Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“I’ve got it,” Nate offers, walking to the living room and grabbing my black suitcase.
“Be careful with that luggage,” I tell him, “it’s precious cargo.”
“It’s a suitcase,” Nate answers back.
“Yeah, with my things in it and I’m precious, so it’s precious fucking cargo, Nate.”
“Got it.” He nods and opens the door to put my luggage in the back of his truck.
“Come and say hello to your cousins.” My father puts his arm around me as we step into the kitchen that looks like it’s packed with over forty people, if not more.
“Why is it that it always seems like we multiply?” I ask him and he laughs.
“You guys keep growing up and adding babies into the mix,” he answers, right as my cousin Zoey’s sons race past me.
“If you guys break anything in this house”—Zoey follows them—“it will be a huge time-out for both of you and…” She puts her hands on her hips, using her best mother voice. “I’ll take the money out of your piggy banks.” They look at her with big eyes. “Yeah, I said it and I mean it. Go find your father.” They turn around and take off running, zigzagging through the throngs of people.
“Hey,” she greets, coming to me and giving me a hug. “I was looking everywhere for you.” I give her a hug.
“Well, you couldn’t find me because my parents tossed me out on the streets.” I side-eye my father, who just rolls his eyes and walks away from me. “When did you get in?”
“Late last night,” she replies. “Nash had a meeting in Dallas, so we stopped there for a couple of days and then came up here.” She mentions her husband who she eloped with a week after she started working for him. They never even went out on a date, and the next thing you know, they were married. She actually took off from New York after her long-term boyfriend wouldn’t commit to her, and then she found Nash, who refused to let her go.
“How’s California treating you?” I ask her as we make our way over to the side where a couple of round tables are set up. The dining room that used to hold our dining room table has now been cleared out and in its place are five round tables with chairs.
“It’s great,” she says, “I love it. What about you? How is the land down under treating you?”
“It’s good,” I reply, but for the first time since I moved there, I am not missing it.
“I don’t know how you do it,” she says, putting her hand on mine. “My parents live about a four-hour plane ride from me, and I don’t know if I would be able to be across the world from them and everyone else, for that matter.” I smile at her. “Do you miss home sometimes?”
“It was hard at the beginning, for sure,” I admit to her, “and every single time I came here and then went home, it would be really hard to get back into the swing of things. I miss it here more times than not. Especially when everyone gets together and all I can see is pictures,” I share and look over when Nate walks back into the room. His eyes roam around the room until he finds me.
He moves around people to get to the side of my table. “Bag is in the car,” he reports and then walks with a smile to Zoey. “Hey there.”
“Hey yourself.” She tilts her head back and he bends to kiss her cheek. “You look good.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I say, shaking my head and making them laugh.
“The two of you”—she gets up, shaking her head—“always oil and water. I have to check to make sure my kids are not swinging from the chandeliers,” she says, walking away and I look over at Nate.
“I’m the oil, you’re the water.” He just shakes his head.
“Whatever you say, Elizabeth.” The look in his eyes is flirty. “Whatever you say.” He turns back and walks toward the crowd of people, going to say hello to everyone, while I sit here and try not to think about how it’s going to feel not only leaving him, but leaving my family again.
CHAPTER 22
Nate
SANTA, CAN’T YOU HEAR ME
I pick up a plate at the end of the long makeshift buffet table that has been set up in the kitchen. There are people literally everywhere, and Denise and Zack could not be happier. The whole family is like this. It’s like the more the merrier but on steroids. “Hey,” I hear from behind me and look over to see Gavin. “What’s going on?”
I grab the serving spoon and scoop some eggs onto my plate. “Not much,” I reply. “What about you?”
“Exhausted,” he admits as I walk to the next tray of breakfast sausage.