Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Casper’s squealed laughter brought me back from Alaska musings, and I looked over toward the patio doors as Jake stepped out with my boy thrown over his shoulder.
“I’m reenergized after a delicious snack,” he said.
I grinned and sat up straighter.
“I’m-wa-down!” Cas laughed. “Dada, help!”
“Nah, you let the tickle monster get you, baby,” I chuckled. “Daddy’s gonna run and hide.”
Jake snorted a laugh and plopped down to my right with a thud, and he pulled Cas to his front.
“Oh-whoa!” My boy giggled and swayed, probably feeling a little dizzy. His chubby cheeks were flushed, and I couldn’t help but lean over and give them smooches.
“Next time, we tickle Daddy instead,” Jake said.
“I’d throw myself in the pool and bring you both with me,” I laughed.
“Go pool!” Casper’s eyes lit up, and he reached for me.
I chuckled and gathered him in my arms. “Not today, buddy.” He’d turn into a popsicle.
He didn’t seem to care about the pool anyway; Jake’s watch had his attention now. Casper loved gadgets. If something was shiny and had buttons, he was all over it.
Jake got comfortable, planting an arm behind me and—all right, he rested his chin on my shoulder, and he let Cas fidget with the watch around his wrist. A certain birthday present from when he’d turned thirty…in Vegas…
“Tired?” I asked.
Jake nodded minutely, not lifting his chin, and I received a firm answer from Cas too.
“No, Dada. No sweepy.”
I smiled and brushed back his messy hair.
Jake yawned. “I gotta go get ready for dinner with Nikki and Russell.”
So soon? I eyed his watch. “At five?”
“Six thirty. It’s over in Silver Lake.”
Dude. Traffic was gonna suck. “You might wanna avoid the 101.”
“No shit.” He wriggled his hand in Casper’s lap, earning himself a stern look from my boy. Too fucking cute. Cas was inspecting the bezel and trying to twist the crown. “Are you gonna turn back time for me, small fry?”
I let out a silent chuckle.
“Thirty seconds. Then I’m outta here.” Jake sounded tired, no doubt. “Is it weird I’m relieved Russell’s much older than Nikki?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know. I guess if he were younger, I’d be more worried about him becoming Colin and Sam’s stepdad,” he elaborated. At the same time, he scratched my neck lightly, which was highly fucking distracting.
Stepdad—right. Yeah, no, I understood him.
“I’d probably be the same way,” I murmured.
If I wasn’t mistaken, Russell had gotten married very early—at like nineteen or something. Two kids had followed shortly after, so they were in college or had recently graduated. I wanted to say one had graduated, and the other had a year or two to go.
“Do you know what their plans look like?” I wondered. “You think they’re gonna move in together?”
“I assume so at some point, but Nikki’s not interested in anything too heavy,” he answered. “I think they’ll do the every-other-week thing for a while. He’s busy starting a new company, and Nikki’s finally got a foot in the door on movie sets.”
We were happy for her. She’d dreamed of working as a stylist in movies since she was a kid. Jake and I had paid it forward; I’d once had a connection with a network, which we’d taken advantage of. And last fall, we’d interviewed a well-known producer, Asher Wright, and we’d asked him afterward about what we could do for Nikki. Turned out, he had all the answers.
“Being the selfish bastard I am, that works out for me,” he said, then promptly yawned again. “They’ll meet up and stay at each other’s places when they don’t have the kids, and I don’t have to worry about someone corrupting my babies.”
I shook my head in amusement, unsure of where to start. His endearing possessiveness about his kids or the notion of him being selfish. He was anything but.
“I think you can rest easy,” I said. Colin was already a mini-Jake, with a slightly shorter fuse, and Sam was a total daddy’s girl. “Not actually rest, of course. Your thirty seconds were up a while ago.”
He cursed and dragged himself up, much to Casper’s dismay. “You can play with my watch next time, sugar.” He leaned over and smooched Casper’s cheek. Then he gave my knee a squeeze and rose to his feet. “All right—I’m awake. Damn.” He groaned under his breath and stretched his arms. “Here we go. All the excitement. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I nodded once and smiled as I watched him leave. “Nice ass, Denver.”
He slowed down and looked back at me with a furrowed brow. “Just nice? I remember when I was too hot to be mad at. Up your game, Finlay.”
I sucked my teeth, admittedly impressed. And a tad stunned. Jake disappeared into the house, and I had no comeback. Where the hell was the uncomfortable Southerner who squirmed at the thought of working in a gay nightclub?