Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 91937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Hey yourself.” She puts away the pan. “Where did you go?”
“Went to see my father,” I remind her. “He wants to meet you,” I say, and she nods. “Now.”
“What?” Her eyes open wide.
“He wants to meet you now, and he was wondering if you have any cake,” I tell her as I walk around to her, and she just stares at me blankly.
“Um,” she hesitates nervously, “he wants to meet me now?”
“Yeah, we have to go.”
“But, like, I’m not dressed, and I didn’t make him an apple pie,” she rambles, moving side to side.
I grab her face in my hands. “He wants to meet you because I told him I’m in love with you.”
“Brady,” she hisses, and I walk over to the rack in the corner where I see she has a couple of extra cakes cooling. I start to pick one up and put it in a container when she shoos my hands away. “You are going to ruin it,” she scolds, grabbing a plate and placing the cake on it. Then grabs the little bowl on the side, stirring the thick white liquid and taking the spoon out before she drizzles it on top of the cake. “Lemon icing,” she tells me. “Now, I’m going to go comb my hair and then we can go.”
“Okay.” I kiss her neck. Five minutes later, she’s walking downstairs wearing jeans instead of the yoga pants. I slide my hand in hers as I walk out. “Did Wyatt call you today?” I ask as we get into the truck, and she nods.
“I called him, but he was too busy and will call me back.” She chuckles, placing the cake on her lap. “His words.”
When we get to my father’s house, she gets out and looks up at me. “Brady,” she whispers, “I’m really fucking nervous.”
I slide my hand into hers. “It’ll be okay.” I smile at her as we walk into the house I grew up in. She takes in the pictures hanging along the walls. I know she wants to stop and admire them, but knowing she has to meet my father, she walks with me instead.
“Hey,” I say, finding him outside on the back porch with his cup of coffee still half full. “I brought you cake.” I look over at Harmony. “It’s got lemon something on top.”
He gets up and smiles at Harmony. “It’s lemon blueberry with lemon icing.” She holds the plate for him.
“Thank you so much,” he says, taking it from her. “Brady, get your woman some coffee,” he orders me, then points at the seat for Harmony to sit down.
“It’s okay,” Harmony says. “I’ve had two cups already today.”
I walk over to the table with her, and she sits down, putting her hands in her lap as she waits for my father to sit down. She looks like she’s going to the principal’s office. “It’s lovely to meet you, Harmony,” my father states as he sits down, and she looks over at me.
“It’s lovely to meet you as well, Mr. Thatcher,” she replies, and I reach out my hand to take hers in mine. “I know that this is a bit of a shock to you,” she starts without skipping a beat, “and I know I’m the last person you thought he would be with”—my father tries not to laugh—“but I love him.”
“Seems you and my son have a lot in common,” he observes, cutting the cake and taking a bite. “You both know what everyone else is thinking.”
She looks at me. “I don’t really care where you come from, or who you are related to—” He holds up a hand when it looks like she’s about to say something. “Or not related to. I care that the woman who loves my son loves him for him and not anything else. She will make him happy and also bust his balls a little bit.” He smiles at her. “Not in that order, but you know what I’m saying.”
“I do,” she confirms and she’s about to say something else when her phone rings. She pulls it out of her pocket, and her eyes fly to mine. “It’s Ryleigh.” She puts it to her ear and I see her eyes go big. “Okay, sounds good.” She hangs up and looks at me. “The court case is in two weeks.” She looks at my father. “Sorry about that. I plan to make him as happy as I can with a little bit of ball busting…” She giggles. “In the middle.” I lean over to kiss her, and there at the table with my father, we share a look as he silently tells me he’s happy for me.
CHAPTER 36
Harmony
Two Weeks Later
“You ready?” Brady asks me when he walks out of the bathroom, and all I can do is gawk at him. He’s wearing black dress pants and a charcoal-colored button-down shirt, and I swear to God I drool just a bit. I’ve seen him in jeans to go to work, which are top level. Then I’ve seen him in jeans when he’s riding horses, which makes me weak in the knees. Now this, this look is making me tingle in all the places. My nipples ache to be pinched, and my vagina wants him to pull up the skirt I’m wearing and bang me against the wall, or have me sit on him—either one is good.