Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 135955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Baby, you take one look at me, and I’m hard. My mouth, fingers, cock—I make you come multiple times a day. You think you can refrain, prove it.”
She pulls her lip through her teeth; the wheels are turning behind her eyes. “The red room in the barn.”
“Way to improvise.”
She grins proudly. “And maybe at the back of the pasture, there’s a private spot behind the edge of the fence.”
“Mmmhmm.” I hold back my chuckle.
“There’s also a place—”
“Jewls? You want to get in the shower so we can hit the road and actually get to Kentucky?”
She makes no move, her fingers tracing the ink on my side. Her expression grows pensive.
“Jewls?”
“I’ll get up in a minute.”
“Something on your mind?”
“We’re going to my childhood home to plan my wedding to the man of my dreams. I’m soaking it in.”
I give her that, feeling the warmth burn through me. “Take all the time you need.”
I take a healthy gulp of the whiskey, staring over the dark pasture, my mind buzzing with the events of the last ten hours. More so, the last ten minutes.
The door behind me opens, and a loud wave of female chatter fills the air, cutting off when the door closes.
“Thought I may find you out here.” Dad joins me at the railing, Gill at his side.
“You okay?” Gill asks cautiously. “That call looked serious.”
I flip and twist the phone in my hand, replaying the conversation. “Robbie Hayes wanted me to know JaKoby’s killer is dead. They found him an hour ago.”
Dad blows out a deep, haggard breath, his hand landing on my shoulder. “It’s finally over.”
I jerk my head, tossing the rest of my drink back. “Over.”
“You’ve held on to that for too long, son. He was a good man and friend. It’s time to let it go.”
I turn to look inside the house, seeing Jewls surrounded by our moms, her cousins, aunts, and a crowd of Margo’s friends. She’s the center of attention, beaming brightly. As if she feels the pull, her mouth stops moving, and she meets my eyes. There’s a flash of concern until I shake my head, grinning her way.
When she shoots me her blinding smile, the ache in my chest dissolves.
“I let it go, Dad. But shit, if I don’t wish he could have met Jewls.”
“He’d have given you a run for your money over that woman.”
I chuckle. “He would have.”
“Don’t know the whole story, but from what I’ve heard, the fella was a good man. This world is a better place without his murderer breathing.”
I turn my attention to Gill. “Nothing could be more true.”
He clears his throat. “Margo and I have been talking. And we, um, we came to some conclusions.”
Is the man actually nervous? I pour some more whisky, waiting him out.
“Well, Margo did most of the talking, and when my ears weren’t shutting down the blabber, she made me realize some things.”
“Things?”
“Things about my daughter, and eventually, you.”
I exchange a look with my dad, whose slight grin sets me on edge.
“Gill, you have something to say, say it.”
He shuffles, draining his drink. “I didn’t know about you, Major. When Margo told me Jewls had a boyfriend all those months ago, I was prepared to let my boys handle it. The weekend you showed up here, and she announced she was pregnant, it hit how absent I was in my daughter’s life.”
“Gill—”
“Let me finish. This is not how I pictured her building her future. I put up a good front, but every minute of every day, I wanted to drive to Nashville and move her back here with us. Margo stopped me.”
My protective instincts rear up, wondering where this is going.
“Then she was kidnapped, and after the complete story came out, and I was pissed.”
Guilt snakes through my veins. The man had that right.
“Then I walked in and saw you. A Marine who’s served his country. A cop who protects his city. A man who doesn’t flinch in the face of danger. But in that brief second, I saw a man who was terrified of losing his world. And I knew.
“That little blonde-haired, green-eyed, squawking bundle of joy I brought home from the hospital had found the only man in the world who could love her like me.”
Fuck me. My throat burns at his admission and the courage showing in his gaze.
“I love her.”
“And I trust in that now.”
Sweat beads on my neck, relief spreading through me. I just received the approval I didn’t know I needed.
“We all love her, Gill,” Dad adds solemnly.
“That brings me to my next point. Your crew has spent a lot more time together. My family wants in on that. We have two more Keller boys joining this world.”
At this, I grin.
Fuck, it better be boys, because I’m never standing on a porch, pouring out my feelings to my daughter’s future husband.