Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Twelve silver-plated chains hung from a rustic-looking wooden plank, the length of a piece of firewood they threw in the woodstove at home. One chain for each month of the year. And then a bunch of wood chips with the kids’ names had been attached to the chains to showcase their birthday. Name on one side, the date on the other.
That kind of gift hit Gray right in the feel pit, not only because it was so family-oriented, but because Darius paid attention. Over a year had passed since Gray had seen that very thing on Pinterest. And now he’d received one where all the children in their family had played a part.
He absolutely loved it. It was gonna hang between the kitchen and the living room at home.
“A little to the left,” Gray said.
Darius shifted the birthday calendar a little to the left, and then Gray was satisfied.
“Yeah, right there.”
After making a quick mark, Darius grabbed his hammer—and a nail from between his lips.
Christ, it felt so good to be home again. It was nice that it was still early too, just a little past two in the afternoon. Yet, the activity had wiped out the kids. The boys were being spoiled over at Darius’s parents’ house; Case and Boone would bring them back later, and Cass was napping upstairs.
A war couldn’t wake her up, much less Darius hammering a nail into the wall.
Gray walked over to the fridge and pulled out eggs, butter, and milk. That was for the brownies he was making later. Then the rest of the ingredients for the lasagna. He was using Mom’s recipe, so he already had a good combo of ground beef, ground pork, and ground Italian sausage sizzling in a Dutch oven on the woodstove. Two mason jars with homemade crushed tomatoes waited on the counter, along with garlic, basil, onions, and spices.
“That looks great.” He smiled at the new feature on the wall. “You know how to come up with perfect gifts. But I admit, I’m a little surprised you remember me mentioning that calendar.”
Darius scratched his nose, seemingly amused, and stowed away the hammer in his toolbox. “It’s possible I’ve been keepin’ track of your Pinterest for inspiration.”
Oh really?
Gray quirked a brow, intrigued, and began chopping the onions. “What kind of inspiration?”
Darius shrugged. “More like, I’ve been searching for clues on what you might want. Whether it’s honeymoon plans or Christmas gifts…” He cleared his throat. “It’s also about being one step ahead of you in case you get the brilliant idea to pay for something we can make ourselves. Again.”
Gray let out a laugh. He couldn’t be mad if he tried.
Their iPad dinged with the alert of someone arriving at the gate, so Darius went out into the entryway to check the screen. A little early for Case and Boone, but maybe the Tenleys were back.
Turned out, it was.
“I’m curious about their secret errands.” Gray stirred the meat and added some butter before he stepped outside with Darius, who stuck a toothpick in his mouth.
His forehead wrinkled with confusion, so Gray followed his gaze and was suddenly confused too.
There was something in the back of their truck. The rented truck River and Shay had arrived with after their little outing to Belize.
Darius rubbed a hand over his chin. “That looks like a cage. If they’ve brought their kinky games to us…I swear.”
Gray chuckled and ducked inside to grab the baby monitor. Then he returned outside and jogged down the porch steps and toward the stream.
Whatever it was they’d brought, it was huge and had to be carried by both River and Reese. It was covered in a tarp too, except for one end that was visible.
Shay followed with a moving box of some sort.
“Y’all need a hand?” Gray offered.
“Nah, we’re good. Ain’t that heavy.” Maybe not, but certainly bulky. Reese nodded toward the side of the house. “We’ll put it down over there.”
Darius was right. That did look like a cage. It had similar netting to the chicken coop, and it was wrapped around a solid wood frame construction.
“So this is just temporary, guys,” Reese went on. “It’s a wedding gift slash thank-you from Greer, Cullen, and Crew. There’s a helluva nice bottle of whiskey too.”
Surprise tore through Gray, and he had to move closer as the twins set down the…big thing on the ground. Darius couldn’t stay on the porch any longer either and headed over to the side of the house.
River pulled away the tarp, and it became abundantly clear.
Oh my God.
“I’ll be fucking damned.” Darius grinned. “You brought takeout.”
Gray laughed and smacked Darius’s arm, then hurried over to Shay and the mystery box. But it wasn’t a mystery anymore, because that thing over there was definitely an outdoor cage for rabbits.
“Don’t get attached,” Shay warned with a wry smirk.