Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“We bought the ranch next door, and it’s our wedding present to you,” Dad announced.
Grim’s eyes went wide. “You bought Ezekiel’s land?”
Dad nodded. “I told you he would leave when he realized the town is changing. The sheriff had a long talk with him about the fact that he’s going to start ticketing him and the boys when they harass the citizens. I made him a good offer, and he’ll be out in three weeks. Grim, I hope you’re not upset about your brothers leaving.”
“My brother is here,” Grim said quietly. “My brother would never leave me.”
From here on out, he thought Grim wouldn’t worry about his family. The universe had made a mistake, and he’d been born to the wrong people. It was corrected now. Or maybe there was no fate at all, merely a wide-open willingness to let more love in. Like his parents always did.
“So you bought us a ranch for a wedding present? You know when you go over the top, you go way over the top,” Josh said with a grin since he knew exactly what his dad was doing.
“We’re so grateful,” Nicole began.
“Yes, and Olivia will be, too, when she moves into the guest house and our parents can go back to their pre-children naked time,” Josh said with a shake of his head. “You better change the locks because we’ll still walk in at all times of the day.”
“Oh, I’ll keep a robe in every room,” his mom said, her arm around Pop’s waist. She cuddled against him. “I remember how to do it. And it’s going to be a while because you’re going to need to build. That ramshackle old house needs to come down, and I would prefer you built a wee bit closer to the big house. I don’t want my grandbabies having to walk miles to see their mimi. Who will be dressed for the grandbabies. But I have to admit, I’m looking forward to some privacy. Just a little.”
He might joke about his parents’ sex life, but he was happy for them. They were still so in love. It was everything he and Grim wanted with Nicole.
“I get to build a whole house?” Nicole asked.
His mother nodded. “Yes. It’s going to be so much fun. We’ll bring in a designer and get it perfect. But we also have to start talking about the wedding. I assume there is going to be a wedding.”
“Not that anyone has asked me properly,” Nicole replied with a grin.
“I think you should be patient, baby. We might have plans,” Grim offered. “We’re going to do this right. How about you get better and we go back to Austin for a weekend? I bet you come home with a ring on your finger.”
Because they’d already found the perfect one. It was being resized for Nicole, and they intended to slip it on her finger when she was healed. They had sat in the waiting room while Nicole had been in surgery, and they wouldn’t even think about something going wrong. They’d planned the future because there wasn’t much of one without her. They had a whole game plan on how they were going to make it an engagement night to remember.
“I have some magazines with wedding ideas,” his mother was saying.
“We’re going to have to up our prices,” Pops said with a shake of his head. “She’s going to turn this into a royal wedding.”
His mom and future wife were off, planning and laughing.
“I think we can handle it,” his dad said with a satisfied smile. His smile suddenly turned upside down and super serious. “Now we only have to worry about Olivia.”
Pops groaned. “Yeah, that’s a whole different story. That girl’s going to give me a heart attack.”
His sister finding her partners was likely to be an adventure. She’d picked out the boys she’d wanted when she was very young. She barely knew those boys and knew even less about them as men, but she was stubborn.
He had to hope she could adapt because his sister deserved every bit of happiness she could find.
She deserved all the happiness he’d found with Grim and Nicole.
“Well, at least we’re in the right place for it,” his dad said, giving his pops a wink.
Flirtatious parents. He was surrounded by them.
He was going to be one. Someday.
But for now he was going to focus on her. On their amazing future.
“What do you say we head down to the cafeteria and grab some coffee?” Dad stood up, stretching. “We can bring back some more snacks for the ladies. Planning is hard work.”
Work he was willing to do, or to leave in Nicole’s hands since he wanted this to be her perfect day. He wanted her to have a fabulous wedding. All he wanted was a fabulous marriage.
“Sounds good, Dad.”