Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Frankie looked up at me and then back at my mom. “Thanks for having me.”
I’d brought someone home to meet my mother. I didn’t think Frankie understood the gravity of that, but I was sure my ma did.
“Frank!” Harper yelled, hurrying around the couch.
“Hey, Harp,” Frankie replied, laughing as my sister practically tackled her with a hug. Our fingers lost their grip.
“I have so much to tell you,” Harper said quietly, her eyes widening. “Gray, you get her all the time. I’m stealing her. Bye.” She tugged Frank out of the room.
“You found her,” my mom said, grinning. “Took you long enough.”
“Yeah.”
“I like her. I’ve always liked her. She reminds me of your Auntie Rose.”
“Jesus, don’t say that,” I griped.
Mom raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Would Grandma Farrah be a better comparison?”
I shuddered, and she laughed.
“She’ll be good for you,” she said, wrapping her arm around my waist as she pushed me toward the kitchen. “You’ve always been too serious for your own good.”
“I have not.”
“Grayson brought a girl home,” my Grandma Farrah teased. “Will wonders never cease?”
“I’m just glad it’s a good one,” Grandma Brenna said with a wink as she passed us.
I leaned against the counter while my mom stirred something on the stove.
“I wonder if she’d let me have a go at her hair,” Grandma Farrah joked as she sat down at the kitchen table.
“Mom,” my ma groaned.
“What?” Grandma Farrah asked flippantly. “She’s got good hair. I would’ve killed to make my hair look like that when I was her age.”
“You should’ve dyed it,” my mom replied, looking over her shoulder.
Grandma Farrah laughed. “The blonde would’ve been easy to cover, but the volume? Shit. Not even on my best day. Gray’s kids are going to have good hair. And that skin? Fuck me.”
“Could you stop?” my mom hissed, glaring at her mother in exasperation.
“No, I cannot. It’s one of the benefits of old age, I can say whatever the fuck I want.”
“Oh, please,” Mom said, spinning around. “Like you haven’t always said whatever thought pops into your head.”
“That’s true.”
“Gray doesn’t need to worry about kids yet.”
“He’s not getting any younger.”
“They just got together. Give it a rest.” My mom’s head turned toward me. “You don’t have anything to tell me, right?”
“Nope.”
She turned back toward Grandma. “Could you please behave yourself?”
“I’m just saying all the things she won’t,” Grandma Farrah told me with a sly smile. “But if I say it, and she scolds me, then I look like the nosy one.”
“That is not true,” my mom shot back, eyes wide.
“Do you need me here?” I asked, gesturing between them. “Seems like you could’ve done all this without me.”
Grandma laughed, and my ma let out an exasperated sigh. The two couldn’t have been more different.
“Hey, baby,” I called as Frankie wandered in. “Harper let you go?”
“I escaped while she ran to the bathroom,” Frankie joked. “Hey, Farrah.”
“You can call me Gram now,” Grandma replied.
“Uh, okay,” Frankie mumbled.
Grandma rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to be with one of my favorite boys on the whole planet, you deserve the honor. Plus, I like you.”
“Stop harassing Frankie,” Ma ordered as she went back to the stove.
“Me and Frankie are old friends,” Grandma said with a scoff, smiling.
“You ready to bail yet?” I asked, pulling Frankie against my side.
She looked up at me happily. “Are you kidding? This is awesome. Farrah just welcomed me into the fold, and as soon as Casper gets in here, I bet I can lure him into an argument about car emissions or something.”
I choked on a laugh.
“Dragon’s more like you, so I think if I just keep all sudden movements to a minimum. He’ll realize I exist, but I’m also not a threat.”
“He likes you,” I assured her.
“He doesn’t really know me yet.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “But your Grandma Brenna digs me, so that should be smooth sailing.”
“I thought you were nervous,” I mused, letting my hand slide down to her hip.
“I was for about half a second,” she replied, turning further into me. “But then I realized that number one, I already know all these people.”
“Which is what I’ve been tellin’ you for days.”
“And two,” she continued. “If you thought anything would go wrong, you wouldn’t have brought me.”
“Girl, who taught you manners?” my Grandpa Casper groused as he walked in from the living room. “Don’t even say hi when you come into the house?”
“Sorry, I was raised by wolves,” Frankie chirped, going over to give him a hug. “How you doing, old man?”
“That’s it,” he barked, shoving her away playfully. “This one’s defective. I’m clearly in my prime. Take her back, Gray.”
Frankie looked at me wickedly over her shoulder and whispered. “I didn’t even have to mention the emissions.”
Both me and my mom, who’d clearly been eavesdropping, burst into laughter.
“Good job, son,” she murmured, loud enough that only I could hear her. “Perfect for you.”