Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
I grin. “There she is. That’s my girl. I knew you’d bring the joke full circle.”
Eyes dancing, she teases, “Who says it’s a joke? I gave Charlotte Nix’s number, by the way. I snuck it into her planner, so tell him to be ready. Just in case.”
“Will do.” I cradle her closer, happier than ever that she’s mine to hold.
“She’s going to need a hot date to a wedding at the end of the summer,” she explains. “Her evil ex invited her to come watch him marry her former assistant, who happens to be fifteen years younger than both of them and was totally Charlotte’s friend first.”
Eyes narrowing, I make a hissing sound.
She laughs as she twines her arms around my neck. “Exactly. I knew you’d get it. You spend a lot of time in locker rooms with sweaty boys, but deep down, you’re a girls’ guy.”
“Not so deep down.” I tip my head closer to hers. “All my favorite people are girls. You. Nana. Minnie, at the bakery, who makes my favorite gluten-free chocolate cake.”
She jerks her head back, glaring up at me. “What was that last part?”
Grinning, I say, “Just because I haven’t had yours yet, obviously. I’m sure, once I have, your chocolate cake will be my favorite.” I reach down, copping a feel of her fine ass. “All your cake is my favorite.”
She leans into me again, seemingly mollified. “Damned straight, it is. As soon as Dad leaves, we’re going to the store. I’m going to make you a chocolate cake before we go to bed tonight.”
I hum approvingly beneath my breath. “That will be a fabulous excuse to stay up late after we’ve put Nana to bed and bang in the kitchen.”
“I was thinking in the gym on my yoga mat.”
“I love your yoga mat,” I shoot back, hand getting scandalously close to darting beneath the hem of her skirt. “And I love this little pink dress. Is it new?”
She shakes her head, lifting her lips to mine as she whispers, “No, but the panties underneath are. Charlotte bought them for me this morning after our coffee date. Said I needed pussy confidence.”
“I love Charlotte,” I whisper against her mouth. “And your pussy confidence. And your pussy.”
“You’re such a—” She breaks off with a squeal as she steps into that gopher hole I definitely should have warned her about.
She goes down, and I tumble to the grass with her, thankfully without twisting my knee. But still!
“Fucking gophers,” I say, cursing their family line as I brace my arms on either side of her face. “Are you okay?”
She giggles as she nods. “You?”
“So okay,” I murmur as I settle between her thighs.
“You didn’t hurt your knee again?”
“Nope, my knee is fine. My lips, on the other hand…” I’m in the middle of giving her the slow, sexy “welcome home” kiss she deserves, when Nana calls out from the back deck, “Get in here, you two, and eat before the food gets cold. I hate cold corn, and Kevin is blushing.”
Makena giggles again, turning her head as she shouts, “Sorry, Dad!”
Kevin calls back from what sounds like just inside the door, “It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m an adult. I even went on a first date last week.”
Makena’s eyes widen as they find mine. “Oh, wow,” she whispers. “That’s a big step for Dad. He hasn’t dated in years. We should go brag on him.”
“And eat hot corn,” I agree. “But as soon as he leaves, we’re making out in the garage before we head to the store. I need kisses to hold me over until the cake batter’s ready.”
She arches a mischievous brow. “And what are you going to do with the cake batter, Mr. Parker? Might I ask?”
“You’ll see,” I promise.
And see, she does…
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
MAKENA
Later that night, after Dad’s gone home, Nana’s tucked into the guest room, and my kick-ass chocolate cake to rule all chocolate cakes is in the oven, Parker shuts the pantry door behind us—the mixing bowl in hand and a determined look on his face.
“Dress. Off. Now,” he orders, stalking me until I’m pressed against the shelves.
“We’re going to get salmonella,” I warn, but I’m already tugging the pink fabric over my head.
I let it fall to the ground, leaving me in nothing but the sexy “good luck” panties Charlotte insisted on buying me this morning.
And they have been good luck…
But I have a feeling we didn’t need it.
Parker and I make our own luck, and I hope we always will.
“Worth it,” he murmurs, his gaze tracking up and down my body. “God, look at you. You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, loving the way he looks at me.
Loving him.
I love him, and he loves me, and that happy ending I’ve been hoping for is right around the corner. Only, it’s not an ending. It’s a whole new beginning, complete with a boyfriend who loves me, a fresh start in the suburbs, and an armadillo in a tutu Nana brought all the way from Oxford just for me.