Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“I’m going,” Dash said. He mimicked the sounds of faux static in the dead air space.
“Stop. I wanna hear everything you’ve done. We don’t have the money…” I started in earnest this time.
“You did it. You’re making me leave the call,” Dash said, his humor clear in that tone. “I love you.”
“Was it more than a hundred dollars?” I asked, determined to get to the bottom of this.
Dash’s laughter turned downright hysterical. He loved my guess, meaning it was so much more than that. “Be careful. I’ll call you when I’m done. Be halfway here by then.”
This did feel like a healthy reawakening happening to us, a shedding of the past, in the best possible way. “I’ll do my best.”
The call ended with a smile that lasted about five seconds. Scott’s grisly self came through the door.
“Oh no, I got the last two boxes while you talked on the phone. Come stack ’em. Amelia’s makin’ us food for the road. We gotta finish loadin’ his clothes. But we can’t tell Dash we did.” The grumble in his voice was wholly unnecessary. So was the way his boots stomped across the ground.
“Did he pay you to be here?” I asked, following behind him.
“’Course not. He put money in an investment account for Daisy Mae. It’s that college fund deal. If it all works out, she’s gonna be taken care of for college. It happened right after she was born. He hopes she’ll call you both uncles,” Scott said, lifting the last two. “Are you mad?”
We worked in silence as I considered the question.
“I’ll give it back,” he offered.
My “no” was immediate. “I want her to have it. I just wish the money had come from me. Does that make sense? I planned to do something like that when our situation evened out.”
“Yeah, so maybe it’s time to tell you Lauren’s pregnant again.”
I gave myself whiplash, jerking my head in his direction. Another baby? It didn’t seem like he was pulling my leg.
“Yeah, I know. And I’m gonna cross boundaries with you, but I like more meat on her bones. She’s the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I’m always chasing after her. Sometimes the condom’s there, most of the time it’s not. I can’t help it.”
Nobody understood that better than me. “I don’t know what to say. How far along is she?”
“We haven’t told anyone. She’s in her first trimester, we think. It could have happened anytime. You’re the first to hear.” Scott placed his boxes on the tailgate, next to mine. “I’m freaked out.”
“Don’t be,” I said, jumping into the truck bed. “You wanted kids, and it’ll be easier to have them back-to-back. You’ll still be young when they grow up.” Honestly, I was pretty proud of the logic because I was terrified for him.
“Maybe,” he said, this time watching me work. “Dash acts older than he is,” Scott said.
“You think?” I asked, teasingly. “We live like we’re thirty years old and it’s awesome. He’s constantly lookin’ out for me, and I don’t make it easy.” I lifted and stretched. The truck bed was packed solidly. No room to be had. It worked out perfectly. I jumped down and Scott lifted the tailgate to lock it in place. “How you feel about Lauren’s pretty much what happens here.”
“I love you, guy,” Scott said, clamping a hand on my shoulder as he went past me for the house. “And you know I’m so cool with everything, but I’m not ready to hear about your sex life. It seems painful. My ass clenches when I think about it. Not that I’m thinkin’ about it.”
I followed behind him, trying my best to hide my smile. “When the ass clenches, that’s the sweet spot.”
“Nope, not listenin’. I’m gettin’ the food. You go anywhere else,” Scott said, diverting toward the kitchen.
Yup, this was, in fact, a great day.
9: The Big Life
Beau
Chicago, Illinois
“Fuck, the traffic’s bad,” Scott said with aggravation, driving the last leg of the trip. I stayed focused on the street signs and the MapQuest directions that I’d printed before we left the house. Dash was still in my ear, asking all sorts of questions I ignored. He was standing out front of the parking garage, waiting to guide us in.
There were too many cars on the street and none of them cared about basic consideration. Somebody had to let us over. Scott needed to change lanes, but this truck was pretty massive compared to the smaller vehicles weaving through traffic. We also needed another minute to signal a turn just ahead.
“Left at the light. Dash’s out front waitin’ for us,” I said, pointing toward the streetlamp just ahead. “Force your way over. They’re not gonna let you in.”
“I don’t want to wreck your truck,” Scott said, hesitating.
“We’re bigger than all the cars on the road. Get over,” I said, turning to look out the back window. “You got a chance comin’ up.” Seconds later, I shouted, “Now. Put the truck in that lane.” Of course, there was a crescendo of annoyed honks coming from behind us. I didn’t care. I was tired of being inside this cab, but I easily admitted the large lake just to our right soothed some of my irritation.