Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
“Alright,” I nod. I’m glad we decided to start doing more tours to show people how the land can be if we start to remove human influence – or, at least, its negative side.
Interest in conservation has increased in the area, and we are also making a good income from our eco-tours. We have already paid off the small amount of remodeling that had to be done to ensure our family’s rooms could be kept private from those being used by our guests.
That’s a step I’m honestly surprised didn’t happen during Finlay’s father’s days when hunts were common. “Go on, then.”
Finlay stands and stares at the kids, watching Gracie come back to her brother and continue gently playing with him.
“Sorry,” he says, giving himself a shake. “Sometimes, I just can’t take my eyes off them. Oh – is everything set for your parents next week?”
“Yes,” I say, ticking things off with my hand. “Their plane tickets are confirmed, they’ve got their passports updated, and I’ve cleared the week in our diary. It’s lucky that dad’s retirement coincides so well with this gap in our books.
“I’ve also got all the project work up a week in advance, so we don’t have to think about that while they’re here, or else we’d have to leave them to babysit every day and not actually see them.”
“What about food?” Finlay asks. “Do you want to hire Vince for the week?”
“No, mom and I will take care of it,” I say, waving a hand. “And I thought we could go to Tom’s restaurant one night. To celebrate in style.”
“That’s a great idea,” Finlay grins. “I’ll call Tom and see if he can book us in. I’m sure he’ll do it, even if he’s fully booked.”
“Well, not right now,” I say, shooing him out of the kitchen again. “Shower! Change! You’ve only got twenty-five minutes now!”
Finlay grins, kisses me again, and makes one last dash at Gracie to make her squeal before he disappears.
I look at our children for one long moment when he’s gone, just like he did.
He’s right.
It is hard to look away from them, sometimes.
I had the same feeling after Gracie was born.
Even when I was exhausted and Finlay would take over to watch her so I could sleep, I always lingered for one moment longer to admire our baby’s beautiful, angelic face.
Even though I’ve been here before, with Fergus, it’s just the same.
It was hard to believe we produced such beautiful, well-behaved babies. So calm and playful, Gracie is always looking after her brother.
A sudden sharp cry from Fergus alerts me to the fact that Gracie dropped his legs too fast.
“Sorry,” Gracie exclaims as I rush over, dropping the spoon on the counter as I rush over to pick up Fergus.
“Don’t worry,” I say, checking his heels quickly and then bouncing him up and down in my arms to stop him from crying. “He was just surprised, that’s all. He’s not hurt, are you, darling?”
As if on cue, Fergus stops crying, turns, and lets one arm flop over in the direction of his sister.
“See,” I say. “He wants to keep playing. So just be careful, okay, baby?”
“Okay, Mummy,” Gracie says, wiping her eyes.
I smile at her as I set Fergus down next to her and then settled a hand on Gracie’s shoulder. “Do you need a mommy cuddle too?”
Gracie nods and springs into my arms, we hug for a long moment before Gracie perks back up enough to play.
“I’ll be careful, Mummy!” she promises, turning back to make Fergus giggle by tickling his belly.
I return my attention to the stove, focusing on getting the sauce right. I’m so focused that I don’t even notice Finlay walking back down the hall or coming into the room.
I only realize it when his hand lands on my ass.
I jump, nearly dropping the spoon and splashing sauce everywhere, and then turn to scold him. “Finlay!”
He laughs, spins me around completely in his arms, and leans down to kiss me on the mouth. “Still got it,” he winks.
“You better stop that if you want to start work on baby number three tonight,” I say, folding my arms in mock outrage.
“Oh? Is that a promise?” Finlay asks before very obviously reaching around and pinching my ass again.
“It’s a threat,” I say, giving him a wicked look. He actually gulps, which makes me laugh, and then he stepped away with a twinkle in his eyes.