Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“What happened to the kids’ mom?”
That seems to surprise him because he frowns and leans forward onto his knees, staring down at his hands.
“She died,” he says before rubbing his hand over his face and sitting back once more. “She died in childbirth with Holly.”
“Oh, shit.” I want to reach out to him, but I don’t. Instead, I scratch my fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry, Rem. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither was I. We didn’t know that anything was wrong. Jessica went into labor, and the labor progressed normally, but right after she delivered Holly, she collapsed. Everything happened so fast. I was pushed out of the room, and the next thing I knew, a doctor was telling me that my wife had died.”
He turns to me now and sighs.
“She had what they called an amniotic fluid embolism, and it killed her within minutes.”
“My God. I’m so sorry, Remington. Truly.”
“I’m sorry, too.” He rubs his hand over his face again. “And because we’re being honest here, I’ll go on to say that I am very sorry that Johnny and Holly will never know her. She was a good woman, and she loved her babies.”
“But?”
“It’s not a but. It’s more of an and. Jessica and I got married because she was pregnant with Johnny. I know that sounds old-fashioned and stupid, but it’s true. She was a good friend to me, she got pregnant, and we decided to try to make a go of the relationship. It wasn’t bad. It was…fine. She was a good mom and a great friend. We built a good life together, but…”
He trails off.
“But there wasn’t passion.”
“No. There wasn’t passion. I never would have wanted what happened to happen to her, and I would have done anything to stop it if I could have.”
“Of course, you would have. Just because you weren’t head over heels for her doesn’t mean that you didn’t care about her. It was tragic for all of you. I’m very sorry that happened.”
“I was a mess for a while,” he says with a slight smile. “I thought I’d be able to figure it out because I’d had one kid before, and I remembered the sleepless nights and diapers and all the things. But it’s so different when you have to do it by yourself.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“Thank God for my parents and the rest of my family. It was a group effort for a long time. Hell, it still is. But it also made me bond with them in ways I may not have if Jessica was here. I don’t know… I get all philosophical about it when I start to think about it.”
“I don’t mind philosophy,” I reply with a smile. “They’re very well-adjusted, happy, confident kids, Rem. If you ever start to wonder if you’re doing a good job, just look at them. You are.”
He blinks and blows out a breath.
“Are you still mad at me?” I ask.
“No.”
“Good.”
He takes a deep breath. “Come here, Doc.”
I cross to him and sit in his lap, loop my arms around him, and hug him close. His arms immediately circle my back and clench tightly as he buries his face in my neck and takes a long breath.
“No more avoiding topics,” I promise him. “Even if it’s uncomfortable.”
“Deal. And if there’s a question, we answer truthfully.”
“I did—” I sniff when he raises an eyebrow. “Okay.”
“Your uncle is really Leo Nash?”
I narrow my eyes. “Yes.”
“Nash is my favorite band.”
I can’t help but laugh as I get off his lap. “Same. He’s great in concert. Now, I should head for town because I’m going to get the kids a snack from the coffee shop before I pick them up.”
I wish I had more alone time with him. I want to ask more questions about his family and the ranch. I want him to kiss me again.
“Hey, Doc.”
I turn back to him. “Yeah?”
In reply, he frames my face and neck in his hands and lowers his mouth to mine, kissing me gently. Hypnotically. Jesus, the man makes my knees turn to jelly, and his hands drift down to my waist so he can hold me up as he devours my mouth.
When he pulls back, his mouth just an inch from mine, his gorgeous hazel eyes are intent on me as we both fight to catch our breath.
“That’s some spicy shit,” I whisper, and that seems to break the moment, making him laugh.
“Spicy shit,” he echoes. “Tonight, after the kids go to bed, let’s talk some more.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Just talk?”
“We’ll start there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I saved some goodies for you,” Millie informs me as I walk up to the counter at the coffee shop. “I know the kids love the cookies, and I grabbed you the last orange-cranberry muffin.”
“You’re the best,” I reply with a grin as I accept the bag of sugared treats from her. “I’m also going to need an iced latte.”