Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
“He’s a baby, Thatcher,” Cassie chastised. “He doesn’t know the difference. And thanks to you, my son’s first two fluffing words are s-h-i-t and f-u-c-k!”
“Oh God, this is getting worse and worse by the second,” Georgia whispered to Kline. “Did we seriously drive all the way out here just to fill out a police report?”
Kline chuckled, wrapped his arm around Georgia, while still managing to keep baby Julia secure in his arms, and turned away from the shitshow that was Cassie and Thatch to face us again. “I think we might have,” he remarked to his wife’s ear before addressing Wes and me directly. “I take it Thatch didn’t actually talk to you guys, and we were not, in fact, invited to come out here?”
Wes nodded. “The last time I talked to Thatch was the last time I talked to you.”
Remy snickered behind us, and for the first time since this unexpected circus arrived at our door, I remembered he was still there.
Kline glared, turning to look at Thatch, who was still trying to appease Cassie with a charming smile and had managed to stand upright again after the surprise assault.
“Why I ever trust you with anything is one of life’s biggest mysteries. How in God’s name could you think it was okay to invite us out here for the weekend without checking with Wes and Winnie?”
“Hey now,” Thatch retorted, holding up both hands. “Uncle Brad told me I could stay at his lake house whenever I wanted. Since he’s the owner, I don’t technically need Whitney’s permission.”
“Wait…” I scrunched up my nose. “How do you know my uncle Brad?
“I handle his investments.”
“What? Since when?”
“After you guys got married. I got in touch with the B-man and made sure he was all set,” Thatch answered like it was completely normal for him to be poking around in my family’s investment status. He worked mostly for huge corporations—not handling every Joe Shmoe’s retirement fund. “That’s what friends do, Win. We look out for one another’s families.”
It was my husband’s turn to sigh, followed by a rough hand forcing its way through his hair. Those were telltale signs that he was on the verge of a stress headache, so I needed to get this whole mess under control and soon.
Thatch ignored the not-so-friendly welcome and peeked his head inside the house. “Hey! Look who it is! The motherfluffiing Winslow brothers!”
I turned around to find all four of my brothers behind us now, big smiles on their stupid faces.
“Yo, Thatch!” Jude exclaimed.
“Hey, buddy,” Ty rejoiced.
Rem and Flynn settled for solid jerks of their chins, but for the two of them, that was practically a goddamn pat on the back.
“Why do I get the sense that you know my brothers better than I realize?” I questioned skeptically.
Thatch winked. “Because, like I said, friends help their friends’ families out.”
“You handle their investments, too?”
Thatch smirked. “Well, everyone but Rem. The man is a day-trading genius. So, when we hang out, we generally just shoot the shi-zzam.”
When they hang out? When in the fuck does Thatch hang out with my brothers?
“You guys staying here too?” Ty called out, and Thatch just up and walked inside the house, smiling with each step.
“Hell yeah, son! We’re ready to lake house it up!”
Cassie followed, lugging a grinning Ace around on her hip while still occasionally having to tell the cute toddler to stop saying the curse words his crazy father had taught him.
Georgia and Kline, though, stood there, unsure of what to do. It wasn’t like them to do crazy shit at all. In fact, they were largely the opposite. No, they’d been victims of this crime just as much as we had.
“I’m so sorry,” Georgia whispered toward us. “We had no idea. We never would have come if we knew you didn’t know.”
“It’s fine,” I said with a wave of my hand and a soft smile. “The lake house has enough rooms for everyone.”
“Are you sure?” Kline asked kindly, meeting Wes’s eyes. “It’s no big deal at all if you want us to go. I’ll even drag the giant and his family out of here if I need to. Just say the word.”
“Nah, man. It’s okay. You’re the absolute least of our worries.”
“We want you guys here,” I added with a soft smile. “Seriously. It’s no problem at all.”
Finally convinced, Georgia, Kline, and Julia came inside, and the whole gang started the process of settling in at my uncle and aunt’s lake house.
Somehow, in less than twelve hours, this week had gone from a quiet getaway for three to a raucous sleepover for thirteen.
But when you had brothers like mine and friends like Thatch and Cassie, you had to get used to unexpected shit like this. And if I were honest, it felt like the perfect distraction from the test I’d left in the trash can in New York. It was a certainty that there wouldn’t be any dull moments with this group.