Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
A surge of anger begins to roll through me, but it fizzles out before it makes headway. I want her to be wrong because if she’s right, I spent years punishing myself for nothing. I pinch the bridge of my nose to keep the tears away. Fucking hell. I’m fighting myself at this point. It wasn’t the world against me. It was me versus me, and my ego won out. Holding this magnificent woman in my arms, it’s time for a new start. “I know you’re right, but I missed the calls and got stuck in my head. My game went to shit.”
“You didn’t grieve. One day, you should allow yourself to feel it, to release it, and to heal. Your mom would want that for you.”
“She would,” I admit, which might be a first for me. When I slide down to see those greens I’m so in love with, I say, “There’s no living this life without you in it, though. I want us to be together, Little Chirp.”
“A family,” she says this time with no fear in her eyes. “No more stories of fated love to be told generations from now.” Her smile grows as she coaxes mine to return, too. “We did it. We brought an end to the feud and brought our families together. That’s the power of our love.”
“It is.” I could tell her that being in my life has changed me for the better, but she knows her worth. I find that so fucking sexy. I run my hand over her cheek, then lean over to kiss her temple once, twice, three times before whispering, “I love you.”
This time, she pulls back, grabs hold of my wrists, and looks at me. Her mouth opens, but then a crush of emotions temporarily drags her under. When the wave subsides, she says, “I love you, too, so much.”
“What if they don’t come?” my girl asks as we circle the table with cardboard baseballs and cowboys, placing them down as decorations.
I stop and look at her across from me. “Why wouldn’t they? He’s their grandson. Are they going to hold a grudge against you, which I don’t think they have a right to, based on what you told me, against a four-year-old? If that’s the case, they can stay gone from my family.”
The word family has so much more meaning for me these days. I started with the best, but somehow, it got better and bigger.
My sister comes out of her house to see the table we set. “Looks great.” She sets down a pile of napkins and small plates with all different floral patterns on them. “I find it so interesting how Jacob is into the same things as . . .” She stares at me. The look alone tells me she knows. She still doesn’t say it, even if they’re all thinking it. “As my big brother here.”
Cricket laughs, and nothing is subtle about it. She doesn’t even bother to conceal her expression, which reaffirms my sister’s theory. That traitor will be properly handled later. I smirk.
It’s a day of family in celebration of him, so it’s best to just get it all out on the table so we can enjoy it. “Jacob’s my son.” I stand at one end of the table, my sister at the far end. Her smile grows along with the reveal. “I know you know. I know all of you know. So there it is. Your suspicion is confirmed, sis. Happy?”
“Very,” she says, opening her arms wide and making a beeline for Cricket. “I’m so happy to have you both in our lives. I have a nephew. So exciting!”
Their embrace is sincere and warm. To see the woman I love being welcomed into my family without hesitation reminds me of how lucky I really am. I don’t have my mom anymore, but my family is steadfast, and the love is even stronger.
When Cricket turns to look at me, her cheeks are pink. To my sister, she says, “I’m so grateful for your family. Both Jacob and I are so happy to—”
“Be a part of it,” I add, making sure she knows she’s every bit a Greene even though she doesn’t carry the moniker. I come around behind her and wrap her up in my arms. After kissing her head, I look up to see my sister watching us.
“You make a beautiful couple and adorable kids, if I do say so.”
As if cued, Daisy runs from the corner of the house with Jacob in tow and Beckett trying to wrangle them. “Come on, guys, I mean it. We have to wash up.”
Daisy laughs like the maniacal terror she is and yells, “Neveerrr.”
“Never,” Jacob shouts and giggles right after as they leg it up the steps and run into the house.
I say, “That’s trouble if I ever did see it.”