Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Nix studies her for a beat before he agrees, “You are an avoidant little shit-weasel.”
Bea nods. “I know. I’m not asking you to say I’m not. I’m just asking for another chance to be your sister. And your friend.”
Nix exhales, his lips twitching. “Are you fucking crazy? Of course, you’re my sister and my friend. Always. I unconditionally love you, brat.”
“I unconditionally love you, too,” Beatrice says, tearing up as Nix slides off his chair and strides around the island, pulling her into a big hug. She wraps her arms around his neck, her voice muffled by his chest as she adds, “I’m really sorry. And don’t be mad at Blue. He wanted to tell you a hundred times, but I made him promise he wouldn’t, because I’m very bossy.”
Nix laughs. “You are very bossy. Especially for a runt. So much bossiness in such a tiny package.” Finally, he meets my gaze over Bea’s head. “But clearly, you’re a fan of getting your shit rocked by a woman half your size, huh, Blue?”
“Big fan,” I say without missing a beat, making them all laugh. When it dies down, I add, “But I’m sorry, too. I crossed lines that shouldn’t have been crossed, at least not the way I crossed them.”
Nix’s brows lift. “By forgetting to use a condom, you mean? Yeah, pretty big oversight, asshole.”
Beatrice pulls away from their embrace, pinching his stomach. “Stop, it’s not his fault. It’s mine. I was so ravenously horny, I barely gave him a chance to cry out for help before I tackled him like a velociraptor hunting a—”
“Ew, stop!” Nix covers his ears, wincing. “I don’t want to hear about my little sister’s horniness. Especially not like that. Now you’ve gone and ruined my memories of playing velociraptors when we were kids.”
Beatrice rolls her eyes. “I have not. You’ll be fine. We’ll stay out of each other’s sex lives from now on and forget that Charlotte Baylor Blue Nix was ever not a completely planned pregnancy.”
Charlotte pulls in a sharp breath. “Oh, Bea. Really?”
“And we’ve decided to call her Charlie,” I say, loving the way Bea’s eyes dance at the private joke. Our little Charlie, who we’ll love to the ends of the earth, even if she looks like a cartoon with a potato face.
Charlotte fans her hands in front of her eyes. “I’m not going to cry. I’m not.”
“I might,” Nix says, crossing the room and wrapping me up in a hug so fast and tight, I grunt in surprise. “Love you, brother. I know I don’t have to tell you to be good to my little sister or I’ll kill you, but…you know.”
I nod, patting his back as best I can with my arms pinned to my sides. “I know. You don’t have to worry. I’d rather cut my own hands off.”
“Stop with the violent imagery,” Charlotte says, bustling past us. “Men. Always with the killing and cutting off of body parts. No one needs to hurt anyone or themselves. We’re all friends here, and I bet we’re all starving. How about chicken curry?”
Beatrice moans hungrily. “Yes, please. I love your chicken curry. I’ll cut the veggies.”
“I’ll start the rice cooker,” Nix says, releasing me with a sigh.
“Blue, could you check the garden to see if we still have any cilantro holding on out there?” Charlotte asks as she fetches the chicken from the fridge. “If there’s any left, it’ll be at the far right of the herb garden.”
And just like that, we’re back to being friends again.
Back to being family.
The knowledge that Charlotte and Nix will always be a part of my life, even after my days in the NHL are over, sends a warm rush through my chest. The warmth follows me out to the garden, where I stand for a moment, looking up at the stars blinking on in the sky, thanking all the good forces in the universe to be right here, right now.
With my family, my girl, and a chance to learn how to love even harder, just around the corner.
Three months later
The album, which has been hovering in the top ten since its release in late December, hits number one in January—just weeks before the Super Bowl, which happens to be in New Orleans this year.
That last social-media push, aimed at folks already excited about heading to The Big Easy for the big game, turns out to be worth every hour I spent learning how to go viral with Capo.
Beatrice gets the call from Marcus at six a.m. on a Friday, just as I’m helping her emerge from the nest of support pillows she now needs to get even a few hours of sleep.
Vespers from the Fire Born is number one on the Billboard Chart, and six of the thirteen tracks are still in the top ten on all the major streaming platforms.