Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 114820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“It’s not active.” He didn’t quite deny it. “I just showed Delphine a picture of her—”
“And conned the most meddling stepmother in MP into throwing a big barbeque so they’d meet.”
Rus shrugged. “Now it’s up to them.”
His gaze went to the pier, where both of them were sitting next to each other with their feet in the water, the lake their view.
Sure, Madden was with them. And Celeste. And Keyleigh and Declan.
But it was a start.
Maybe.
“This is convenient,” Kleo noted. “Since, if they click, she’ll move up here to be with him, which means close to you.”
“Mm,” Rus hummed.
“You’re diabolical,” she muttered.
He turned to her. “Do you know anyone who might fit with Acre?”
She shook her head vehemently. “Don’t drag me in. I’m not going to be a part of this.”
And to emphasize that point, she got up and walked away.
Lucinda, who was standing at the deck railing, talking to Megan Nichols, was watching them.
He grinned at her.
She shook her head and gave him a small eyeroll, but he saw her lips quirking.
She had told him, later, it meant a great deal to her he’d added Kleo to his team when they went after Madden. With Rus and Kleo going to get her daughter, she was still terrified, but it gave her a measure of calm.
Rus had essentially adopted Kleo as his little sister.
Which meant, of course, he piled as much shit on her as he could shovel.
She pretended she didn’t love it.
But she absolutely did.
Moran took Kleo’s place.
“Heads up, brother”—he tipped the neck of his beer to the dock—“think there’s a situation happening there.”
Rus just sat in the sun, took a sip of his own beer.
And smiled.
Lucinda wandered in wearing her preferred pajamas.
These were ivory satin, a bralette and what she described as tap pants.
She matched her bedroom, which matched her house. It was clean-lined, modern, intensely feminine and, as for that space, it was all done up in ivory, taupe, soft gray with accents of gold.
She’d told him she’d happily redecorate it for him, but since he felt surrounded by her there, and he’d never felt safer in his life than he did with her, he didn’t want her to change a thing.
He was in bed reading, pillows shoved up against the gray upholstered headboard, his back and shoulders to them, his legs in pajama bottoms stretched out on the ivory covers.
She put a knee to the bed and then stretched out on her side close to him, elbow in the bed, head in hand, eyes to him.
“Happy?” she asked.
“I think the first part of what Kleo describes as my diabolical plan to matchmake Jason and Sabrina went well.”
Her lips curled.
She knew of his plan.
She kept mute on the subject.
But he sensed she agreed.
Then she said, “I’m glad for that, honey, but I meant generally.”
He was confused.
“Generally?”
She flung her arm out to indicate…what?
He didn’t know but he took a stab anyway.
“I love this room, baby, I told you,” he said low. “It’s very you. And I’m very into you.”
Her face got soft, but she replied, “You live in my house, Rus, with me and my daughter. Except for taking over the basement, which you’ve declared your intention to make your mancave, and then moved forward with that by starting demolition, it’s us. It’s not you.”
“Is it you two? And not me?”
“No. It’s all of us.”
“Yes,” he said. “I agree.”
“I worry,” she admitted.
His brows drew down.
He didn’t like that.
“Have I given you a sense I have an issue with this?”
“Did you give Jennifer a sense that her demands on your time and attention, which were impossible to meet, especially with the career you chose, were dragging on you?”
Ah.
He put his book aside, took hold of her, pulled her up him then rolled them so he was looming over her.
“You aren’t her,” he said.
“No,” she agreed.
“I don’t care about décor. Your house is the shit. I love the kitchen. I love the garden. I love the river. I love the privacy. I love Madden. I love you. My kids have their own rooms where they can be here with us and know they’ll have space. They won’t need it long, but it’s nice they know they have it. They both love it up here. They both love me with you. They think you’re cool as fuck, Acre’s words. Sabrina said, ‘She’s amazing, Dad! I wanna be her when I grow up.’”
“I know, but—”
“I’ve never been happy, Cin,” he whispered. “Not until I came to Misted Pines and met you. Not once. Not without questions or worries or weight. I don’t care that my job is about investigating trespassers who property owners give me all the evidence I need for an arrest. Or high school pranks that are solved in a day. I come home to you and Maddy, and I’m great.”