Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Our. Home.
Dani grins, and Birdie nods.
“We’d love that. Bridger gets off work around three. What can I bring?”
“Just yourselves,” Jules says and hugs Birdie back when the little girl wraps her arms around Juliet’s waist. “I’ll make … hmm … how about fried chicken with mac and cheese and some salad?”
“I can bring baked beans,” Darby offers. “Alex has Mom’s recipe box, and there’s a really good beans recipe in there.”
“I’m down for that. And tell all of the others, too. Everyone is welcome,” Jules replies. “How does all of that sound, Miss Birdie?”
“Can we have it now?” Birdie asks, making us laugh.
“If you want, you can stay and help me cook.” Jules raises her brows at Dani in a silent is that okay look.
“Can I, Mom?” Birdie asks Dani.
“I don’t mind if you stay,” Dani says, kissing Birdie’s head. “We’ll be back later this afternoon, after your dad is off work.”
We walk Darby and Dani out, and then when we’re alone with Birdie, who’s happy at the table with her tablet again, Jules turns to me, nibbling her lip, looking uncertain.
“What’s up, Wildfire?”
“I should have asked you before I blurted out an invitation to have your family for dinner.”
I pull her in for a hug. Christ, I can’t stop hugging her. “You don’t have to ever ask permission for anything. This is your home, remember? Do whatever you want. But for what it’s worth, I love that you asked them to come for dinner.”
“You do?”
“Sure. I’m close to my family, baby. Having them here is never a hardship. Birdie is, behind you, my favorite person in the world.”
“I don’t know, I think she ranks above me. She’s awesome.”
I laugh and kiss the top of her head, breathing in her flowers. “Make me a grocery list, and I’ll go get whatever you need.”
“Oh, I don’t mind going. There will be certain gluten-free—”
“I’ve got this,” I tell her. “Trust me.”
Her eyes soften, and she smiles up at me. “Thank you.”
I wake up with a start, not sure what might have pulled me out of sleep, but definitely aware that I’m alone.
And I should never wake up in the middle of the night alone. Not now that I have Juliet in my bed.
The sheets are cool, telling me she’s been gone for a while. It’s just before four, and I want her here with me, so I climb out of bed and tug on some sweats to go searching for her.
She’s not in the living room or the kitchen. Just when I’m about to panic, I glance out the front window and see my wildfire bundled up in my old red hoodie, sitting on the top step of the porch. She has her arms wrapped around her knees, just staring out into the night.
Stepping outside, I shiver a little. It’s cold, but I don’t give a shit. I need to make sure my girl is okay.
Jules glances over her shoulder and smiles softly at me as I sit next to her and tug her against me. She immediately melts into my side, nuzzles my shoulder, and wraps her arms around me.
“I wanted to let you sleep,” she whispers.
“I don’t like waking up without you,” I tell her, kissing the top of her head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all is wrong. Everything in my world is pretty much perfect.”
I grin and tip her chin up so I can kiss her. “Good. Just couldn’t sleep, then?”
“My brain is moving a mile a minute,” she confesses with a sigh and then looks away again. “That’s our house, Brooks.”
“Yeah, baby. It’s our house.”
“I have so many ideas already. I don’t know if you’re ready for this because I basically want to take everything in there down to the studs and start over.”
“It pretty much has to be that way. Did you see it?”
Jules chuckles and nods. “Yeah, I saw it. It’s amazing. It’s better than I ever imagined when we were kids. We’ll make it really special.”
“You can have anything you want.”
“I’m using the money.” Her voice is quiet, and before I can argue, she keeps talking. “He owes us so much more than he could ever pay. He took time. He took you from me, and now he’s going to pay for it in the only way possible. I’m not afraid of using that money anymore. Connor’s right, it’s not personal.”
“Sounds personal,” I mumble.
“It’s not any better to be stubborn and let a fortune rot in an account where it doesn’t do any good to anyone. I’m going to use it for my business, first and foremost. Because he always said I couldn’t do it. That it wouldn’t work. Well, it’s fucking working. And then, I’ll use it for some of the work on the house. It’s mine, Brooks.”
“I don’t love the idea of anything that came from that piece of shit making its way into our home, Juliet.”