Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
With travel time, we only had two full days at this point.
“I wouldn’t mind that either,” Sam agreed.
The chatter continued, both about destinations and how many days we’d need, and I was content to tune out and just eat my food. But I did meet LC’s gaze across the table at one point, and the faint smile playing on his lips did something to me.
I didn’t know what it was, but it felt as if I could suddenly read his mind. I was usually very involved in where we went. Previous years, I had been the recipient of plenty of ribbing because of how much research I did before each trip. I’d been known to make reservations, look up nearby hiking trails, and pack my schedule with activities.
Not for this trip, though.
I’d certainly felt the urge to be more invested, but the closing of Old Town had kept my mind occupied, so I’d apologized in the group chat for not having a clue when some of the brats had asked for restaurant recommendations. But now…I don’t have much of a preference.
LC and I had talked about this when he got together with Joey. He’d smiled and said the destination didn’t matter as much anymore, because the most important part was who he traveled with.
LC tipped his beer in my direction and smiled.
I smiled back.
What a heady feeling.
My chase of all kinds of things was apparently over.
As long as I had Reid by my side, I just didn’t care enough about where we ended up and what we did.
EPILOGUE
The following day
Reid McKinley
The worst part about traveling early was getting Max out of bed, but the perks were enough to energize me for the both of us. Everyone else was still asleep, so we snuck out undetected, having already covered the goodbyes last night. Even better, we were back in a chilly DC by eleven AM.
One Uber later, and we were ready to pick up groceries close to my place. I took a photo of my coffee as we headed into the store, and I posted it in our travel group chat.
Rise and shine, friends. We’re already home, and you haven’t even boarded your flights yet. Suckers.
That oughta stir some shit with the brats.
Possibly motivate Sam to move back to the East Coast too.
Max’s phone dinged with the message, and he opened up the chat after grabbing a cart. “That’s cruel,” he chuckled.
“It is I, raiser of hell,” I said proudly.
He snorted.
We dumped our carry-ons in the cart, then started our romantic stroll through the produce section.
“What time does Alex usually come over?” I asked, picking up a bag of carrots. I wouldn’t mind a nice steak and some roasted vegetables tonight. Maybe a baked potato.
“Right after school,” Max replied. He went over to the apples. “We can do dinner at your place, right?”
I side-eyed him. “Max, I’m gonna try to get you to my house every damn day. You might as well move in. There’s a guest room with Alex’s name on it too.”
He sent me a quick grin. “I will happily spend every night with you, but I’ll have to slow things down for Alex’s sake. Even though he’s expressed that ‘Uncle Reid’s house is way cooler,’ I’m not sure uprooting us right this second is a good idea.”
Logically, I knew he was right—and we were in no rush. But it sure felt good to hear that Max was as impatient as I was.
“We’ll be flexible on the weeks you have him,” I decided with a nod. “Totally unrelated, I think I’m gonna buy a new TV for the guest room. Maybe an Xbox or…PlayStation…?” I trailed off, unsure which one Alex preferred.
Max narrowed his eyes at me, and he looked to be fighting against the amusement in his expression. “He likes PlayStation.”
I nodded. “I think I’m gonna get a PlayStation.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Totally unrelated.”
Totally.
I’d get my steak tomorrow instead. Max had found a good deal on chicken tenders, so that was why I sat my happy ass down at the kitchen table while he ruled the food prep. I’d finished my task of slicing up vegetables for the oven.
Alex sat across from me, already studying for his midterms. He had his laptop open, three thick books also open, and two notebooks. And his phone.
I was damn proud of that kid. He was so disciplined when it came to school. He’d realized early that learning didn’t come easy for him, so his mothers and Max had helped him set up a structure in which he could retain information better without stressing himself out. The boy created his own flash cards, for chrissakes.
Back in the day, I wasn’t sure I’d even cracked my books three days before midterms.
I hadn’t gotten any A’s either…
I took a sip of my coffee and opened my phone.