Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
"Sounds like a good plan," she agreed, hauling the box up, leading me out of the room, out of the garage, out into the moody woods.
"Are you going to miss it here?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I spent a lot of time here. And while I wasn't miserable, I can't say there were particularly happy times either. And, God, I still don't feel like I have dried out from the constant wetness here. Plus, I used to have to bathe with a garden hose. I don't think I will miss that."
"Hot showers aren't overrated," I agreed. "And pretty soon, we will be in a place that doesn't have gray water."
"And an actual bed," she agreed, swooning a bit at the idea since we'd spent the last few weeks on the couch and floor.
"We'll have to break that in," I added, watching as she shot me a smoldering look over her shoulder.
"I was thinking we have a whole new house we have to break in," She told me, jerking her chin toward it.
Yeah, we didn't waste any time getting to that.
Ferryn - Six weeks later
It felt strange to have a place in the world.
It shouldn't have, of course. I had grown up with a place, with a family home, with a bedroom to call my own.
But I had lived in a room off of a garage for so long. And then had come home to crash in an apartment that wasn't mine either.
It was a small thing, a thing most people had managed to do by the time they got to my age. But for me, it was monumental. To move into my first ever apartment.
It was humbling, too, to watch my entire family show up in force, even Fallon—though he scowled the whole time—helping us haul furniture up the stairs, slapping paint on the walls, hanging shelves, putting together complicated Swedish furniture, bringing dishes to fill our refrigerator.
"What's this?" I asked when my Aunt Rey moved inside, carrying a box that was not one of ours. "We said no gifts," I added. Mostly because I wanted to take our time in picking things out, not just filling the space quickly with characterless items just so everyone could contribute an item.
"Prepare yourself," Aunt Lou declared, shaking her head. "Rey has a habit of providing something living and breathing and requiring cleaning up after as house warming presents."
"A house isn't a home without an animal to share it with," Rey insisted. "I also brought some homemade first aid essentials and cold and flu teas."
"Also?" Vance repeated, looking bemused as he tried to glance in the box.
"We can't have dogs here, Aunt Rey," I reminded her, even if I had been a little bitter about that fact. I hadn't been dog crazy per se, but spending time with all the four-legged companions in my family had definitely given me a little bit of puppy fever.
"I know. I think that is a crime but I'm not breaking any rules," she insisted, putting the box down on the coffee table, pulling it open, producing a wheeking, squiggling, cowlick-haired guinea pig. "Don't worry!" She rushed to say, eyes wide. "I brought two."
"I, ah, okay?" I said, brows furrowed.
"You can't have a single guinea pig. It's cruel. They actually forbid it in certain countries. They need to be with a buddy. So, this is an Abyssinian, and this little love muffin is a Teddy Bear," she declared, reaching for the second one as the first one chewed at the edge of her hair. "They're a relatively low maintenance pet but they have loads of personality. If you can't have a dog to run up with a wiggly butt to greet you when you come home, at least you can have them squeaking when they hear you come in. Reeve is going to be here in a couple minutes with everything you will need to set them up. As soon as my garden gets going, I will drop by to give you some fresh greens for them too," she added as I reached for the cow-licked one, pulling it to my chest, rubbing its butt with my other hand, feeling it purr and shiver at the touch.
"Got any names picked out?" Vance asked, reaching for the other one, and I was pretty sure I had never seen something quite as heartwarming as a big, strong, intimidating gun-running biker gently holding a tiny little rodent like it was something precious.
He would make a great dad someday.
I honestly hadn't given children a thought since I was pretty much still one myself. My life since didn't allow me to be anything even vaguely resembling motherly. I had been worried about coming back and trying to connect with all the club kids. I didn't know if I had the softness and silliness kids needed to like being around you.