Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 42745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Her breath catches, and I hand her the bouquet first. Her eyes drop to the flowers, then come back to mine. “Penn.”
I gesture to them. “For you.”
She touches one of the petals and smiles. “They’re beautiful.”
“So are you.”
Her cheeks turn pink, and then I lift the cake box. “And this is also for you.”
She looks at it, and her eyes widen. “You got me my favorite cake?”
“Yeah.” I shift the box in my hands. “I know you didn’t eat it the other day. I know you were too upset, and you probably threw it away, so I figured I owed you one.”
For a second, she just stares at me, but then she surprises me when her eyes fill.
Fuck.
“Hey.” I lower my voice. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She shakes her head and takes the cake from me. “I’m not crying.”
I nod at her. “You are.”
She rolls her eyes, smiling at me. “I’m emotional. There’s a difference.”
I smile. “Okay.”
She looks down at the cake again, then back at me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you two going to stand in the doorway all night?” Miller calls from somewhere inside. “Because some of us are hungry.”
Aria laughs and steps back. “Come in.”
I follow her inside, and the smell of food hits me immediately. Miller and Lindsey’s house is warm and loud, exactly the way family dinner always is.
Logan is in the kitchen with Bree, setting out plates while Bree directs him like she’s in charge, which we all know she is. Miller is at the counter slicing bread, and Lindsey is pulling a casserole dish from the oven.
Ozzy is outside in the backyard with Eli, who is running in circles around him with a plastic bat in his hand.
I look around. “Where are Mom and Dad?”
“At Zach and Skyler’s,” Aria says, setting the flowers on the counter and the cake beside them. “They’re helping with Grace so Skyler can rest.”
I reach for her hand, and she lets me take it.
“Guy?” I ask.
“West Coast,” Miller says. “Training camp.”
Logan snorts. “Also avoiding questions about that article.”
Bree shoots him a look. “Logan.”
“What? He is.”
Aria leans closer to me and whispers, “He is.”
I look down at her. “You’re enjoying that a little too much.”
Her smile gets bigger. “I’m not.”
I point at her. “You are.”
She shrugs. “Maybe a little. I’ve never seen your brother like that.”
I smile and squeeze her hand.
Lindsey turns and sees the cake. “Oh, you brought Blaze cinnamon cake.”
“For Aria,” I say.
Aria points at me. “He’s learning.”
Bree grins. “Good.”
Logan looks at me. “Did you actually leave work on time?”
“I did.” The room goes quiet for half a second.
Then Miller sets the knife down and gives me a look. “Seriously?”
I pop my shoulders. “Yes.”
Bree’s eyes move to Aria, then back to me. “Wow.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t make it weird.”
“Too late,” Logan says.
Aria laughs, and I love the sound. It feels like it’s been way too long since I’ve heard it.
Eli comes running through the back door a few minutes later out of breath and carrying the bat.
“Uncle Penn!”
I crouch just in time for him to launch himself at me. I catch him and make a show of groaning like he knocked the wind out of me. “Man, you’re getting heavy.”
He grins and then runs around to his spot at the table just as Lindsey reminds him to wash his hands.
Dinner is loud. It always is with this family. Everyone talks over each other, passes food, laughs, argues about who gets the last roll, and somehow manages to make a simple meal feel like an event.
Aria sits beside me, close enough that her knee presses against mine under the table. Every so often, she looks at me like she’s checking to make sure I’m still here.
We talk about Grace through most of dinner. How tiny she is. How Zach is already losing his mind. How Skyler sent a picture of him asleep in the chair with Grace on his chest and one hand still holding the baby monitor even though they were in the same room.
And the whole time, both Aria and I are smiling and laughing because even though we have some tough decisions ahead, we both feel lighter. I slide my hand under the table and rest it on her thigh, and she covers it with hers.
Aria squeezes my hand, and I lean closer.
I ask quietly. “You okay?”
She nods. “Yeah.”
I give her a pointed look. “Really?”
Her eyes shine a little, but her smile stays. “Really.”
After dinner, Lindsey cuts into the cake, and Aria takes the first bite. She closes her eyes like it’s the best thing she’s ever tasted.
I lean back in my chair and watch her.
“What?” she asks.
I stare at her mouth. “Nothing.”
She tilts her head. “You’re staring.”
I nod, already thinking about what I want to do to her when we get home. “I know.”