Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Slow down, baby,” Colt called.
Shit. Right. I didn’t want to scare the puppies.
I slowed down shortly before I reached Lucas, and that was when he tilted his head and spotted me. He smiled and looked back at the puppy, who was playing with Lucas’s fingers.
“It’s so cute,” I whispered. I touched the light-brown fur gently, and it was so, so soft I could cry.
“Isn’t she?” Lucas spread the fingers of his hand and lowered it over the puppy’s head, and she pawed at his fingers when he pretended to grab at her nose. “This one’s a firecracker.”
“Aww…” I was melting.
Colt reached us and slipped his arms around us, and he rested his chin on Lucas’s shoulder. “Am I gonna have to be the bad guy here?”
Lucas and I nodded.
Colt puffed out his cheeks with a breath and let it out slowly. “You know, this is one of those things you get for Christmas or somethin’. The timing ain’t right, darlin’. Our condo’s still being renovated, and Kit’s got us movin’ to Georgetown.”
“I’m glad you agree.” I grinned up at him.
There’d been a sense of freedom in us admitting to one another that we were falling in love. I was able to trust that this wasn’t temporary or all about kink, at the same time as I could now relax and enjoy the moment. All cards were on the table, including my desire for all of us to live together. More correctly, I wanted us to turn my parents’ house into our house. We had the living room set already…
“She’s just so precious,” Lucas murmured. “I bet she’d love Georgetown as much as we do, Colt.”
I hugged Lucas’s arm super hard. They left me these little hints that they weren’t saying no to anything. They had to be responsible adults with patience and all that nonsense, but I wasn’t alone in my wishes. It meant the whole world to me.
“Y’all are hopeless.” Colt stifled a chuckle and shook his head. “We gotta go. Kit, you wanted ice cream before we pack, and then we’re hittin’ the road.”
* * *
I felt like I should’ve been better prepared for this. I’d seen the house in Mclean online. I’d seen a bunch of pictures. I’d taken the virtual tour of it! And yet…when we reached the end of the private road and the trees parted, I felt genuinely intimidated.
The large Victorian house was painted black, with white shutters, and there was a circular drive with a ghoulish fountain in the middle.
The place sat atop a hill, and I couldn’t see anything behind the house from here. What I could see was a well taken care of front yard, no fence, a big porch, and a separate garage that had space for probably a dozen cars.
Unbuckling my belt, I scooted forward in my seat and snuck my arm forward to Lucas in the passenger’s seat.
He gathered my hand and kissed the top of it, then held it close to his chest.
Abel was feeling anxious about tomorrow, so he’d asked Madigan to sit in the back with us, meaning both my Daddies were in the front and wouldn’t protect me from this mansion of pain.
Colt rounded the driveway and drove to the garage where he pulled in next to an old classic. I didn’t know the make, only that my dad’d had one of those at our summer residence.
“I guess River ain’t here yet,” Colt noted, killing the engine.
“No, he’s running late,” Lucas replied. I withdrew my hand and opened the door to get out. “August wanted to talk to him about Shay.”
“I definitely want in on the decision-makin’ on that kid,” Colt told him. I stepped out of the car and wondered if something was wrong with Shay. “I don’t want him banned.”
Wait, what? Shay was still new in the community. Had he even attended a single event? I didn’t know where else he’d be able to break the rules. And to be banned…? He must’ve done something bad.
“I don’t either.” Lucas slid on his shades and stretched his legs. “We’ll talk things over with the brothers.” He extended a hand to me. “Let’s grab our bags later, Colt. I want to show Kit our place.”
I quirked a brow as I grabbed his hand. The way he’d said “our place” made it sound like they had more than a room they favored.
“Nah, it’s fine. Y’all go ahead—I’ll bring the bags,” Colt replied.
Madigan and Abel were speaking to each other in hushed voices, so I didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, I went with Lucas.
Even through the soles of my Chucks, I felt how hot the pavement was. Lucas pointed out the seating area on the porch and told me he and Colt had spent many evenings there with their closest friends. And I smiled when he said he couldn’t wait to make me part of the group.