Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
As soon as we step inside, we hear laughter. I know how thrilled I am that Baylor is home, so I can only imagine that her sisters are ecstatic that she’s here to stay. Copeland doesn’t look back as he takes the stairs two at a time, and we follow along behind him. Dixon, me, and then Bowen bring up the rear.
“What’s going on in here?” Copeland asks, not stopping until he’s standing next to his wife, who’s sitting in a chair. He bends to kiss her and rubs his hand over her growing belly.
“We’re moving downstairs,” Ellison tells him, smiling up at him, but I can see the tears shimmer in her eyes.
“Babe, we don’t have to do this.” Copeland is quick to stall the progress to make the tears disappear.
“No, it’s time, and I know they would want us to have the space for our little girl.” Ellison wipes at her eyes. “It’s just… I really miss them,” she confesses.
As if her words were shouted, and not murmured softly to her husband, Baylor, Leighton, and Courtlynn swarm them, and for the second time today, my buddy finds himself in the middle of a Moran sisters’ embrace, but the look on his face tells me he doesn’t mind.
“You need the space,” Leighton finally says when they pull out of the embrace. “Mom and Dad would want that for both of you and their grandchild. Besides, it’s just for a little while,” Leighton says, smiling at her sister.
“It’s the right thing to do.” Ellison nods.
Copeland leans down and kisses his wife again, and I step up next to Baylor, placing my hand on the small of her back. Her heat warms my hand, and I fight the temptation to pull her closer.
“Put me to work, Bay,” I tell her. If I get to attach myself to her for the rest of the evening, you can bet your ass I’m going to.
She turns to smile at me over her shoulder. “I was just getting ready to go downstairs to start cleaning. You can—” she starts, but I interrupt her.
“Perfect. Show me what needs to be done.” Keeping my hand on the small of her back, I use the other to motion toward the door.
“Yeah?” she asks, almost as if she’s surprised I’d offer.
“That’s what we’re here for. You and I can tackle the cleaning, while everyone else packs. Besides, this room is a little crowded.”
“I’m taking this one,” Baylor calls out, pointing at me over her shoulder like she’s just claimed the last slice of pizza. “We’re going to clean everything while you all pack.”
“You want me to do that?” Bowen asks, looking at me like I just personally betrayed him. There’s a whole silent “don’t leave me with her” happening in his eyes, but I just shake my head and step a little closer to Baylor, my hand still nestled at the small of her back.
“Aw, what’s the matter, Bowen?” Courtlynn says, already circling him like she’s caught fresh prey. “You afraid of a little hard labor?”
He scoffs, straightening up. “Please. I’m afraid of your version of hard labor. Your idea of cleaning is alphabetizing the snacks and calling it productivity.”
“At least I know the alphabet,” she fires back instantly.
“On that note, we’re out,” I say, getting everyone’s attention. I press on Baylor’s back, and she gets the hint as we move toward the door and rush downstairs.
“Okay, I’m going to gather some cleaning supplies. I’ll be right back,” she tells me once we reach the bottom of the steps.
“I can help,” I say, trailing along behind her like a lost puppy. “You might not be able to carry it all.”
“Good thinking, McBride.” She grins, calling me by my last name. She motions for me to follow her, and I do as I’m told. “So, it’s a hardwood floor… We’ll need to sweep and mop, and I was thinking of using the mop to wash down the walls before we do the floors, and wipe down the baseboards. I know my sisters well enough to know that after we packed up our parents’ things, that room has been untouched.” She stops and glances at me over her shoulder. “You sure that you’re up for this?”
I chuckle and point a thumb at my chest. “Bull rider, remember,” I tease.
“Ex-bull rider,” she quips. “And let me tell you, years and years of dust bunnies can be lethal.”
That pulls another laugh from me. “What kind of man would I be if I let you go to battle with the dust bunnies all on your own?”
She pauses as if she has to think about her answer.
“One that shows up,” she mumbles under her breath, but I still hear her.
I want to pull her into my arms and tell her I’ll be there every second of every moment from here on out, but she’s not ready for that. She literally just let that piece of shit, who never appreciated her, go. She’s barely been home twenty-four hours. I need to slow my roll just a little, but not so slow that she doesn’t know I want her. It’s a very thin line I’m trying to walk when all I want to do is race toward the finish.