Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“I see where Heather gets her looks,” she said, directing her attention to Katy.
Katy smiled warmly. “I think she got the best of both of us. All of our children did.”
Once again, Ashley’s gaze skittered my way, calm and detached. I must have dreamed the flash of hatred. It had to be the lighting. She appeared more relaxed now. Perhaps I had imagined the whole thing. I was probably hungry. That had to be it.
Heather sidled up beside me, wrapping her arm around my waist.
“You’re not really upset, are you, Dad? We wanted to give you a party.”
I kissed her head. “Never, my girl.” Then I frowned. “No colors in your hair?” Heather loved wild streaks in her hair, changing them to match her mood.
She shook her head. “I haven’t had streaks for a bit. I wanted my hair natural for the wedding pictures. You don’t like it?”
I pressed a kiss to her head. “I love your hair now or when it was colored. The blue was a personal favorite.”
She laughed. “I’ve been phasing it out for a while. Just took you longer to notice it. Mom saw right away.”
I exchanged an amused glance with Katy. “Of course she did. Your mom is awesome that way.”
Heather leaned up, kissing my cheek. “You’re pretty awesome too, Dad.”
I grinned. “I know.”
That made her laugh. I got another kiss, and she took Reed’s outstretched hand. “Go enjoy your party, Dad. We’re going to mingle.”
I turned to Katy, catching the eye of Ashley, who seemed to be watching us closely. Again, I felt some animosity in her stare, and I frowned in confusion. She looked away quickly, turning her back. She walked away, glancing over her shoulder, her gaze piercing. Familiar.
Had I met her before?
Maddox appeared beside me. “The star of the show is being far too quiet, Richard.”
I laughed, elbowing him. “You want to dance with me or something, Mad Dog? Start the ball rolling? Show these kids how it’s done?”
He laughed. We had once tried to teach Reid Matthews to dance so he could impress his then-girlfriend, Becca. The evening involved a lot of cursing, pizza, alcohol, laughter, and sore toes. We managed to at least teach him the basics, and he impressed her enough she married him.
“Maybe later. I need more whiskey first. Maybe you should start with your wife.”
“You’re right.” I tugged off my suit jacket and loosened my tie. I unclipped my cuff links and rolled up my sleeves, winking at Katy.
She leaned close and kissed me. “You look as good taking off your suit as you do in it,” she murmured.
“I’ll take it all off for you later,” I promised, sliding my cuff links and tie into my jacket pocket. I laid the jacket over the chair and took Katy’s hand. “Dance with me, sweetheart.”
She smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
6
RICHARD
I woke up the next morning, slightly worse for wear. I rubbed a hand over my aching head with a small grimace and sat up gingerly. The sun was high in the sky, and I could hear the muted sounds of laughter and talking coming from outside. Glancing at the clock, I shook my head. I couldn’t recall the last time I had slept until almost noon. I also couldn’t recall the last time I had danced and laughed so much. It had been a great party. Lots of food, top-shelf liquor, hilarity, and love. The standard family get-together with this group. We had stumbled home around two, my arm thrown over Katy’s shoulder, stopping every few feet to kiss her mouth and tell her how pretty she was or how much I loved her.
It took us a long time to cover the short distance.
On the nightstand were a bottle of water and a couple of Tylenol, which I swallowed gratefully. As usual, my Katy knew what I would need and took care of it in her quiet way. I shuffled to the bathroom and took a long shower, the water and heat washing away the rest of the aches the Tylenol hadn’t touched. I felt better after a shave and donning fresh clothes. I headed downstairs, poured a cup of coffee, and found Katy on the deck, her Kindle in hand, relaxing.
I bent and kissed her head. “Hey, sweetheart.”
She closed her Kindle with a grin. “You’re upright.”
I grunted, taking a sip of coffee. “Barely.”
“You had a good time last night.”
I sat back. “I did. Great party.”
She hummed in agreement. “It was. You danced a lot.”
I nodded. “You were my favorite partner.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know. You and Maddox made a lovely pair.”
I threw back my head in laughter. Mad Dog and I had taken to the floor, making everyone laugh. So had Reid and Aiden, which had been hilarious to witness as they tried to recreate the first dance lesson. The four of us tried to outdo one another on the floor, silliness in abundance. Bentley had rolled his eyes at our antics, but even he couldn’t hold in his amusement.