Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“I’ll get Daniel, you put him down,” I say. “Is Derek already down?” Our seven-year-old still thinks five AM is when our day should start, which means he’s nearly always the first to take himself to bed. Dahlia smiles, nodding.
“Barely made it through his ice cream before he was nodding off.” She chuckles, shaking her head. As much as the early starts might get a little exhausting, we both know we wouldn’t want it any other way. All three of our boys are their own perfect little people, and the love we have for them is impossible to put into words.
I head off to take Daniel to his room as Dahlia does the same with Dean, taking a divide-and-conquer approach like usual. I never would’ve imagined myself as a family man before Dahlia, but now I can’t imagine living any other way.
“Goodnight, buddy,” I say as I close the door, pretty sure Daniel is already asleep before it shuts. I peek into the rooms across the hall, checking on the two other boys and finding them both completely asleep too.
It’s not often Dahlia and I get time for ourselves, and I intend to make the most of it.
When I head down to the living room, I find Dahlia curled up under a thick blanket on the sofa, a take-out pizza box on her lap. She looks up grinning as I enter, lifting the blanket at her side in invitation. I sit down beside her, tugging her in close to my side, and adjust the blanket so we’re both curled up together.
“I didn’t feel like cooking,” she says with a laugh as she opens the pizza box.
“Pizza is perfect,” I tell her, taking a big slice and eating half of it in one bite. It’s been a long day between the kids and work, and I’m starving…for more than just food.
“The flooring should go into that townhouse tomorrow,” Dahlia informs me around a mouthful of cheese and crust. “Then it’s just the last few styling touches and it’ll be ready for the market.”
I nod, updating her on the wardrobe and coffee table Daniel and I are working on for that house, then tell her about the cottage I saw online. “Reminded me of this place years ago,” I say, pausing to kiss her hair as nostalgia washes over me. “Run down but full of potential.”
Her eyes sparkle, and she nods. “Would be good to return to our roots.”
I’ve lost count of how many places we’ve worked on together now since the business took off before Daniel was even born. With my skills in woodwork and contracting and Dahlia’s eye for style and detail, we’ve had so much more success in our projects than either of us expected.
Taking a place and turning it into a perfect home for another family is rewarding, sure, but it’s working alongside her that I love most. And while Derek will probably end up as a pro footballer—the kid’s got talent—Daniel is already planning to work alongside us and take over the business when he’s older, trying to rope Dean into it too. Though at three, Dean’s still insisting he wants to be a superhero. Hell, if that’s what he wants, I’ll figure out a way to make it happen.
“I’ll put an offer in in the morning then,” I tell her, already excited to see what plans she’ll have for the place. “Who knows? Maybe some other wide-eyed girl will move in there and find love too.”
“Yeah with some grizzly bear who’s secretly a big softie.” Dahlia laughs, resting her head on my chest.
The TV’s playing some rom-com movie, but I’m not paying attention to it at all. No, all I’m looking at is Dahlia. God, I swear she gets more beautiful every day. Even now, after all these years, she takes my damn breath away.
“Eat more,” I grumble, noticing she’s only had two slices.
Dahlia rolls her eyes at me. “I probably shouldn’t with how much I’ve put on since Dean was born,” she mutters but obeys and picks up a slice anyway.
I growl, moving so I can grab her chin and force her to look at me. Her eyes widen, lips parting in surprise. Fuck, this woman is an angel. I have no idea how I got so lucky. Can’t she see that every part of her is perfection? Maybe her body’s changed over the years but that’s only natural. She’s carried three kids, for Christ’s sake. She was their first home, protecting and caring for them from the moment they were conceived. I am in awe of her.
I struggle to figure out how to put it all into words, but I try anyway. “Good. I’ve been trying to get you to eat more for years. Shit, petal, your body is a fucking work of art. You were stunning when I met you, and you’re even more stunning now. Knowing you’ve carried our sons…” I pause, groaning. My cock aches, hard as steel at the thought. We both agreed we were done at three, but the idea of putting another baby in her is so damn appealing. “Fuck.”