Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 99918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Tristan swiveled in his chair toward the door, listening to Dylan bark out some instruction he was certain Chloe and Chad were ignoring. He had dressed for the day, even if Dylan hadn’t. He still liked to be at his best when the kids were around. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished the device out as he reached over to save their work and shut everything down.
“Hey,” he answered after seeing Landry’s number on the phone.
“It’s not Christmas. Where the hell are you? We have work to do.”
“Still taking the next two weeks off. Like I told you this morning, and last night, and yesterday.” Landry used to be better at the jokes, but this one was growing old.
“Vacationing with the boyfriend?” Landry asked, but it didn’t come with the usual snicker. Tristan closed the door with his foot.
“I know you want the details because you’re a perv, but I’m not sharing him with you or anyone else for that matter,” Tristan shot back.
“Huh. Well, I got nothing to say to that. I’m calling for a reason. I’m sure your boyfriend told you. The usage numbers for Secret are skyrocketing. We’re already turning a profit in WilderNation this quarter,” Landry said and Tristan lifted his brows. He and Dylan only talked business while working, never when they were off. He hadn’t heard this bit of great news, but he was certain Dylan knew. “So you were right. Is that what you’re waiting on?”
“No, but it’s nice to hear.” Tristan left the office to go back upstairs and find Dylan to congratulate him on a job very well done.
“Right, and I’ll reflect on my behavior. You’ve been keeping him away from here. I won’t bite anymore. Maybe we can have dinner sometime before he heads back,” Landry offered, and Tristan tripped on the step going up.
“Is this a joke?” he asked, catching himself before the trip became a solid fall.
“No, not at all. I have ground to make up. I’m eating crow. Besides, his team didn’t seem to bat an eye when he came out to them. I can’t have them showing me up,” Landry replied. Tristan had never shared with anyone the tense few weeks his Dallas office had once their relationship became public knowledge. There had been some turnover in the ranks, but David and Rob stood firm with them, making the whole outing pretty much a non-event and guaranteeing a substantial increase in their annual Christmas bonuses.
“I’ll talk to him and get back with you.” Tristan stood at the top of the stairs to the main portion of the house. The noise grew louder on the other side of the door.
“You’ve got a house full, which is weird. Call me and we’ll set it up,” Landry said.
“Thanks for this. It’ll make life easier.”
“Yeah. I’ll give you this one. Bye.” Landry disconnected the call.
Tristan opened the door to find Dylan standing right there in front of him, which startled him. Actually scared the shit out of him, and he wobbled on the step. “Are you ready?” Dylan asked, not paying a lick of attention to him as he called out for Chloe and Chad to get in the car.
“Hey, I got something to tell you,” Tristan said, following behind him.
“Can you tell me in the car? We’re a little late,” Dylan responded, heading for the garage. He’d rented an oversize SUV for the next few weeks to carry them all wherever they needed to go. Several times, he had caught Chad eyeing the Ferrari but still wasn’t ready to hand over the keys no matter how many cool points that would earn him.
“Do I turn off the Christmas tree?” Chad asked. Tristan looked back at his normally pristine home and saw a large, real decorated tree in the corner. Presents overflowing from where Teri, Mark, Dylan, and he had gifts sent for everyone. As far as he could remember, he’d never had any sort of a Christmas tree as an adult. It was nice and his planned backdrop for the marriage proposal he intended to surprise Dylan with in front of his whole family. That thought gave him the jitters, but Dylan was the kind of guy you put a ring on as quickly as you possibly could before someone else snatched him up.
“Don’t you normally turn them off when you leave? Or should we leave it on for Cate?” Tristan asked.
“Off.” Chad unplugged the lights and headed over to him. “Listen, I got a deal for you. You let me drive the Ferrari, and I’ll tell you what Dad’s been eyeing for Christmas.”
“Really? Wait, do you even know how to drive a stick?” Tristan questioned, following along behind him.
“Of course I do, and if it helps in your decision-making process, I think you’re way cooler than Mark. But don’t tell him. I don’t want Christmas to be awkward since we’re bunking together under your roof.” Chad reached back to give him a fist bump before descending the steps into the garage. Man, the kid was a natural-born salesman. Dylan stood at the vehicle’s back door, listening to Chloe explain something to him.
“We didn’t put this base in right. Apparently these hooks lock inside the car’s seat,” Dylan said, watching Chloe work the baby seat properly.
“You had three kids. You’d think you’d know,” Chad teased, sliding in his spot in the SUV.
“Dad’s old. This is new technology,” Chloe said, sitting back in her seat when she was done.
“Hey now, none of that talk. I’m not that old. I had you when I was young.” Dylan chuckled and shut the door in Chloe’s face.
“You’ll be forty soon enough. That’s pretty much middle-age,” Chloe announced proudly. Dylan started the SUV and backed out. Tristan pressed the remote and closed the garage before they’d hit the street.
“Teri always said we had really bad kids and I think she was right!” Dylan teased back. “What did you want to tell me?”
When they started this banter between the four of them, Tristan barely got a word in. He wasn’t fast enough or comfortable enough to tease them back, but Dylan gave them hell.