Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
But he liked a good honka honka. “See, kids ruin everything.”
“Dad, Kala’s been listening in, and she says we’re getting a new sister to make up for the fact that Mom keeps having boys. Is she right?” Monster Number Two stood in front of him, her strawberry blonde hair in pigtails and the dog by her side.
He was going to have to do something about Monster Number One’s need to listen in on everything. “Kala!”
“I didn’t do it!”
He could hear small feet running across the hardwoods.
Charlie sighed and kissed his cheek. “Well, we should talk about this as a family then.”
There was another crashing sound. “Okay, I did do that. Mom, a bunch of books fell but they didn’t hit anything except the printer.”
They’d just bought that printer.
“She’s got to be easier than those two,” Charlie whispered.
The baby monitor lit up as a keening cry was heard. Travis was awake.
“You know you would be an even better dad if you could breastfeed,” she said as she got up.
“Ewww, that would be gross. Dad’s got hair there and stuff.” Kenzie was still looking at them. “What’s our sister’s name? Does she like My Little Pony?”
He stood. “You go feed our boy, and I’ll handle the monsters. Come on, Kenz. Let’s find your sister and we’ll talk.”
He’d found talking was an important dad skill.
And so was patience.
* * * *
Paris, France
Three weeks later
It was surreal being here. The Velvet Collar. Where his real life had begun. He’d looked across that crowded dungeon and fate had come for him.
“You’re thinking about her.”
Unfortunately, his baby wasn’t the one here with him. His sister-in-law was. Charlie was home with the new baby while their toddler was with his brother and sister-in-law. He’d made the trip to Paris to pick up Tasha in a private jet he’d borrowed from another of his sister-in-laws. He had four brothers, and they’d all married well. Erin could take out a man with one shot. Grace could organize the world and keep it running smooth as silk. Mia had billions of dollars and a jet. She was really his favorite.
And Chelsea. Charlie’s sister had been the reason she’d walked away from him the first time, but now they were solid. Oh, she still called him Satan from time to time, but they were good, he and Chelsea.
“I can’t walk into this place and not think about her,” Ian said. He was oddly emotional about being in The Velvet Collar again. Of course he’d also had some business to deal with. He and Chelsea had updated Ezra and Solo on what had happened since she’d been arrested by Levi Green and Ezra had rushed in and saved his ex-wife.
Now they were hiding here, and Ian was preparing to move them to Italy in a few days. “Tell me you can walk into The Garden and not think of Simon.”
Chelsea tilted her head up, and the grin on her face proved how much she’d changed since she’d gotten married. “Not even once. It was the first place we played. And now I don’t even mind the Chelsea in Chelsea jokes. Though it would have been easier on me if Damon had settled down in some other part of London.” She sobered as they walked back out into the lobby. “Are you ready for this?”
“We’ve been working with a family therapist, someone Kai recommended. We’ve talked a lot about how to integrate Tasha into our family.” He would have told her all of this on the nine-hour plane trip if she hadn’t managed to sleep the entire time. He’d envied that nap mightily. Chelsea had cuddled up with his monsters, and the three of them had slept most of the trip from Dallas to Paris.
Ian had sat up and thought of all the many ways he could murder Levi Green. He’d alphabetized them. Arsenic, bludgeoning, C4 shoved up his asshole without lube…
“That wasn’t what I meant. I know you’re ready for Natasha,” Chelsea said. “If there is one thing you can do it’s raise awesome kids.”
“A compliment? Who are you and what did you do with my sister-in-law?” He leaned against the big front desk that was the main part of the lobby.
She wrinkled her nose his way. “Hubby and kiddo happened. I’m a new, mature Chelsea Weston. And I was talking about Levi Green and whatever Agency asshole he’s about to bring in here. Are you going to kill him in front of your new daughter?”
“No, but I’d like to. I hate the fact that they’ll be in the same room. I know he didn’t pull the trigger, but that fucker killed her dad.” Maybe he should. It would solve a lot of problems if he took Levi’s head off. The girls could play soccer with it, and honestly, Tasha was Russian. They understood the fine art of revenge from a young age.