Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
First things first. I pulled out my phone so I could order us a large pizza.
“You okay with green peppers on a pepperoni pizza?” I asked. “And extra cheese, right?”
He straightened and frowned at me. “What?”
I smirked faintly. “You got a buzz goin’ on. You’ll want the pizza to soak up the alcohol so you’re not hungover in the morning.”
The boy could still be cute as fuck when he blushed. It happened so rarely these days.
He looked away from me again and went back to picking up cups, beer cans, and potato chips off the floor. “Peppers are fine,” he mumbled.
Fucking precious.
How could I stay mad at that face?
I went through the ordering process and added some wings too. And we had hot sauce on the patio…
“How grounded am I?”
I let out a laugh. “Like you wouldn’t fucking believe. But you know what’s worse? Dad had the brilliant idea that you’re also giving up your phone at eight every night for two weeks—and you and I are gonna talk about this until you’re ready to keel over.”
On that note, I should send Nate an update. Knowing him, he was pacing a hole in the floor at his parents’ house.
“My phone…? Dad, I need that—”
“You’re getting off easy, so pick your damn battles, son,” I told him seriously.
He wisely shut his mouth.
Today was a good day. I felt ambitious and shit.
It was best to take advantage, because the depression was bound to pull me under sooner rather than later. Or maybe it wasn’t depression. I was no doctor. I just knew I felt like shit most of the time because of Nathan fucking Riley.
Was he gonna change his name back?
After work, I picked up Mikey and Lily and headed over to Nathan’s. We’d originally planned on spending the day at my brother’s, but Nate was working late tonight, so I’d prepare dinner for the kids by myself.
“I’m hungry, Daddy,” Lily said.
“I bought carrots and Bagel Bites,” I answered. “We’ll get that sorted as soon as we get home.”
“I like Bagel Bites more than carrots,” Mikey chimed in.
“Baby, who doesn’t.” I made the last turn and hummed to the music on the radio.
“You can’t call me baby anymore,” Mikey stated. “I’m not a baby.”
Thanks for tanking my mood, kid.
I eyed him in the rearview. “Since when?”
He shrugged. “I dunno.”
“I call Daddy my baby sometimes,” I lied. I mean, I used to. I’d called him baby all the time. “It’s a term of endearment like sweetheart and champ.”
He just scrunched his nose.
Great.
I pulled into the driveway, and Lily no longer waited for me to open the door for her. She was unbuckled and out the door as quickly as Mikey, leaving me behind to get their backpacks and reminisce about their baby years.
This was some bullshit.
My phone buzzed with a message as I headed for the door, and I saw it was a text from James.
When was the date for the team-building thing? Are we sharing hotel rooms, or can I skip my anti-snore nasal strip?
I snorted under my breath and dug out my keys. If he snored, he’d better bring that thing because we were, in fact, sharing rooms, and I was his roommate. Theo and I had split all twenty-three employees between ten rooms and one junior suite.
I’d respond to him later. Now I had kids to feed and homework to check up on.
Dylan was home in the middle of the day, so that was nice. We should ground him more often so we’d see him.
One week to go until he was free again.
A couple weeks later
Arlington
Nathan Riley
This was a good sign, wasn’t it? Ash hadn’t stayed for dinner in ages, but he’d actually accepted when I’d asked today.
I couldn’t help it. I was nosy. Nothing about him was predictable anymore, and I needed to get an update on his life. Sometimes, he sounded upbeat and ready for anything. Sometimes, bone-weary and down. Sometimes, curt and irritated.
I’d heard through the Mclean grapevine that he was slowly but surely reconnecting with his friends out there. It made me both happy and anxious. The latter because…it meant he was getting out there, right? He was moving on. He’d met up with Walker the other day for lunch in town. He’d had a beer with KC after work.
He had also reactivated his Mclean account.
Daddy Dom
Primal Predator
Sadist
Nothing about his status, married or single, available or whatever. Nothing.
I was going to ask him about his renovations too. Dylan and Hallie were over at Ash’s house sometimes to visit, and I knew they’d just received furniture for their rooms. The kitchen remodel was complete.
So, how long until we sat down with Lily and Micah? A month? Two months? A couple of weeks?
“It smells so good in here.” Hallie joined me in the kitchen and forced me to refocus on finishing up the salad. “What’re you making? Ooh, lasagna. It’s been forever.”