Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“See you in a bit,” Rem says with a nod as he heads for his truck, and I climb into the 4Runner.
Thirty minutes later, after a quick shower and a change of clothes, I’m headed over to the farmhouse, the one that all of us grew up in, for dinner.
Several years ago, when our parents decided to build themselves a smaller, more manageable house for the two of them, Rem moved himself and his kids into the big house. We all supported that idea because Remington is now running the show at Wild River Ranch, and he had the kiddos, too. It felt like a tradition, a passing of a torch.
And it just made sense.
I park near the back door and enter through the kitchen, like I usually do. I can hear Holly telling a story in the dining room, and it makes me grin.
Holly and Johnny own me, and they know it.
“Uncle Brady,” Johnny exclaims when he sees me. “I’m glad you’re here. We’re outnumbered.”
“By who?”
I walk all the way into the room and come up short.
“By the girls,” he finishes, just as Daisy shoots me the biggest smile and comes running to me, wraps her arms around my waist, and gives me a hug.
“I haven’t seen you in forever.”
I pat her back and look across the room at Abbi, who’s watching me with serious blue eyes.
Yeah, I’m an asshole. I’ve done nothing but think of these two for the past couple of weeks, but I didn’t call or stop by. Because that’s pointless and does nothing but send mixed signals.
“We’re having sloppy joes,” Daisy informs me, pulling me out of my reverie.
“I heard,” I say with a grin and boop her little nose. “Did you save some for me?”
“We haven’t had any yet,” she replies and then hurries back over to her bestie.
“Now that you’re here,” Erin says as she crosses to the kitchen, “we can all dish up.”
“You didn’t have to wait for me.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Erin assures me as she walks by. Remington joins her to help, and I’m stuck here in the dining room with Abbi and three kids.
“How have you been?” I ask her, shoving my hands into my pockets.
“Doing well,” she replies with a nod. “And you?”
“Fine, just fine. Been busy out here, what with the sh—crappy weather.”
Her lips tip up in a grin. “Same, actually. When there’s snow, there’s mud, and I’ve been getting a lot of calls for cleanings lately, so my team has been busy.”
I nod and rock back on my heels. “Makes sense, I suppose.”
“Boy, grown-ups are boring,” Johnny mutters and rolls his eyes, making me smirk.
“It’s ready, everyone,” Erin announces, and we get to work making plates for the kids, and then ourselves, and settling at the long dining room table. As luck would have it, I end up right next to Abbi, and throughout the entire meal, I’m hyperaware of her scent, her warmth, how she moves, and the sound of her voice.
Fuck me, I’m so damn attracted to her, it’s as if I’m a magnet and she’s the north pole.
Finally, dinner’s done, and the dishes are cleared, so I can say my goodbyes.
“When will I see you again?” Daisy wants to know as I hug her goodbye.
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll see you during the holidays,” I assure her. “We always have parties and stuff, right?”
“Yeah, okay.” She kisses me on the cheek and then runs off to play with Holly. I guess the two girls are having a slumber party here tonight.
And that means that Abbi will be home alone. All freaking night.
Erin and Abbi are huddled together by the front door, and I decide that I’ll walk Abbi to her car. It’s already been a full evening of torture, so we might as well just carry on the vibe.
“I’ll walk you out,” I offer, and Abbi smiles and waves at the family.
“Be good, Dais. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Mom!” Daisy hardly spares her mother a glance.
“I’m glad that she loves being here so much,” Abbi says when we’re walking down the steps to the driveway. “At first, I was afraid that she’d want to come home in the middle of the night, but she’s totally comfortable here.”
“She knows she’s welcome,” I reply as I press my hand to the small of her back.
As we get closer to her car, Abbi almost slips, and as she rights herself, something falls out of her bag onto the snow below.
“Shit,” she mutters as I bend down and retrieve…a dildo?
I hold it up, staring at it and then at her.
“Don’t tell me you’re borrowing this from Erin.”
“Oh, my God, no!” She reaches for it, but I hold it out of her grasp. “Give that to me, Brady.”
“I’m intrigued.” I eye it again. It’s big. And teal. “Why is it so colorful?”