Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“In my car with all of Dolly’s stuff.”
“She’s as big as my hand. How much stuff could she have?”
“A lot.” She tips her head back to look up at me.
“After we eat, I’ll go down and get it all.” I touch my lips to hers.
“Why? I’ll just have to drag it all back down when I go home later.”
“You think Win is going to let that dog leave this apartment, now that it’s here? I’ll go down and get her stuff and,” I glance at the spot near the dresser where she’s been keeping her overnight duffle. “Your bag.”
“She’s not an ‘it.’ She’s a she. And I didn’t bring a bag.”
“Why not?”
“Because Winter is back, and—”
“And…?” I cut her off.
“And… I don’t know.” She frowns. “I assumed you wouldn’t want me to stay over, now that she’s here and not downstairs with Hazel.”
“You assumed wrong.”
“Miles.” She rests her hands on my chest. “You haven’t had a full-night’s sleep in days and Winter is home.”
“And you think I’ll be able to sleep easy, knowing you’re all the way across town?” I shake my head. “Winter will be fine, you’re staying over.”
“Miles.”
“Emma,” I mock her exasperated tone.
“Can we eat dinner now?” Winter cuts in, and we both turn to where she’s standing by the door, still holding Dolly. “I’m starving.”
“Of course,” Emma tells her, then looks up at me. “I meant to send you a text, but things were a blur after school pick-up. We ordered pizza for dinner.”
“That sounds good.” I give her waist a squeeze, then look at Win. “Can I get a hug now?”
She doesn’t make a move to come to me, and her hold on Dolly tightens. “Does Emma have to give Dolly back?”
I glance at Emma and catch her rub her lips together before I focus back on Win. “No.” I sigh. “Dolly is staying.”
Her shoulders sag with relief, and she walks to me. Since she’s still holding the dog, she presses her face into my stomach instead of hugging me.
“How was school?” I bend to kiss the top of her head, and Dolly wiggles between us.
“Good.”
“Did you do your homework?” I ask, resting my hand of the back of her neck as we follow Emma out of the room.
“Yes, but not my reading.”
“After dinner, you need to get that done.”
“I know. Emma already told me,” she grumbles, and I grin at Em when she turns to look at me over her shoulder smiling.
“You’re gonna have to put the dog down to eat, and you need to wash your hands.”
Reluctantly, she does as she’s told, then—what has become our nightly ritual—we sit around the table to eat, then play a game of Go Fish. After dinner, Winter climbs under the coffee table with Dolly, who had fallen asleep there, and does her reading while I go out and get all of the shit from Emma’s car. When I get back upstairs, Winter is in the shower, and Emma is in the kitchen on her phone, sitting at the counter.
Leaving Dolly’s stuff in the cart I took downstairs, I place Emma’s box on the island, close to her seat.
“What are you doing?” I walk up behind her and smooth her hair over her shoulder so I can kiss the side of her neck.
“Checking my schedule for tomorrow, so I’ll know what time I need to leave in the morning to go get ready for work.” She tips her head to the side, and I smile, rubbing my lips behind her ear. The slight catch in her breath makes my dick twitch.
“What time?” I watch her slide through the calendar on her phone.
“My first client is at ten, so I’ll leave at eight when you go to drop Winter off at school, unless you want me to drop her on my way out?” She meets my gaze over her shoulder, and the moment our eyes lock, I feel like I’ve been sucker-punched.
Shit.
“What?” She frowns.
“Nothing.” I drop a quick kiss to her mouth, distracting her and myself. “Are you good with taking her?”
“Of course,” she says softly. “Tomorrow evening, I have an appointment to go look at an apartment, so I’ll be here later than normal.”
“Karen will be here.” I fight the instinct to tell her she doesn’t need to look for an apartment. I know she’s still nervous about us, still wondering if this is going to work. I have none of those same reservations.
Stepping away from her, I take the album out of the box and hand it to her, and she wipes her hand over the tattered leather cover. I pull out the stool next to hers and take a seat.
“When was the last time you looked at it?”
“Years ago.” She glances over at me, then sets it on the island and brings her legs up so she’s sitting crossed-legged on the stool. I turn to straddle her seat between my legs, just to make sure it doesn’t tip backward, then watch her open the first page. A small smile touches her lips, while she smooths her fingers over a black-and-white photo of an older couple standing in a kitchen, with a huge pot on a small stove in the background.