Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Brody let out a pfft. “We all know you’re waiting on Adelaide to come back to Seaside.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
Braxton turned to me and said, “You might not be waiting long.”
My stomach clenched as I raised a brow. “Is that so?”
All he did was nod, not offering up any other details. A part of me wanted to demand he tell me everything he knew, but I had gotten hopeful one too many times in the past.
“So, are you going to pick up Dad’s gift?” Brody asked.
Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Yeah, I’ll pick it up.”
Braxton looked around the bar as he took a drink of his beer. “So, who’s going to be the lucky one tonight?”
“Not me,” I replied, following his gaze around the room. “The only thing I’m interested in is going home, taking a long hot shower, and climbing into bed. Alone.”
Braxton huffed. “Said no man ever.”
I clapped him on the back. “One of these days, Brax, someone’s going to finally make a decent man out of you.”
“I highly doubt that.”
Brody chuckled, then looked at me. “You could call Addie.”
“Dude, that’s my sister,” Braxton said as he shot Brody a dirty look.
With a shake of my head, I simply laughed. It was then I saw Braxton do a double take. I turned in the direction he was looking and saw Braxton’s younger sisters, Sutton and Palmer, walk into the bar, along with their best friend, Harlee. Harlee and Adelaide had been best friends for as long as I could remember, so it wasn’t a surprise she’d grown close to Addie’s two younger sisters after she’d left Seaside.
Once upon a time in high school, Braxton had had a serious crush on Harlee. A part of me wondered if he might still be attracted to her, what with the way his head had immediately snapped in her direction. He obviously wasn’t looking at his sisters like that.
I exchanged a look with Brody and he simply raised his brows, most likely thinking the same thing.
“I heard Harlee got offered some big position with The Boston Globe, but she turned it down,” Brody said.
“Where did you hear that?” Braxton asked.
“Sutton.”
Braxton looked at him sharply. “Mom said you’ve been hanging with Sutton a lot lately. What’s that all about?”
Brody shrugged. “It’s not about anything. She asked me to help her with some things around her house and the shop. That lowlife ex-husband of hers didn’t ever do a damn thing. She was going to hire a handyman, but I told her I’d do it in exchange for food. It wasn’t anything big.”
I grinned. “When are you going to learn how to cook for yourself, Brody?”
“Never.”
An expression of longing passed over my brother’s face when he glanced toward the trio making their way over to the bar. It was gone as fast as it had appeared.
“So, you said Harlee was offered a position? Doing what?” Braxton asked.
“I think the same thing she does for her dad’s paper,” Brody answered. “Marketing.”
“Wow, what would Mike think if she left The Chronicle?” I asked.
Brody shook his head. “I don’t think he’d be thrilled to lose his daughter to a major paper, but it would be a great opportunity for her if she decided to take it.”
“She won’t,” Braxton stated.
Brody and I both looked at him. “How do you know that?” I asked.
He smirked, finished off his beer, and set it on the table. “She loves Seaside too much, and her goal has always been to take over the paper when her father retires.” Braxton slapped us both on the back. “Now, if you two don’t mind, I do believe I need to go flirt with that pretty blonde who’s been eye-fucking me for the last ten minutes.”
“What about the bridesmaid?” Brody asked.
Winking, Braxton replied, “Dude, I’m more than capable of hooking up twice in a night.”
With a shake of my head, I turned to Brody. “This definitely isn’t my crowd tonight.”
He nodded. “I bet Dad wouldn’t mind a beer or two on the back porch.”
“Now that sounds like a place I want to be.”
As we walked toward the exit, I pulled out my phone. My heart raced in my chest as I typed out the text.
Me: Brax says you’re coming home. For good?
It wasn’t long before I got a reply.
Addie: Crazy thing. I was about to text you. Yes, I’m moving back to Seaside.
My heart leapt in my chest, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
Me: About damn time.
Addie: I agree!
“Let me guess, you immediately texted Addie to see if she was really moving back?” Brody asked.
Nodding, I pushed open the door to leave the bar. “I did, and she is.”
He hit me on the back. “’Bout damn time.”
Adelaide
“Everything is looking good so far. Are you comfortable, Lee?”
My patient nodded and then looked over to her husband. They were a young couple, first pregnancy—which was always one of my favorites to work with. There was something magical about the first time a new parent held their baby in their arms. The way their faces would light up and how they’d almost always lock eyes with one another. It was beautiful. To this day, I’d never forgotten the first baby I helped deliver. I could still see the parents’ faces as clear as if it had happened this morning. I had had such a rush of emotions and knew in the depths of my heart that I was going to love my job as a labor and delivery nurse. And I did.