Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“There’s only one way to find out,” he says, rising with the kitten-topped pillow in his arms.
I blink up at him. “What? Now?”
“Now,” he says. “I packed a bag for both of us and since it’s Goober Mullens’ Day, I don’t have work tomorrow.”
I wrinkle my nose. “They still give kids Goober Mullens’ Day off from school? They proved that he didn’t actually invent the pogo stick. He stole the idea from that other guy who stole it from the German guy.”
“The Bad Dog school system doesn’t care,” he says. “They just want an excuse to take off work and eat candy covered peanuts and walk backwards around downtown all day.”
My brow furrow deepens. “And what does that have to do with anything? I never did understand how that came to be part of the celebration. I get that ‘goober’ is another word for peanut in some circles, but—”
“I’m taking your pillow, Mel, the cats are sleeping on it, I’ll bring it back. Thanks for a great party,” Matty calls out, miraculously not waking the kittens as he hollers and then strides toward the door.
“Okay, bye!” Mel calls out from the kitchen where she’s been whipping up batch after batch of delicious food all day. Having a professional chef as a future sister-in-law really is a huge bonus.
And she will be my sister-in-law. Even if Matty hates what I’ve done to his treehouse—and the fact that I’ve told everyone and their mother about it—he’ll forgive me. He knows that being nosy and a tiny bit bossy are my toxic traits, and he loves me anyway. And if I hadn’t been both of those things, he’d be halfway around the world alone and sad in a van right now instead of having the “best winter of his life.”
Those are his words.
Words I intend to toss gently into his face if he opens the treehouse door and starts screaming.
But when we tromp through the leafless winter woods around an hour later and the newly renovated exterior reveals itself to us like a fairy cottage in an enchanted forest, he doesn’t scream. He takes in the fence made of wrought iron leaves, the spiral staircase leading to the top, and the fresh coat of dark blue paint that pops beautifully against the gray sky and black roof, then turns to look at me with a delighted grin that goes straight to my heart.
“You like it,” I say.
“It’s beautiful. Like something out of a movie.”
I clap my hands together over my mouth, hiding my smile. “Wait until you see the inside. It’s the cutest thing ever, and I added a dishwasher.”
His eyes widen. “A dishwasher?”
“I’m only going to rough it so much, McGuire. I need a dishwasher. And a sewing room. I added one of those, too.”
He laughs. “Where?”
I point a bit farther back, behind the main structure. “In the addition. It’s just a shell and some plumbing right now. But there’s going to be a sewing room and guest suite two trees down, connected to the main structure with a swinging bridge, which is going to be adorable. Aaron’s friend Tony is working on it. He said it should be finished by the end of June, right when our six-month lease is up.”
He sets the suitcase down and shifts the cat carrier to one hand, drawing me against him with the other. “You’re diabolical.”
I bite my lip. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it’s a perfect thing,” he says. “You’re going to keep me on my toes. But I have a little something up my sleeve, too.”
My eyes widen. “What? A puppy? We’re getting one sooner than you said?” My excitement turns to concern as I add, “Though potty training a puppy might be hard in a treehouse. We might want to wait until we’re a little more settled and have time to install a patch of grass up there somewhere.”
“A patch of grass,” he echoes. “In the tree.”
“If we can put a human toilet in a tree, we can put a platform with some grass on it up there for the puppy,” I say. “You’ve gotta think outside the box, McGuire.”
He grunts. “Speaking of boxes, there should be something waiting for you on the new kitchen table. The furniture delivery coordinator said she’d personally make sure it was in place before she locked up on Friday.”
I hug him tighter, so happy I could break into a spontaneous musical number. “You’re diabolical, too. I love that about you. About us.”
“I love you more than is decent or sane,” he says, brushing a kiss across my lips.
I hum against his warm skin. “Decency and sanity are lame.” I shiver. “So is this wind. I’m so tired of winter.”
He pulls back with a wry smile. “Good thing you installed a new heating system then, isn’t it?”
I grin. “It is! Race you to the top. Last one in has to set up the litter box.” I dash for the treehouse, leaving Matty laughing behind me. We both know I’m going to win. I have a head start and I’m only carrying a backpack full of toiletries, my small purse, and the grocery bag with the litter and a few groceries inside. Matty has the cat carrier, his backpack, and a large suitcase.