Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
“You—”
“Nonsense. She’s ugly as heck when she cries,” Nana said, wheeling herself towards us. “You’re blinded by love if you think that face is pretty, Frederick.”
He stepped back with a grin. “That must be it, Nana.”
I whacked him on the arm and wiped my face with my sleeve. “I thought you might stay in there longer.”
She waved a thin, wrinkled hand. “They’re both asleep, and I thought I’d follow suit with a nice little nap. Besides, I needed to check on your allergies, didn’t I?”
I sniffed, smiling tiredly at her. “I’m fine, Nana.”
She stared at me for a moment, a lifetime of wiseness in her eyes, before finally nodding her head. “Give us a push, Freddie. If I keep moving these wheels, I’m going to look like one of those gym bros on the TikTok who skip leg day.”
“That’s oddly specific,” Fred said, giving my head a gentle pat before taking hold of the handles.
“She discovered animal videos on my phone,” I replied, falling into step beside him. “She was particularly enamoured by the guy who takes his cats and dove on little journeys on his boat. Now, she has her own account and a mess of a For You page.”
“How did you get from cats on a boat to gym bros, Nana?” he asked.
“I like handsome men,” she replied smartly. “And handsome men with their muscles out are even better.”
Fred gave me a sideways look.
“I thought she was less likely to get in trouble for sexual harassment on TikTok than the actual gym,” I explained.
“A wise choice,” he concurred. “You know, Nana, I’m a handsome man. I have nice muscles.”
“I’m not going to perv on my grandson, dear,” she replied. “I’ll save that activity for my granddaughter.”
“I do not perv on Fred.”
Mostly.
Sometimes.
Whatever.
I had eyes, okay?
Nana flexed her arms. “Look at these muscles from carting this chair about. I won’t be able to fit these guns in my coffin at this rate.”
“Phwoar, Nana. You put me to shame,” Fred replied, briefly bending over and squeezing her upper arm. “I’ll call you next time we need to pull a calf out. It’ll be easy with those muscles.”
She roared with laughter, slapping his hand off her arm. Seeing her so happy made my own laugh bubble up, and before I knew it, all three of us were laughing as we drew closer to the house. The gardeners we passed all shot us knowing smiles, acknowledging us with a nod of their head.
We stopped every time. Nana had questions about what they were planting, while Fred asked them how they were doing and checked in on their families. He knew everything about them, from the fact their teens had exams to the wobbly tooth of one’s youngest son. He inquired after one young woman’s pregnant sister-in-law, asked another man how his wife and newborn were, and listened intently as one of the older guys waxed lyrical about his son’s new husband.
There wasn’t a single person he didn’t have a smile for. He had kind words for everyone, coupled with reminders to take frequent breaks and drink water now that it was getting warmer.
And they all reciprocated his attention in turn. They inquired after Nana’s health—one even clipped her a few brightly coloured flowers and tucked them in her lap. They all asked after our marriage and congratulated us once again, even though it’d been two weeks.
One even surprised me by asking after Lucy and the baby.
“How do they even know that?” I asked Fred once we’d dropped Nana off at her room and tucked her in with her meds for a nap. “About Lucy, I mean.”
He tucked his hands in his pockets, smiling. “Well, for one, you’ve already been a part of this family for years. They know everything about you.”
“But I don’t know them.”
Fred shrugged. “News travels fast around here. And for the second point: You’re my wife, Deli. You’re the countess. They make it their business to know about you. Should you ever need help for anything from a splinter to a genuine emergency, they’re there to assist you.”
I wrapped my arms around my waist. “I feel like we’re lying to so many people.”
“Well, sometimes a smile drawn from a lie can be kinder than the truth. I think, right now, we’re doing the right thing, so stop dwelling on it so much.” He ruffled my hair, smiling at me. “You know it, too. Look how happy Nana is.”
That was true.
She’d all but moved in.
How did my mother feel about it?
Speaking of… “Is that my mother’s laugh?”
Fred chuckled. “Yes. Did you not know that both she and Nana have practically moved in here over the last ten days?”
“No. Why would I know that?”
“You really don’t pay any attention to anything other than what interests you, do you?” He slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Nana wants to spy on us, wife. Your mother doesn’t trust her, so she’s been spending most of her free time here to keep an eye on her.”