Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
I would’ve been shocked if I hadn’t been putting off crazy faces the whole meal, but you try sitting through dinner with Henri Blackrock staring at you after saying he’d marry you.
In front of your ancient dream god of an uncle and your magical pup.
I wasn’t much better when I stared at him every chance I thought I might get away with it in return, which was zero times, actually. Either Henri or Franklin caught me peeking every single time I tried. I couldn’t help it. His proposition felt real, his sincerity more than believable, knowing what I knew about him. I was still so overwhelmed that it was like my brain needed to catalogue every inch of his face and body for research purposes.
And I was trying so hard not to think about what we’d done the night before in my camper.
I had zero doubts that if the kids wouldn’t have been waiting for us, I would’ve wrapped myself around him like a naked spider monkey.
“I can’t stand it anymore. What’s going on?” Franklin blurted out just as I picked up his plate to take it to the sink.
Henri, who was busy picking up the kids’ mats, answered casually over his shoulder, “Nina and I are getting married.”
The way air whooshed out of my lungs….
Franklin’s reaction wasn’t much better. “Excuse me?” He even took off his glasses, wiped them down with his sleeve, and settled them back on his face.
“Is that going to be a problem?” Henri asked, not sounding like he actually cared.
Amber irises caught mine as he headed for the sink, and I froze at the smirk playing on his lips.
I pointed at him. “Are you being funny?”
“I wasn’t expecting to feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, Cricket,” he said. “It does.”
I wasn’t sure who squawked louder, me or Franklin.
“Breathe, Franklin,” Henri ordered as he came up to me, the side of his arm more than brushing against mine as he focused down on me. “We’re a good match.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the older man kind of gaped.
“It isn’t set in stone,” I started to explain, even as Duncan piped in.
“Yes,” he argued, shocking me.
“This isn’t… exactly a surprise.” Franklin went thoughtful in voice and expression. He looked younger today somehow, I thought, but I might have been imagining it. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t be a fool, Henri.” My biological uncle made a small humming noise. “This is a good match,” he agreed.
“Thank you…?” I muttered, catching Henri’s attention and his amused expression. I was going to guess he hadn’t expected otherwise.
Franklin made another thoughtful sound before nodding with purpose. “In that case, I’ll watch the children while you two discuss whatever else you need to to make this official. Take some time, or the whole night, it makes no difference to me,” he said with a wave of his hand.
Did Franklin look determined or was it just me?
My ears went that much hotter. “It doesn’t need to be tonight….” I trailed off.
“It should be,” Henri argued at the same time as Franklin added, “The sooner you know, the better. I’ll deal with the elders who might have a problem with it.”
I thought he meant because of the whole three-month period, but I’d let them deal with that, I guess.
If we got there.
Which meant we needed to talk first.
All right then. I blinked and turned to Duncan, who was sitting there looking innocent and not like he’d ganged up on me for a moment there with Henri. “Duncan, do you mind spending some time with Franklin?”
I wasn’t sure whether I felt betrayed or pleased at how quickly he answered, “No.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes.”
A warm brush of an arm had me turning to Henri, whose expression was back to a quietly serious one that was all furrowed forehead and a defined jaw. His voice came out soft. “Let’s wrap up the dishes and go after that.”
“Go where?” I asked, not bothering to lower my voice since they could all hear anyway.
“For a drive.”
We were going to go for a drive? I thought it over as I helped him load the dishwasher and clean the counters. Once we were done, I crouched next to my donut, running my hand down his back.
He licked my wrist.
“I’ll be back in a little while,” I assured him.
“Yes. Love.”
He was getting so good at using multiple words now.
I smiled and turned to Agnes, who was a foot away in her wolf puppy form. “We’ll be back, Mini Wolf.”
A hand appeared out of the corner of my eye, and I recognized the thickness of those fingers. The length of them too. I took it, his hand, all warm, rough skin, and let him help me to my feet. He didn’t let go as he led me out of the kitchen, saying, “I have my phone on me. We’ll be back later, pups. Thank you, Franklin.”