Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
That was okay.
“Let’s head upstairs.” Ash threaded our fingers together and took the lead.
It was difficult visualizing our old furniture fitting in here. Our years in the other house had been so much about making the most of things, buying the cheapest furniture we could find, prioritizing the children’s sports and activities—which were far from free—and going places when we needed a break from the mundane. But here…? This was a place I was going to love. I loved the colors Ash had chosen, warm and muted shades, I loved the furniture he’d bought, everything was new and upgraded, and I could feel the work he’d put into this house already. Because new didn’t mean he’d bought everything from the nearest furniture store. Ash was a pro at finding pieces he could give new life to. And I supposed our separation had given him moments to fill with distractions.
I’d joined a gym.
The dresser by the window on the second floor—I bet he’d found that for cheap at a yard sale or something. It looked old and sturdy.
“You painted that, didn’t you?” I gestured at it.
He followed my gaze and smiled. “Yeah. It was a hideous orange color before. Bought it for thirty bucks. Plus, I had leftover paint after finishing the kitchen.”
And now it was a nice moss green—or whatever a lighter version of moss green was called.
I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, and we continued to the bedroom, in which we found Lily lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.
“What’cha doin’, princess?” Ash chuckled.
“I live here now,” she replied frankly. “But I don’t have my bed or my desk.”
I smiled widely, so relieved. I mean, we’d assumed she was going to like it, but we could never be sure with her.
“You know what comes first?” Ash continued. “You have to decide what color you want on the walls.”
Lily immediately looked his way, and her mind started spinning. She had her tells. Mainly, she nibbled on her lip and looked like she was miles away.
“Your sister picked purple,” I offered.
“She has a grown-up purple,” she said. “Grown-up purple is less purple, Daddy.”
Oh. Did not know that.
“Are you talking about colors?” Micah hollered, running up the stairs. “I want blue! Like the blue I have on my T-shirt.”
So, more like turquoise. That could be arranged.
“You can both make up your minds this weekend,” Ash said. “We’ll get you some moving boxes too, so you can start packing your toys. Then I’ll pick up paint on Monday.”
Micah snuck between us and entered Lily’s room with a small plate of something. It looked like lettuce rolls.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” I wondered.
He happily bit into one. “Lettuce with turkey, cream cheese, and tomato. It’s yummy. And Dylan said if we eat it all, we get apple and peanut butter too. It’s a big-boy snack.”
Ash and I exchanged a glance, and it was as if we were suddenly of one mind. The relief and happiness came first, but just a fraction of a second later, we remembered that we knew our eldest. Hallie was the one who went the extra mile for the sake of it. Dylan did his chores while complaining the entire time, and would he put together the perfect after-school snack for Micah without asking for something?
The answer was no.
So that was gonna be interesting.
I faced Micah again and smiled. “That’s fantastic, son. I’m just not sure I’m ready for you to be a big boy yet.”
“What Dad said,” Ash agreed. “But if you insist on growin’ up… Dylan knows his big-boy snacks, that’s for sure.”
Micah beamed and nodded. “He knows.”
I checked my watch. We had to think about dinner too. My bondage session at Mclean started at seven, so we had to leave by six-fifteen. I wanted a few minutes beforehand to prepare. It was going to be a demo for beginners, which meant they had to suffer through my safety spiel before I handed out rope.
“You thinking about dinner?” Ash asked quietly.
“Yes. We could pick something up on the way back to the old house,” I suggested.
“McDonald’s!” Lily exclaimed.
“Nando’s, it is.” Ash smiled at our girl’s scowl. “I’mma go place an order that we can pick up on the way to the old house. Daddy, you can come with me.”
“I wanna check out my room again!” Micah squeezed by us.
“I have done everything,” Lily announced. “The pool is big. I like my room. Goodbye.”
I snorted under my breath and followed Ash out of the room again.
Hallie was waiting for us downstairs. “Am I babysitting Micah and Lily here or at home? The old house—whatever.”
I opened my mouth to respond when Dylan skidded out of the kitchen.
“I can watch them too,” he said.
I quirked a brow.
Ash folded his arms over his chest. “Boy, I love you, but you’re not known to help out voluntarily. What do you want, and how much does it cost?”