Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Addressing me, Lina says, “Finally. I’m so happy to meet both of you.”
“Likewise.” I hold out the gift for the baby. “And this is for…” I trail off, realizing I don’t know my niece’s name.
“Josephine,” Lina says. “We call her Josie. Would you like to give her that yourself?”
“I’d love to,” I say, going over to the little person who stops banging the spoon when she notices attention coming her way. “If you don’t mind.”
Josie sits quietly, staring at me with her father’s dark eyes. Damn. With her mahogany brown hair and olive-tinted skin, she looks so much like Damian.
“Hi, Josie,” I say, showing her the gift. “Would you like to open this?”
She doesn’t reach for it. She assesses the item in my hand before doing the same with my face. It seems she takes after her father too, analyzing every new situation with careful attention to determine the risks before coming to a decision.
I wiggle the parcel. “It won’t bite. I promise.”
When she still doesn’t move, I leave it on her tray table. After another second of staring at the colorful paper, she grabs the gift in her chubby hands and shreds the paper. Yellow and pink candy-striped pieces drift to the floor.
Lina laughs when Josie tears off a large corner and stuffs it in her mouth.
“No, sweet pea,” Lina says, leaving the flowers on the table before gently removing the paper from Josie’s mouth. “It’s not for eating.”
With some help from Lina, Josie manages to get rid of all the paper. She stares at the pink soft toy before curling her fingers into the fluffy wool.
“She loves it,” Lina says, smoothing a hand over Josie’s hair. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful.”
Josh darts into the kitchen, holding both palms up. “I already washed my hands, Mommy.”
“Good,” Lina says. “Then you can help with carrying the drinks outside.”
He runs to the fridge and takes out a large Mason jar. “Look, Uncle Leon. Ginger beer.”
“That looks delicious,” I say.
“I’m not allowed to drink it because when it ferments, it makes alcohol,” he says with a serious, grown-up voice.
“Be careful not to drop that,” Lina says as he runs for the backdoor.
“No running with jars in your hands, big man.” Damian stops him with a hand on his shoulder as he shoots pasts us. “You know the rules.”
Josh slows to a walk, concentrating on not dropping the jar as he goes outside.
“Can we help with anything?” Violet asks.
“Grab that tray,” Damian says to me, motioning at a tray with glasses that stands on the counter before taking two ice buckets and walking to the door.
Lina dumps the gift paper in a trashcan. “Violet, do you mind keeping an eye on Josie while I baste the roast?” Her eyes soften when she looks at the baby. “She hardly ever fusses, but she’s at that age where she sticks everything in her mouth, and we have to be extra careful.”
I do notice the scars on Lina’s arms, but I don’t linger there with my gaze. Like Damian said, it’s not our business.
“Of course not,” Violet says.
Brushing my wife’s hair over her shoulder, I kiss her neck and whisper in her ear, “Will you be all right?”
She gives me a small smile. “Sure.”
I take the tray and, with a last glance at Violet, make my way to a big table under an oak tree where Damian and Josh are setting out drinks.
“Here you go,” Damian says, handing Josh a glass of water as I reach them.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Josh says, thirstily gulping down the water.
When he leaves the glass on the table and runs off to the edge of the water, I say, “You’re good with him.”
Damian shoves his hands in his pockets and stares after the boy who takes grains from a bucket hanging on a hook by the jetty and scatters them over the water. A few ducks appear from the reeds that form an island in the middle of the river to gobble up the grains and dive after the food.
“He’s a great kid,” Damian says, not taking his eyes off Josh.
I frown, my body tensing as I imagine him falling from the steep embankment into the river. “Can he swim?”
A rare smile curves Damian’s lips. “He’s like a fish in the water.”
I relax somewhat. “What about Josie? You’re going to have to lock her up when she starts walking.”
“Lina is already taking her to baby swimming lessons, but our children are never unsupervised. We have a nanny for when both Lina and I are busy.”
“You seem to have it well worked out.”
Keeping an eye on Josh, he unscrews the lid of the mason jar. “Ginger beer? There’s normal beer as well, or lemonade, if you prefer.”
“Ginger beer sounds good.”
I watch the water as he pours the drink. Despite his reassurance, I don’t like letting Josh out of my sight.