Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
He was not happy.
“Do you want some double-fudge brownies?” Hannah offered.
He didn’t want those, he didn’t want to be told what gems went in what armor as they played Diablo, he didn’t want Jake to fix the closet door in our room that stuck, he didn’t want Harper to rewire the ceiling fan in the kitchen so it worked with the light switch closest to the doorway, and he certainly didn’t want Kola to look at his stitches. When he went outside on the back deck with a beer, I told everyone to leave him alone.
“He’s a grouch,” Hannah assured me. “I can’t wait until he goes back to work, and that’s saying something, because I worry about him every time he leaves the house.”
“I know,” I soothed her. “Now, everybody go do what he didn’t want you to do, except you, Kola. You go get him some of those rolled taquitos he likes, with the cheese and the guacamole. Get, like, two dozen of them.”
He smiled and nodded, and when Sam yelled at him and asked where he was going, Kola just smiled and waved and asked his father what he was getting Nana for Mother’s Day.
Sam swore as Kola rolled out of the driveway.
“Jory!”
The bellowing was my favorite.
Walking out the back door, I arrived next to my husband and stared down at him. The temperature was in the low fifties, and he looked adorable in his USMS hoodie, faded jeans, and heavy socks. He wasn’t planning on leaving the deck chair, that was obvious.
“Did you get anything for my mother?”
I squinted at him.
His groan was loud. “I mean, what did you get for my mother?”
“I got her a charm bracelet with all her children’s and her grandchildren’s names. Every charm is different, and instead of using girls and boys, I used things that were them, like the sun for Hannah, and a star for you, and a camera for Rachel. Things like that.”
His gaze stayed locked on me.
“And she’ll get the flowers we sent in the morning, first thing. Hannah and I have to go over there at about nine tomorrow to start making brunch for everyone. You, Kola, and Jake don’t have to show up until eleven or so.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Do you not like her gift?”
“Of course. It’s the perfect gift. You always put so much thought into—we should’ve had Mother’s Day for you. I should have made that happen.”
I reached out and cupped his cheek. “I’m not a mother, I’m a father, and sharing a day with you has always been wonderful.”
He squinted at me. “No, it hasn’t. You always do something great for me, and I…punt.”
“That’s not at all true,” I promised him. “You’re always very thoughtful.”
“Yeah, right,” he grumbled, and I let my hand drop.
Before I could walk away, though, he grabbed my wrist so I couldn’t move.
“Yes, my love?”
“You don’t mean it,” he groused at me.
I snorted. “Even when you drive me nuts, I always love you.”
“You still wanna murder me,” he grumbled.
“Not murder, just maim,” I stated, snickering, bending to kiss him.
He tangled his hand in my hair, which needed to be cut. Somehow it was hitting my shoulders again, curling and flipping in weird directions, lighter than Jake’s but no less unruly. Sam tugged gently, keeping me close, and claimed my mouth in a kiss that was not meant for the backyard and, instead, very much made for our bedroom, behind closed doors.
When he let go, he licked his lips, and I could barely breathe.
“I appreciate you,” he promised me. “I hope you know that.”
“I do,” I husked, realizing how I was looking at him when his grin went feral.
“I promise, whatever you do to me, you won’t tear my stitches.” He leered.
Horrified that I was contemplating taking him at his word instead of listening to his doctor, who told him nothing remotely strenuous for two weeks, I shook my head and turned and quickly walked away. The growl of frustration behind me made me smile.
An hour later, Hannah was in the kitchen with her grandmother, who had popped over to see how we were coming along with preparations for Mother’s Day brunch, along with her grandaunt Carmella, Regina’s sister; one of her daughters, Sam’s cousin Barb; and two more of his cousins, Emily and Cleo, who I’d met a few times over the years. The only reason Sam had relented on the visit was that all of them had taken pictures of their vaccination records. To visit the country of the Kage-Harcourt home, you had to show that you’d gotten your shots. When I told Sam we should have a flag, he was not amused.
I went upstairs to stack towels and washcloths in the hall linen closet, and when I came downstairs, there was yelling. I swear to God I couldn’t have been up there more than five minutes, and the world had imploded.