Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Sore, but happy.” Her smile tells me that all on its own.
“So fucking happy, Court.” I stand, careful not to jostle our son, and move to the bed. I hand our boy to her, and settle on the bed next to them, wrapping my arm around them. “Our families are still here, and we need to give this little man a name.”
“Do you have one you’re thinking from our list?” she asks.
“Henry.” That name has been running through my head from all of those that are on our list.
“Henry Kincaid. I like it.”
“Me too.” I kiss the top of her head. “I have so many pictures.” Standing, I grab my phone and scroll through each of the images I took while she was sleeping.
“Looks like your daddy might be giving Aunt Palmer and Aunt Scarlett some competition,” she teases.
“He’s just so damn cute, and I didn’t want you to miss any of it.”
“Thanks, babe. I appreciate that.”
“I’m ready to do this again,” I tell her. “I know that’s probably not what you want to hear after fourteen hours of labor, but I want you to know that I’m ready when you are.”
She chuckles. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Hear that, Henry? You should know that when Mommy says okay, great things happen.”
“Stop.” She laughs.
“It’s the truth. Your ‘okay’ is what got us here.”
“You are the one who agreed to be my fake boyfriend.”
“Yeah, but when I asked you to stay real….”
“Okay,” she concedes with a goofy grin. “You win.”
“Are you ready to let our families come back?”
“Yes. This little guy has a lot of people who love him and want to meet him.”
“Yes. Yes, he does.” I fire off a text to the group chat, knowing my brothers will send the grandparents in first, and toss my phone back to the table.
I smile down at my family, and my heart swells, knowing that Courtney and I vow to love them harder with each passing day.
Work hard.
Love harder.
That’s the Kincaid way.
BONUS SCENE
Bonus Scene
Blakely Kincaid
Ten years later
“All done, Brooky,” I tell my little sister, Brooklyn. She’s eleven years younger than me, and follows me around like my little shadow. It used to annoy me, but after being away at college for my first year, I can admit I miss her, and my little brother, Beckham. That’s why, when she asked me to French braid her hair, even though our mom and aunts know how, I gladly agreed.
“Thanks, sister.” She grins and takes off running for the pool.
“Don’t run,” I whisper under my breath as every adult here calls out to her. I don’t bother to hide my grin, because damn, I missed my family, and some things never change. No matter how much time you’re away.
In case you didn’t know, there are a shit ton of us. Seriously. My dad has eight brothers. Eight. Let that sink in. Nine boys. I don’t know how my grandparents did it. Then there’s my dad’s cousin, Ramsey, who is like a sister to them. Ten kids. You know what that equals out to, right? Ten kids, ten spouses, and a whole hell of a lot of littles running around. It’s chaotic and pretty damn perfect. There is always something going on, or someone to help with the younger kids, and I have nine incredible aunts, as well as my mom, to lean on when I need advice.
Don’t get me wrong, I go to my dad and my uncles, too, but most of the time it’s the ladies I cling to.
My mom says it’s because when I was little, it was just me and my uncles other than my grandma and Ramsey in my life. I like to think it’s because they’re all kickass ladies, and I would be thrilled to be like every single one of them.
“What are you doing over here all on your lonesome, lazybones?” my dad says, taking the lounger next to me.
“Dad, I’m not lazy. I’m in energy-saving mode.” I smirk. I have, however, been lying on this lounger and soaking up the summer sun since I got here a few hours ago. It’s my summer vacation from college. Lounging is my middle name.
He chuckles. “I’m glad you’re home, Blake. I’ve missed you.”
“Missed you too,” I admit. “What’s been going on? Fill me in.”
“You see it.” He waves his hand around Ramsey and Deacon’s backyard. “The only thing that’s changed is us missing you.”
“Dad, you act like I never come home. I’m an hour away in Atlanta,” I remind him. I’ve come home for holidays, birthdays, and long weekends. My dad acts like I moved across the country.
“Too far,” he grumbles, and my heart expands in my chest. I love my father. Hell, my entire family. I miss them while I’m away, but I also love college life and getting a taste of living on my own.