Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Shit. Had I pressured her by bringing it up? “I don’t want you to feel obligated,” I said, pulling up to the font of the school. “I just think the world should know how fantastic you are.”
“Ditto! See you guys later!” Sutton jumped out, waved goodbye, and ran off toward her friends. I muttered a curse as the neon-orange lunch box in the back seat caught my attention.
“Lunch box,” I told Callie.
She unrolled the window and called Sutton’s name as I bent to the side, my entire body reaching for the damn thing. “Got it.” I handed it to Callie.
“Good luck on your math quiz,” Callie said, dangling the box out the window.
“Thanks!” Sutton took it.
“And don’t forget, we have practice this afternoon, so you’ve got to get out here right after the bell so we can make it.” I leaned forward, making eye contact with Sutton and lifting my brows. We’d been fifteen minutes late to last week’s practice, which wasn’t going to fly with the coach, no matter how talented she thought Sutton was.
“I will this time, I promise!” She bounced backward. “Love you!”
“Love you!” Callie responded.
The words came so easily to both of them.
Callie rolled up the window, and I pulled out of the drop-off line and back into traffic so we could both get to work.
“I still can’t believe you’ve been taking her all the way to Breck for practice.” Callie looked at me with a mix of wonder and a tenderness I wasn’t about to label.
“She’s good. She deserves a chance.” I shrugged. “Besides, I don’t have skiers today, just a private helicopter tour, and we land at two. That’s plenty of time to run down the bird and get here, and it will give you time to finish up your edits.” We were in a mid-February lull, but we’d be inundated with spring breakers soon enough.
“Why, Weston Madigan, I do believe you’ve gone domestic on me.” Her smile made my chest tighten and warm all at the same time.
I picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “Only for you.” The truth of the words sent a chill down my spine, and I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.
“Even better.”
An hour later, I finished up some of the paperwork and made sure our flight plan was filed while Theo ran up the bird.
“You good on supplies?” I asked Maria as she popped her head into the office, snagging one of the turnovers Theo had brought in with him. “I’m making an order next week.”
“Solid. I’ll take a quick inventory and let you know.” She gave me a thumbs-up and disappeared into the hangar.
I was zipping up my Madigan Mountain embroidered vest when Theo walked in.
“Your guy is locked and loaded,” he said. “You sure you don’t want some company?”
“You have that meeting for Seline, right?” I tugged my baseball cap on and molded the brim.
“True, but I feel like shit skipping out on you.”
“Ah, now I understand the reason for the turnovers.” I smacked him on the shoulder as I walked by. “Go. Get your kid enrolled into all the gifted stuff. I’ll be the one ditching you when I leave early for Sutton’s practice.”
“Never thought I’d see the day when you settled down,” he said with a chuckle.
I spun, my eyes narrowing. “Who said I’m settled down?”
“It’s all over you, West.” He grinned. “Looks good, too. Never seen you this happy.”
My brow furrowed. “I guess I’ve never been this happy before.”
“Don’t look so ecstatic about it.” He laughed. “She’s good for you. They both are. Now you’d better get out there. The guy seems like the real quiet type. He’s briefed, strapped in at the bench, and has his headset tuned to the right frequency. Go be the best tour guide you can be.”
“Thanks.” I nodded and headed out toward the bird. She’s good for you. They both are. He was right…as usual. The peace that had stolen over me in the last few months could only be because of them. I was changing, bending boundaries I thought were rigid but actually weren’t. I didn’t mind Sutton’s shoes in the middle of the floor, and the usual quiet I needed at the end of the day had been replaced by an insatiable craving for Callie. We still slept in our own beds for the most part, but there was no sneaking back and forth if we fell asleep on the “wrong” side of the house. And maybe they weren’t the ones changing me, maybe I was evolving, as Theo called it, but I knew the girls were certainly the catalysts.
Ducking my head, I walked under the swirling rotors and opened the driver’s door, climbing in with practiced ease. I slipped the headset on and glanced over my shoulder. Well, that was odd. The guest was on the bench like Theo said, but not the one facing forward. “You sure you don’t want to move up front?” I asked through the headset. “It’s a better view.”