Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
By the time I took the garlic bread out of the oven, Ash returned with Lily thrown over his shoulder. Micah was right behind them, and Dylan and Hallie followed shortly after, still bickering with each other.
“You know what you could do instead of bitching and moaning?” Ash asked them, helping Lily down. He adjusted the booster seat in her chair too. “You can help me solve a mystery where our prime suspect is this little princess.”
“Me? I’m the princess, Daddy!”
I sat down at one end of the table and pushed the salad bowl to Hallie.
“You sure are.” Ash dug something out of his pocket, then slapped a handful of whatever that was on the table next to her. “Are these yours?”
I leaned closer to see what it was. Tiny resin ducks?
Lily scrunched her nose. “No? I don’t have any ducks on my farm. Can I have them?”
Ash furrowed his brow and sat down at the other head of the table. “Then who the hell do they belong to? I keep finding them everywhere.”
“Some people collect them.” Hallie shrugged.
“Can I have them, Daddy?” Lily demanded. “I repeat myself.”
Dylan and I laughed.
“Oh—well, excuse me, Your Highness,” Ash said. “I didn’t hear you the first time. Yes, you may have them.”
“Yay! Thank you!” She went to line up the little ducks in front of her plate.
“Where are you finding them?” I asked.
“My truck, at work, sometimes in my clothes… I worked a construction gig the other week, and when I went to grab my tool belt, I found one in there too. I don’t get it.”
“Sounds like it’s someone at work,” Hallie offered. “Don’t you have some employees who bring children with them sometimes?”
Ash had doubts. “Mags and Russ bring theirs occasionally when they have office hours, but their girls are, what, twelve or thirteen?” He filled his plate with a big serving of lasagna, and the salad seemed to be more of a decoration. “I guess I can ask them.”
“You have that team-building event coming up too, right?” I wondered. “I talked to Theo—he said you’re gonna go golfing at some nice resort.”
“Which course?” Dylan was suddenly interested in the topic.
“Landsdowne. It’s a spa and golf resort out in Leesburg. If I like it, you and I are definitely going.” Ash ruffled the boy’s hair, which Dylan hadn’t appreciated in years. But he did appreciate going golfing with his dad. “I’m mostly looking forward to the steakhouse and a nice schvitz, though.”
We’d file that under images I didn’t need at the forefront of my mind, Ash sweating it up in a sauna.
Maybe we should go back to discussing ducks.
Maybe I should also get my shit together, come to terms with everything going on, and create more distance between Ash and me. Otherwise, I’d never stand a chance.
I didn’t know if I stood a chance, regardless, but I was getting desperate.
Desperate to become my own person again, and yet…highly fucking unwilling. How many times am I gonna rewatch our wedding video? And how is that going to help me move on?
But I guess it’s all there in my vows to you.
“You’re it for me, Ash. You’re my world too—my coauthor, to borrow your analogy. The only man I’ll ever love. My best friend and dad to our amazing kids. I can’t imagine a day I don’t get to come home to you, and I’m glad I don’t have to. Instead, I’m going to spend the rest of my life fighting for what we’ve built. Fighting for us.”
I swallow hard and sniffle.
Fighting for us.
Jesus Christ, Ash, how can I ever let you go?
CHAPTER 15
A few weeks ago
Leesburg
Ash Riley
“Look at’chu go, you actually lowered your handicap for the first time ever.” I threw an arm around James’s shoulders.
He laughed and shoved at me. “You dick. I’ll have you know I’m at forty-nine now.”
Incredible.
I grinned.
“And what are you at, little brother?” Theo asked as he got out of the golf cart.
“Twelve—but this round didn’t do me any good.” I’d played like shit. “And no, I’m not asking you what you have.” I already knew the bastard was an eight or something.
I enjoyed golf a whole lot, but I wasn’t passionate about it like my brother—or Dylan, for that matter. He was already better than me. I got my thrills from more adrenaline-inducing sports. Running, climbing, diving, bouldering, and so on.
I was done for the day, though. Now I just wanted to sit my ass in the sauna.
As decided earlier, we’d all meet up for dinner at seven, which gave us four hours to do whatever we wanted. Four hours for me to shower, sit in a sauna, maybe take a steam, consider a massage, and possibly indulge in a nap.
After leaving our golf bags in our room, James and I went directly to the spa, and we noticed most of our guys had opted to do other shit. Some were still playing golf, some wanted to sit at the bar, and several wanted to take advantage of having a nice hotel room with no screaming kids.