Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
I patted his shoulder as I passed him to slip my shoes off near the shoe rack by the door.
“If it makes you feel better, she might’ve gone to everyone at that table, but she always came back to you. The love she feels for you is clear as day on her face, and though Audric, Creole, and Lottie share an obviously special bond, Lottie’s devotion belongs only to you.”
His shoulders slumped. “It’s nice to hear you say that. Sometimes I feel like I still have no idea what I’m doing.”
I smiled as I ripped my socks off next. “You’re nuts if you don’t think you’re doing a great job, Gunner. Even at seventeen, I was amazed by how well you took to fatherhood. Now, I’m even more impressed watching you juggle a huge business, a young kid that you just found out about, and maintaining relationships with everyone in your club. Don’t doubt yourself.”
With that final comment, I scooted around him to the bedroom that he’d given me.
It was either that, or I throw myself at him, and Lord knew that wasn’t the best idea ever.
I needed to stay away.
Far, far away.
Right?
Sixteen
Drinking a large amount of water every day helps you avoid other people’s drama because you’ll be too busy peeing.
—Gunner to Sutton
GUNNER
I woke up after a mostly sleepless night tossing and turning, telling myself not to go downstairs and walk into the room of the woman that had the power to fillet me with her words.
Last night, it’d taken every last ounce of strength I had to keep my ass in my bed where I belonged.
She’d been very open with how she felt about continuing what we’d shared for those two days.
She didn’t want it. It’d be very awkward, and she couldn’t live here if we continued experimenting.
I’d given her that.
Hell, I’d agreed.
I’d understood the logic in the words that she’d shared that she wasn’t still where she needed to be at after her marriage had ended.
I understood, yes, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t want it—her.
But that morning, when I blinked open my eyes, it wasn’t the woman downstairs that I’d wanted to make the trek upstairs that greeted me.
No, it was a certain crazy-haired blonde who forgot to do her curl treatment the night before.
At least she’d gotten a bath…
“Well, lookie who’s here.” I reached for my girl and pulled her into my arms. “I missed you, Beanie Weenie.”
She squeaked when I buried my face into her neck, kissing and blowing raspberries against her skin.
“Daddy! Daddy op!” She giggled ridiculously loud. “No, Daddy!”
Her little hands landed on my cheeks and she pushed for all she was worth.
No more, no more! Daddy, no more!
The memory of my son’s similar screams of happiness felt like an arrow straight to the heart.
But dammit, was it nice remembering those kinds of memories.
I stopped and inhaled deeply. “You smell like donuts, Beanie Weenie. Why is that?”
“Donuts!”
I hummed and held her there for just a little bit longer, my eyes closed, as I soaked up the memories.
Wake up, Daddy!
Jett was always so impatient when he woke me up in the morning, never once letting me lie there once he knew I was awake. But my girl? She’d lie here with me for as long as I wanted as long as she wasn’t hungry.
I blinked open my eyes to see her baby blues locked on my face.
“You want to take a nap with me?”
She shook her head, a stray curl falling into her face.
“You want to do your hair?”
She shrugged.
“Let’s get it done, so Aunt Creole doesn’t get mad at us,” I teased. “I can’t believe she let you get away with not doing it last night.”
I got up with Lottie firmly clamped around my neck and walked into the bathroom.
Once there, I got her hair stuff ready to go and said, “Be right back, Beanie. Gotta use the potty.”
“Me, too!”
My brows rose. “You want to use the big girl potty?”
With her needing to use the potty, then needing to get her hair done, then get dressed, it was a solid thirty minutes before I was downstairs, unsurprised to find a semi-full kitchen.
“We brought donuts,” Creole said. “And don’t let that girl say anything about her hair to you. I tried to do it last night, but she was very adamant that Daddy did it, and Daddy only did it. So we had to go natural.”
That had me smiling, which was when I caught Sutton’s “I told you so” smirk.
I winked at her and headed to the box of donuts, then grabbed one for the road. “I can’t stay today. I skipped out on work yesterday, but we’re on a deadline on both jobs, and I’ve already had two people call in sick today, so my time is split between jobs.”
“Need any help?” Sutton asked. “I’m off today for the most part. I just have to get some sprints in today at the track.”