Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Crew and Jack had come down for dinner the other night, and we’d bitched about missing our husbands, so here we were. It was our year to have Blake for Christmas, allowing me to make a snap decision to just move the holiday across the country. Nicky had tagged along with Elliott this time, giving me all the more reason. Missing Elliott was bad enough, but Nicky too? No, I had limits.
I’d been on the fence from the beginning when Elliott had told me they’d be home again on the twenty-third. This way, we got two extra days with them—and we’d get to see the Tenleys and the Paynes for dinner tomorrow night.
We arrived outside Hillcroft’s own building less than ten minutes later, and I paid the fare while the others climbed out and got our bags.
“Daddy, I’m too sleepy to walk,” Julian complained as I removed his car seat.
I chuckled and picked him up.
The building didn’t even have a logo on it. Nor any character. It was a silvery metal box, four stories tall, and it blended in perfectly with the neighboring addresses. This was the headquarters for private security and US military.
“It’s so cold.” Mattie shuddered. “How do we surprise them?”
Unfortunately, it didn’t get better than this. “By texting them to come out, I’m afraid,” I admitted. “We don’t have clearance to get past the lobby.”
If we’d arrived even earlier, we might’ve been able to surprise them at the company condo they kept not too far away, but it was almost eight now, so they were definitely at work already.
My breath misted in the air as I sent Elliott a message.
You can pick up a few Christmas presents in the lobby right now.
“Let’s go.” I piled Blake’s luggage on top of my own and grabbed Mattie’s bag too.
Crew walked ahead of us and threw an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “I’ll give you ten bucks if you look away when I greet Dad, ’cause it won’t be a kid-friendly peck.”
Jack glanced up at Crew with a flat expression. “When is it ever?”
“I knew you’d understand.” Crew landed a loud smooch on Jack’s cheek.
I shook my head to myself. Those two had developed an interesting relationship. In their day-to-day life, they were more like brothers, or uncle-nephew, but Jack liked to talk about Crew as his stepdad, especially online. And Crew was the same. At work or around friends, Jack was his stepson or “mini-me.”
It was sweet.
We entered the large lobby through the revolving doors, and having been here before, I knew that this area said absolutely nothing about what was behind the locked doors. It was quiet and sterile to the people who never got past the first floor.
The basement was probably the wildest. That was where they had their private shooting range, gym, martial arts studio, vending machines all over the place, every trash can filled with takeout containers, and rec center.
The woman behind the circular reception desk glanced up with a polite smile. “Can I help you?”
“Nah, it’s okay—our men are on their way,” Crew responded.
He’d barely gotten the last word out before I heard the ding of an elevator opening.
Nicky was the first to step out, and he lit up.
Fuck, so did I.
“Is it them, son?” I heard Elliott ask.
“Um, yeah.” Nicky took off toward us, and I deserted our luggage.
Blake was suddenly no longer tired, and she darted past me just as Elliott and Adrien emerged from the elevator.
“There’s Daddy!” Julian wanted down, and then he was off too.
“Oh my gosh, hi!” Blake ran into Elliott’s arms. “We brought Christmas with us!”
Mattie was soon there as well. “Hey, Dad!”
I hauled Nicky in for a tight squeeze, and I told myself not to be the dad who constantly pointed out how much their kids had grown. But seriously, he was almost as tall as Elliott and me now. It felt weird.
“What’re you doing here?” he asked with a grin.
“One week is plenty,” I announced decidedly. I cupped his cheek briefly and couldn’t stop smiling. “Good to see you, son.”
“You too. Maybe someone will stop checking his phone every five minutes for messages from you now.”
I laughed and draped an arm around his shoulders, then ushered him over to Elliott.
Crew was right. The kiss he delivered to Adrien was not appropriate for kids.
“I can’t believe you.” Elliott shook his head at me, but his eyes were filled with all the relief and affection I’d wanted to see.
“At least when I get deployed, I can still pick up the kids from school and have dinner together most nights.” I closed the distance and kissed him, and he trapped Julian between us in a tight hug.
“You made my year,” he murmured into the kiss. “I missed you.”
“I missed you more.” I nuzzled his nose and kissed his scruffy cheek. “Change of plans. We’re celebrating Christmas here, and we have dinner with the Tenleys and the Paynes tomorrow night.”