Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
“It does feel that way.” He stepped back as Lucas arrived on the porch with our bags from the thrift store, but he kept his arm around me. “I’m very sorry your mom went through with it, but I think it was the right call to attend this morning. Even if it was hard.”
Looking away, I nodded. “Yeah, probably. A friend told me that.”
Lucas smiled as he started to go inside the house, but Jayden stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for going with her.”
“Yes, thanks,” I echoed.
We went inside. “You must be tired,” Jayden said.
I smiled softly. “I slept most of the way in the car. Lucas deserves some rest, though.”
“I’m good.”
Jayden grinned. “In that case, I have something I’d like to show you both. Let’s go downstairs—Kyle’s there.”
“I’ve seen Kyle before,” Lucas grumbled, but without the usual anger.
“You haven’t seen this.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect as we descended the stairs. Maybe a little less clutter, but Jayden stepped in front of me as I reached the bottom step, trying his best to block both Lucas’s and my view.
We followed him as he walked backwards until he finally stepped out of the way, revealing a bedroom.
“Holy shit,” Lucas said softly, while I gaped in surprise.
How the hell had they done this in one night? There was an area cleared that was at least 12 by 12 with a queen-sized bed in the middle. It had a blue comforter stretched neatly across it. There was an end table, a dresser, and even an area rug, plus a floor lamp. It looked cozy—livable, even actually inviting. Yes, if you looked beyond that, there was still clutter, shelves and boxes stacked haphazardly around the edges of the room, a graveyard of forgotten junk and old stuff that hadn’t yet been sorted through—but there was a clear path to the bathroom.
And on the far side of the bedroom, Kyle stood, a smug look on his face as he held a long stick in his hand. Wait, not a stick—a pool cue. He was leaning against a gleaming pool table, the polished wood and smooth green felt practically glowing in contrast to the chaos that surrounded it. Where the hell had that come from? I was pretty sure it hadn’t been under Great Aunt Mabel’s things.
I rushed over to it, temporarily ignoring the hot-as-hell man leaning against it, and examined the smooth surface. This was a real pool table, not the kind you might pick up at a discount store.
Lucas joined me. “How the hell did you guys get this down here?”
“Very carefully,” Kyle said.
I glanced up at him, returning the grin he gave me. He had on a long-sleeve maroon t-shirt, a few open buttons at the throat, that was so tight it was like a map of his muscles. His black jeans were tight, too, and the overall effect was pretty damn hot. Too bad the view had been wasted on Jayden.
“What happened to the idea of an exercise room?” I asked.
“There’s still space,” Kyle said. “When we get the rest of this cleared out.”
Lucas examined the pool table, his hands on the smooth wood around the rim. “Where did this come from?”
“When we went to the storage unit to get Jay’s bed, and someone was getting rid of it. No clue why, but it seemed too good to pass up.”
“But how did you get it down here?” Lucas asked.
“With the help of half a baseball team,” Jayden said.
Wow. I would have kind of liked to see that.
It was hard to believe, but the basement looked good. Nearly half of it was a usable space. The other half still resembled a hoarder’s haven—boxes, bins, mismatched furniture, and stacks of books shoved against the walls. But how the hell had they done all this? We were just gone one night, and that made me worry.
Lucas was now examining the bedroom, while Jayden sat on the edge of the bed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Like Kyle, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but his clothes were a lot looser. Still, he had on a light gray t-shirt that looked good on him.
I leaned against the pool table next to Kyle. Keeping my voice down, I said, “You were supposed to be working on your paper.”
He laughed. “I did. A lot. Jay is almost as much of a slave driver as you are. We got a lot done.”
“We did,” Jayden confirmed. “It’s actually in pretty good shape.”
“Really? You guys are amazing. You did so much.”
Kyle put his arm around my shoulders. “I figure if you and I spend some time polishing it up tomorrow, it should be good to go. I can’t work on it tomorrow night, though. I’ve got a date.” He winked.
Ignoring the fluttery feeling that radiated through my body, I bumped my hip against him and then got up to check out the rest of the new bedroom. “So this is your room, Jayden?”