Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Shaking my head, I make eye contact with Alyssa. “Do I pay you?” I ask her.
“Yep. Come on. I’ll ring you up.”
“Family discount,” Declan tells her.
“Got it, boss.” Alyssa grins and takes her spot behind the counter and rings me up.
I can feel Rushton standing behind me. He’s pouting, I’m sure, because I refused to let him pay, but the referral and helping me with the spare were plenty. He’s done too much already. I don’t like owing people, no matter how sexy they are.
“Thank you,” I tell Alyssa when she hands my card back to me.
“You’re welcome. It was nice to meet you.” She gives me a warm smile, and I return it in earnest before turning to face Rushton.
“Thank you for the referral and for your help on Saturday.”
“You’re welcome. Are you heading home?”
“Yes. It’s been a long day.”
“Have dinner with me?”
“I really shouldn’t.”
“Come on. You have to eat.”
“I have leftover pasta in the fridge. I’m going to heat it up, take a long hot bath, and read until I fall asleep.”
“Read?” Alyssa says with interest from behind me.
I can feel my face heat. I’m not embarrassed, but talking about my sexy books in front of Rushton is causing me to blush. “Yeah, romance mostly.”
“Yes!” Alyssa holds her hand up over the counter for a high-five, and I slap mine against hers. “I have a monthly book club. You have to come.”
“Sure. That sounds fun.”
“Here.” She hands me a pad of paper with the Kincaid Auto Repair logo on it. “Write down your number. Is it okay if I text you the details?”
“Perfect.” I quickly jot down my number and wave goodbye to both of them. I rush out of the building and into my car before Rushton has a chance to stop me. That man is trouble. Not in “he’s going to jail” trouble. That’s not the vibe I get. No, he’s got heartbreaker written all over him.
CHAPTER
THREE
Rushton
“Why are you sitting on my couch on Friday night holding my daughter?” Brooks grumps from the recliner.
I don’t bother to look at my brother. Instead, I keep my eyes trained on my niece, who is wide awake, staring at me from her place in my arms. “Daddy’s grouchy,” I tell Remi. At just over two months old, she’s starting to be awake more when I see her, and I know she’s smiling at me even if Brooks insists that it's gas, and that she only smiles for him.
“You’d be grouchy too if someone was hogging your daughter,” he tells me.
“You get her all the time. I haven’t seen her in a few days. Besides, I’m not staying long. I promised Blakely we could go get pizza for dinner. I thought Declan and Kennedy might like the night off. I can take this little one with us if you want.”
“Nah, we’re good here,” he says. When I look up, I see his gaze on his daughter.
“It’s unreal how much I love her. And Palmer.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t think I could love her more than I already did, but seeing her bring our daughter into the world, watching her be a mother to the little girl that we created—” He pauses, clearing his throat. “I don’t even have the words to tell you what that kind of love feels like. Dad did this nine times with Mom. And Declan, fuck, Rush, Declan missed out on this. I fucking hate that for him and for Blake.”
“He’s getting it all this time around,” I remind him.
“Yeah.” He nods. “Thanks for the offer to take her with you, but I already have dinner in the Crock-Pot since it was my day off. I plan to spend the night in with my girls.”
Before I can comment, the sound of the garage door opening alerts us to the fact that Palmer is home from work. “That’s my cue.” I lift Remi to place a kiss on her forehead before standing from the couch and placing her in her daddy’s arms. “Uncle Rush loves you,” I tell my niece even though I know she doesn’t understand yet, but she will.
“You don’t have to leave on my account,” Palmer says, walking into the room. She stops to hug me, and I kiss her cheek before she moves to Brooks and perches on his lap. She simultaneously kisses him while stroking her daughter's cheek.
“I have a date.”
“Oh, someone we know?” she asks.
“Yep. She says I’m her favorite.”
“We all know that title belongs to me.” Brooks chuckles.
“Blake?” Palmer guesses.
“Who else?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Someone closer to your age and not related to you, maybe?”
“Not tonight. I promised my first niece we could go out for pizza.”
“That’s sweet of you,” Palmer says. “Once the baby gets here, alone time will be short-lived for a while.”
“Hey, I offered to take Remi with me.”