Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Walker.”
I stepped over to her and placed my hands on her hips. I pulled her close as I whispered, “I’m done drifting… I wanna come home, and you’re home for me.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.”
“Yes, definitely yes.” She smiled. “It was yes as soon as you said the bit about the hoodies.”
“Well, alright then. It’s settled.
"We still need to tell the boys.”
I glanced toward the living room, and I could still hear the TV playing in the background. "Yeah, you’re right.”
I reached for her hand, and when I started for the doorway, she gasped, “We’re doing it now?”
“The sooner the better.” I looked back at her and smiled, “It’ll be fine. Just wait and see.”
“Okay.”
We both walked into the living room, and the boys were both where we’d left them. Neither of them had any idea what was coming when Rae pointed to the television and asked, “Hey, can you pause that?”
“Hey.” Thomas lifted the remote and paused their show before looking up at his mom and asking, “What’s up?”
“There’s something we’d like to discuss with you.’
“Awe, this doesn’t sound good.”
“It is. Well, I think it is.”
That’s when I stepped forward and announced, “I’m moving in.”
“Like moving in here?” Lucas asked. “With us?”
“Yeah, that’s generally what moving in means.”
“Walker,” Rae whispered like a warning, but she was smiling.
Thomas looked at her and then over at me, like he was trying to find the right words to say. Eventually, he gave me a nod and said, “That’d be cool.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, you basically live here already, and you eat all our snacks.”
“I bring more than I eat.”
“And you help mow.”
“And he grills and fixes the trucks,” Lucas added.
“Yeah, and I think Mom’s happier when you’re around.” He gave a little shrug. “And I guess, we are, too.”
He said it like it wasn’t a big deal, even though it was everything. My jaw tightened, and I didn’t trust myself to respond. Lucas used the opportunity to ask, “Does that mean you’ll actually be here to make breakfast more often? Cause Mom always burns the eggs.”
“I do not.”
“Yeah, you kind of do.”
I laughed despite myself, and just like that, the tension in the room was gone. I placed my hand on the small of Rae’s back and said, “I’ll handle the eggs.”
“Then, cool.” Lucas nodded with a smile. “This is already better.”
Thomas settled back into his spot and muttered, “I guess it’s settled. Welcome to the fam.”
“Appreciate that.”
Rae and I made our way back into the kitchen, and I stepped in front of her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “I’d say they are good with it.”
“It appears so.” She wound her arms around my neck as she whispered, “I love you, Walker.”
“Love you, too. So damn much.”
And just like that, I’d finally found my way back home.
EPILOGUE
THREE YEARS LATER
There was nothing better than a football game in the fall. The leaves had changed, and there was a cool bite to the night breeze. The stadiums were full of folks who’d traded their shorts and flip-flops for sweatshirts and jeans. And while the metal bleachers weren’t exactly comfortable, I had my girls next to me, and that was about as good as it gets.
Hannah, the little tornado in my lap, had just turned two, and she wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to stay put. She didn’t understand that tonight was about Thomas and not her. It was his senior night, and he was being recognized as player of the year. It was a big deal for him, and Rae thought his sister should be there to see it.
She could’ve cared less and was squirming and yapping through the whole damn thing. I wasn’t surprised. Truth was, she ran the show. She was too cute not to. She looked exactly like her mother, right down to the dark hair and crooked smile, and she had the sweetest, most innocent little face.
She was sweet and innocent.
But she was also a bit of a menace with a fiery temper. She got that shit from me, along with a stubborn streak a mile long. Oh, and if she ever got quiet, it meant destruction was brewing, and she was quick about it. Hell, last week she managed to color the pantry wall with ketchup while Rae was folding laundry.
Didn’t cry when she got caught.
She just stared at us like we were the problem.
Knowing she was reaching her limit, I leaned down and whispered, “You better not be plotting in that little head of yours.”
She blinked up at me, looking her usual sweet and innocent, and before I could stop her, she had a hold of my beard, tugging it. “You better watch it!”
That earned me a giggle. That’s right. A giggle. She knew she had her father wrapped around her little finger, and I was okay with that. Rae leaned over, laughing softly as she straightened Hannah’s tiny cheerleading top. “Hold still, baby. It’ll just be a few more minutes.”