Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“You’re a family with a lot of gifts,” Mia says, pressing a kiss to his other cheek, the one Sully missed. To me, she says, “Thank you for hiring me for this job, Weaver. I’m pretty into this guy right here.”
“And I’m pretty into you, sweet cheeks,” he says, making her blush as he grabs her ass.
Fighting a laugh, I nod. “My pleasure.”
“What’s your pleasure?” Sully asks, appearing again at my side, slightly breathless, making me think she must have run down the stairs to avoid leaving me alone for too long.
“Nothing,” I say, with a smile as I draw her close. “Just feeling the love in the room, is all. Mia and your grandpa are dating.”
She glances their way, taking in the canoodling with a dropped jaw. “No way! Why didn’t you tell me, Gramps? I thought you were keeping me up on all the gossip.”
“Some things are too special to share on Zoom,” Gramps says, cuddling Mia closer. “Things like…engagement rings.”
Mia holds out her hand, revealing a small, but lovely diamond, and Sully cries out in excitement. She hugs Mia, then Gramps, then Mia again, before turning to me and exclaiming, “Oh my God! You did this. You’re a matchmaker extraordinaire. Your first try, and they’re engaged in less than two months.”
“I’ll send the firm my resignation tomorrow,” I say in my best deadpan voice. “And hang out my matchmaking shingle as soon as we get back to the city.”
They all laugh and Sully squeezes my arm with an affection I can feel through the heavy sweater she bought me for an early present. It’s cream colored and old-fashioned looking and she told me it makes me look like the brooding hero of a gothic romance novel.
I may never take it off.
I like being her hero—brooding or otherwise.
Drinks in hand, we adjourn to the living room to play trivia while the turkey finishes roasting. Cathy does, in fact, win, and Sully’s cousin, Steven, comes in second place. I’m down at the bottom, thanks to knowing very little about holiday traditions and being distracted by Sully sitting on my lap.
Even with only part of the family here, there aren’t enough chairs to go around.
The rest of the clan apparently elected to spend their Christmas Eve playing bingo somewhere else. Not all the Sullivans are as accepting of our relationship, but that’s okay. All the relatives who mean the most to Sully are here and she seems happy. For me, that’s all that matters.
She and her father haven’t spoken since he left rehab, but apparently, he’s at the other gathering, fully aware that Sully has no interest in a relationship with him until he gets sober. Considering he found another relative willing to pay his rent when Gramps withdrew his support, I don’t see that happening any time soon, but who knows.
People surprise you sometimes.
I surprise myself every day. I never thought I’d be good at loving someone, never thought I could make a woman want to stay. But every day with my girl is better than the last, and she shows no sign of leaving. We’re actually packing up the rest of her things while we’re here to send them back to New York.
She’s making the move permanent and starting her job as a second shooter to a well-known wedding photographer in January. She may go back to school, eventually, too, but for now, she’s excited about moving straight into a career in photography. Within just months of arriving in the city, she’ll have her first show and be on track to earn far more than she ever made lobstering.
Not that we need the money, but I know it makes her feel good, to be succeeding when she’s doubted her talent for so long.
She shouldn’t doubt it.
As far as I can tell, she’s amazing at everything she does, a fact she proves by carving the turkey like a professional chef. We settle down to eat at the long table in the dining room and it’s by far the best holiday meal I’ve ever had, filled with laughter and toasts and a generosity of spirit that proves the Sullivans are more than agents of chaos.
They’re also people who love and care about each other and want what’s best for the people who matter most.
“She’s shining,” Cathy whispers to me over dessert, while Sully’s in the bathroom. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. She’s never looked more beautiful.”
“She’s happy, that’s what it is,” Steven says, shooting me a tight grin from the other side of the table. “Looks like you are, too.”
“Very,” I assure him.
He nods and points his fork my way. “Good. Don’t take it for granted. Show up every day. That’s what makes a marriage work.”
“That’s right,” Henna says from the opposite end of the table, where she’s busy wiping whipped cream off one of her kids. “Show up and choose each other every single day.”