Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
He snickered, shaking his head in dismay. “I can’t believe you’re a dad. I mean, you have a daughter and a son too. Consider my mind blown. It feels like just yesterday that we were roommates and you were straight and I was the only gay person you knew.”
I couldn’t argue—he was right. “It’s weird to think that if you hadn’t insisted on going to that club all those years ago, I might not have met Aaron that night.”
Curt widened his eyes. “True. Geez, you might have married a girl and—”
“No. Only Aaron. I would have found him another way.”
“You think so?”
I gave an awkward shrug and looked around the house we shared. The clean bottles lining the kitchen counter next to a how-to-make-your-own-baby-food cookbook and a stack of animal-print bowls. The portable crib in the great room for Mia, and the two shelves in the built-in bookcase filled with primary-colored toys and books for Xander. Murphy’s bed lay near the fireplace with his own bucket of balls and goodies.
We’d bought this house hoping to make it a home for our family. And it was about to happen. But I couldn’t imagine any of this without Aaron.
“Maybe Lena’s mom rubbed off on me. She says the universe puts certain people in your path for a reason. All I know is that I was never going to marry anyone else.” My tone brooked no argument.
Curt raised a brow but didn’t disagree. “You’ve turned into a romantic.”
I laughed. “I don’t know about that, but—”
Knock knock.
Curt gestured at the front door with his water bottle. “Want me to answer or…oh, shit. You better catch Murphy.”
I did a double take as Murphy raced into the great room, dragging a pink stuffed bunny by its ears.
“Thanks. Uh…grab the door. It’s probably just Todd. I told him I’d bring Murph back to them before heading to the hospital.”
“Gotcha.”
Ding dong.
“Murphy, come. Drop it. Drop it now.”
Murphy didn’t come and he didn’t drop the stuffed animal. In fact, he launched into an epic round of zoomies, tearing around the furniture and sending a pillow flying in his wake. He was in a zone, and the only thing he’d stop for now was a treat.
I didn’t have any on me, so I made a beeline for the pantry, aware of the dog parkouring off the sofa. It was kind of funny. Okay, it was really funny. I chuckled at his hijinks in spite of the destruction he was leaving behind him. The cushions were askew, and on his next pass through the living area he knocked over his toys, scattering balls everywhere.
I called his name again, holding out a treat. Murphy stopped and wagged his tail. He was about to trot to my side when Curt waltzed into the room with a stranger, sending Murphy into a barking fit that echoed off the high ceilings.
“Uh, Matt,” Curt called out above the din. “This is Deon, the home inspector.”
Oh.
Fuck.
Murphy jumped on Deon, because…of course, he did.
“Sorry, sorry. Hang on.” Shit, shit, shit. First things first…I bribed Murphy with a few more snacks than usual, found his leash, and excused myself. “I’ll be back in one minute or less. Curt will um…offer you a drink.”
“Uh…yeah, of course.”
I didn’t stick around to make sure Curt could handle my guest. I also didn’t bother with a jacket. Yeah, it was fucking freezing outside, but Todd and Jess lived close by and this was an emergency.
“Matt! Hi, I was just going to pop by to—”
“I can’t talk,” I intercepted, shoving Murphy’s leash at Jess. “The inspector showed up early, Murph destroyed the house, and it’s a whole situation.”
“Go…and good luck.”
I raced up the path to my house, slid on a patch of ice, and accidentally tripped and landed in a snowbank.
Oh, for fuck’s sake!
I brushed my cold, red palms on my wet jeans, skidded onto the porch, and turned the knob. It was locked.
Well, this probably didn’t look good, but I had no choice but to knock on my own door.
Curt answered. “Oh, hi, honey.”
“Very funny,” I hissed. “Where is he?”
“In the kitchen. I gave him water and—oh, damn. Is that Aaron?”
I swiveled on my heels toward the driveway where Aaron was getting out of a car I sort of recognized. Maybe his mom’s. I waited for him ’cause yeah, I was definitely going to have to explain the fuckery unraveling inside.
Shit.
“What are you doing here?” I squeaked.
“The inspector is on his way, and Gabby said we should both be at the house.” He gave a tired smile. “I tried calling you, but—you’re wet. What happened?”
“Uh…I’m…yes. And Murphy had zoomies, but he’s with Jess and Todd and—” I blew out a deep breath and squinted. “Where’s Mia?”
“My mom stayed at the hospital so I could come home for this. I didn’t have my car. Dad dropped me off, and—hi, Curt.” Aaron narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why are you blocking the door? What are we waiting for?”