and I’m still taking my birth control. I take his hand, and he leads me downstairs to the basement.
“Okay, if there is anything that you don’t like, we can change it. I copied Emerson’s with Roman’s help.”
“What?” I ask as he walks over and opens the door for one of the basement bedrooms. He turns on the light and we walk inside. “Oh, my word. Legend? You made me a scrapbook room?”
“Yes, and you even have a little reading nook over there in the corner. I figured if I was getting a man cave with a pool table and poker table, you deserved a little slice of space just for you as well.”
“I thought you were working on the man cave?”
“I know. And I will, but I wanted to do this for you first.”
“Husband of the year. I can’t believe you did all of this.” I take in the cabinets, the large table, and the lighting. He even set up my supplies.
“I wasn’t sure how you wanted everything organized, but you have plenty of space to move everything around and add as much as you want.”
I turn, and he’s standing right there. I wrap my arms around him, holding on as tightly as I can. “I love this. I love you so much. Not because of the things you do for me but because you want to do them. You’ve given me so much of you that I’m not sure I know where you end and I begin.”
“We don’t. We’re one. There is no you and me, baby. There is only us.”
“Is it wrong that our friends are upstairs, and I kinda want to christen my new scrapbook room?”
His head falls back in laughter. “Not at all. If that’s what you want, I’ll make it happen.” He wags his eyebrows.
“Let’s table that. I need to show Emerson.” I let go of him and rush out the door until I reach the bottom of the steps. “Emerson!” I call up. I wince because I forgot Lilly was sleeping.
She appears at the top, wearing a smile. “Do you love it?”
“You knew?”
“Yep. They wanted to make sure it was the right style.”
“Yes, I love it. Thank you. Get down here so I can pass out hugs.”
“Let’s not get rowdy,” Legend teases. “Your hugs are mine.”
“You’re going to have to share them tonight. All of this earns every single person in this house a bear hug.”
“Fine.” He sighs, but the smile on his lips tells me he’s happy.
I’m deliriously overjoyed. This man, my husband, he’s my everything. When everyone gets downstairs, I pass out my thank-you hugs, and I file this moment away as another memory shared with the people I love the most.
We eventually make our way back upstairs and order pizza. It’s another night filled with great friends and the man I love more than anything—definitely one for the memory books.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Legend
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay home?” I ask Monroe.
“Go.” She waves me off, her voice raspy. “I’m just going to stay here in bed all day, coughing my head off. There is nothing that you can do.”
“I think we should take you back to the doctor. It’s been six days of antibiotics, and you’re still not any better.”
“I’m supposed to be taking them for ten. I have four days left. If I’m not any better when they’re done, I’ll go back. Promise. Now, go before you’re late for work. That will put your entire day behind.”
“Fine,” I grumble. I hate that she’s sick, and there isn’t anything I can do to make it better. It’s eating away at me. “If you need anything, you call me. It’s an early night at the shop for me, so I won’t be late.”
“I’ll be fine, babe. Love you,” she says as she lapses into another coughing fit.
Standing from where I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, I grab a cough drop and open it before handing it to her.
“Love you too.” I bend and place a kiss on the top of her head. With each step that carries me out of our bedroom and to the garage, I feel worse about leaving her. I know she’s right. There isn’t anything I can do to make her better. I just hate it.
By the time I make it to the shop, I’m kicking myself in the ass for not canceling my client load for today when I thought about it last night. I might not be able to make her feel better, but I could be there, too, just in case.