Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 142783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“You don’t want to get on that one’s bad side.” Mimi laughed from where she sat on the couch beside Eden’s father, Gary.
“That’s right, my Motorcycle Dad taught me how to take you down, so you don’t want to go messin’ with me.” Juni issued it with pure pride.
Jud chuckled from where he sat on a small, plush chair in the corner with Salem on his lap. “That’s right, Juni Bee. You tell them.”
“That I’m the best wrestler ever?” She grinned with excitement.
“Hey, that’s my title. Champion!” Gage jumped up and threw his hands into the air.
“You’re both the champions,” Logan said, his arms curling tighter around me. “You’re not gonna find me messing with either of you.”
“That’s because you’re the smart one of the bunch, right, Uncle Logan, right?”
Logan roughed out an affectionate chuckle. “That’s right, buddy. Smartest Lawson of the bunch.”
Trent scoffed. “You just go on tellin’ yourself that, man.”
“Says the guy to the one who made him filthy rich.”
“Yeah, yeah. Take all the credit, man, I see how it is.” Trent fought a grin as he scrubbed a tattooed hand over his face.
“Don’t worry, honey, you’re smart, too.” Eden rubbed Trent’s back like she was stroking his ego.
“Well, he married my new mommy, so he’s at least gotta be a little bit smart.” Gage said it so matter of fact.
Tessa cracked up where she was squeezed next to Mimi. “I’m pretty sure it’s Gage here who’s the smartest of the bunch. You tell it like it is, little man.”
“Well, I have to speak the truth because lying is bad and we gotta follow the rules.”
Affection pulsed, so intense, a warm slide of comfort that fluttered through the room.
Juni nudged at the present that was still on my lap. “Well, are you gonna open it? You has to hurry because it’s almost time for Santa to come, so we need to wrap this up before he skips right over.”
I ran my finger under the wrapping paper, freed the tape, and opened the box. Emotion tugged at the edge of my mouth when I took out the hand-drawn picture.
It simply said Best Friends in crude handwriting with a bunch of hearts around it.
Juni climbed up closer, resting her hand on my shoulder so she could peer around at what she’d drawn. “Do you like it? I figures if Uncle Logan isn’t your best friend in the whole wide world, you need one, so I think it should be me.”
I pulled her to me, held her against my chest.
“I would love that,” I told her.
She wiggled all around, hugging me tight before she scooted back and shot an unsympathetic look at Logan. “If you snooze you lose.”
I cracked up.
Logan wrapped his arms fully around me, his face pressed into my hair as his chest jostled with his laugh. “Guess the girl really does love to bust my balls.”
Salem shook her head, fighting amusement. “As I said before, don’t listen to a thing your uncle Logan says, Juni.”
“But he’s gotta tell the truth, too, Auntie Salem.” Gage blinked at her.
Love billowed, rolled and streamed from each person in the room.
And I knew…I knew…this was right where I belonged.
Three hours later, we banged into the apartment.
I didn’t know what it was, but something had overcome us tonight.
Joy.
Excitement.
It was like freedom had sat under that tree and, with each gift that had been opened, it had become ours.
Logan’s hands were all over me. Sliding around my waist and running over my ass before they were gliding back up my spine and he was taking my hair in a dominating fist.
He jerked me against him, kissing me as if his life depended on it. As if he would find the next beat of his heart within me.
I kissed him back because it was true. He was the blood in my veins. The air in my lungs. The hope in my soul.
He spun me, twisting me out of my jacket and dropping it to the floor as he edged me across the room.
I felt frantic.
Wild.
Giddy.
A giggle got free.
He swallowed it up.
“I love you, Aster Rose.” It was a rumble at my mouth.
My fingers dragged through his thick hair, and my kiss was frenzied between each rasping word, “I thought I’d never get to love again. I thought I’d have to hold it in forever. Hide it so deep inside me that one day I would disintegrate.”
Cease to exist under the weight.
“But I can’t hold it back any longer, Logan. I love you. I love you.”
He kept kissing me through the confession, and suddenly, we were beside the giant, twinkling tree.
Logan pulled back to stare down at me. “You are the existence that forever burned within me, Aster. You are the belief that I can live right. Do fucking better. Proof I can have a bigger purpose than this superficial bullshit that I’ve been chasing after. When I walk into a room? I want to walk in it for you. When I get up in the morning? I want to rise for you. When I live this life? I want to live it for you.”