Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“What she said.” Corie points at Eden.
“Yeah, that,” Sloane says, wiping at her eyes.
For the first time in a long while, the weight on my chest feels a little lighter.
Maybe ending something doesn’t mean you failed.
Maybe it just means you finally chose yourself.
I chose myself and my daughter. Together, we’re a family, and the ladies in this room are my family, too. “I love you. All of you,” I say, clearing my throat.
“We love you, too,” the five of them chorus.
“Okay, so now we have something else very important to talk about,” Corie announces.
“More important than your brother getting shat on by your adorable niece?” Sloane quips.
“Yep, but that’s definitely a close second.” Corie grins.
“What’s up?” Bellamy asks her.
“Family vacation. Hear me out. We’re a family. All of us. I want our kids to grow up together. I want the memories and the moments, and I want all our families there. I say we plan a trip to the beach, or even the mountains. Wherever, but we’re all going. No excuses.” She gives each of us a pointed look. When her eyes land on mine, she points an index finger at me. “That includes you and Miss Mia. No arguments.”
I let her acceptance wash over me. I’m not surprised, but I do want to relish the feel of having a tribe of people behind me. “I have some vacation time,” I admit.
“Perfect. Now, we need somewhere kind of private so the guys don’t get bombarded, and it needs to happen soon-ish, before camp and all that,” Corie says, talking excitedly with her hands.
“Love this idea!” Rowan says, grabbing her phone from the table. The rest of us do the same, starting to search for options.
“Got it,” Eden says, wiggling in her chair, holding up her phone to show us, before pulling it back in to read from the screen. “Five-acre private beach resort in Florida.” She goes on to read that it’s a small island and the house is surrounded by tall gates, which offers privacy and all the amenities for a private vacation setting. “It has six bedrooms, which is perfect,” Eden reads. “Here, I’ll send you all the link.”
A few seconds later, our phones all chime, and we’re pulling up the listing. “Wow,” I breathe, already knowing this vacation is going to eat away at my savings, but I want the vision Corie painted. Mia might be too little to remember, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right?
“This is perfect,” Bellamy squeals.
“Right?” Rowan agrees.
“Guys, they have an opening in two weeks!” Corie says. “Memorial Day weekend. Can we make that work?” she asks.
“I can make that happen,” I tell her. My job is really flexible, and I’ve got talent lined up for the next three months. I like to work in advance. I even have some booked out further, but I can take a week off and everything be okay.
Everyone takes turns saying they can go. Bellamy jumps up and rushes to grab her purse for her credit card. “I’m booking it,” she tells us.
“What about the guys?” I ask her.
Sloane waves her hand in the air. “They’re all in. It’s the offseason. They can skip a week at the gym. Besides, this place has a gym. The description says it sleeps twenty; that’s more than what we’ll need.”
“Well, all right. Let me know how much I owe you,” I tell her.
“Us, too,” Rowan tells her.
Bellamy waves her hand in the air. “We’ll work all of that out later.”
I know my best friend is going to try to pay for this for me, and I can’t let her. Besides, we’re splitting it six ways, which definitely makes it more affordable.
“I say we drive instead of fly,” Corie suggests. “We’re going to have too much to take with the kids.”
“That’s a good idea. It’s what, eight or nine hours to drive?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Eden says, already checking on her phone, and nods. “About that with stops and stuff.”
“I’m pumped!” Corie says, clapping her hands together.
I smile as I stand. “Me, too. I’m going to go check on Mia,” I tell them. She’s been sleeping in Coral’s room in the Pack ’N Play. I move to step out of the room when I run into the guys.
Knox has Alexander on his hip, Landry is cuddling Ella, Reid has Coral tossed over his shoulder, Baker has Camden on his shoulders, and Foster brings up the pack with a sleepy-eyed Mia resting on his shoulder.
“Thank you. I was just going to check on her,” I tell Foster. I reach for Mia, but she tucks her arms beneath her, staying right where she is.
“She’s fine,” Foster says, rubbing her back. “We actually brought her down to the basement with us so we could hear her.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, it’s girls’ night,” Foster says casually, as if it were the only option.