Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 106065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Ev laughed and squeezed through to place another bid. “Screw you, Top.”
I snickered at their silliness and hurried over to my next item instead.
Around the same time, Tate asked for our attention for another regular auction, this time a date with Macklin. All those interested in snatching him up for a day were to come closer to the bar, and those placing bids online were being notified.
I loved me some Mack, but I wasn’t bidding on him!
Although, it would be cool to spend a whole day with him at his restaurant.
I’d make him cook for me.
I laughed to myself. I was such an evil genius.
Greer sidled up alongside me and threw an arm around my shoulders. He was busy on his phone. “I think we can get Archie that cookware set after all. I’m seeing some of the shit being sold online in used condition, but if there’s one thing my ma taught me about cooking, it’s that cast iron only gets better with age. Look at this.” He showed me the screen and a picture of a Dutch oven the same brand as the one in Mr. King’s set. “And this skillet here. Costs three hundred bucks in the store, and this woman’s asking twenty-five bucks. All we gotta do is replace the wood grip around the handle.”
He was right.
Archie wasn’t the only one resourceful and creative in my new dynamic. Greer was right. We could totally pool our Christmas funds, put our heads together, and make sure Archie got everything he wanted.
“To be honest, I think Archie will appreciate this more anyway,” I said. “I’ve seen him at the store. He’s so frugal.”
Greer laughed softly. “He definitely is.”
I looked around me and spotted Daddy and Archie at one of the bar tables, clearly stuck in their own little love bubble with beer and hot chicken.
“We could get one of the thingies brand-new from the store,” I suggested. “Like a new skillet or something. And then we’ll be the insufferable jerks who ask Mr. King to sign it. And it’ll be like the main gift.”
“That’s brilliant. That’s what we’ll do.” Greer squeezed me to him and kissed my hair. “It’ll be a good family project for Christmas.”
Family project.
Family.
Christmas.
I swallowed and peered up at him, only to find him gazing at me too.
“You know you belong to us now, little one,” he murmured. “You’re part of our family.”
Oh no. Some things just went straight to my tear ducts, and I had to avert my stare to the floor. “Don’t make me cry here, please.”
My heart thudded quicker, and a low rushing sound invaded my ears.
He wrapped me up in a warm, tight hug and pressed his lips to the top of my head. “I give it two months before I start moving your shit to my house,” he said quietly. “You can keep the condo for as long as you need, but I want my family under one roof for the majority of the time.”
I sniffled.
Darn him!
He wasn’t done either. “I’m not saying a sleepover apartment in the city wouldn’t be a luxury, but the boys and Emma-Jo start school in Winchester in January, and we always have the cabin here if we wanna be closer to the city or, hell, get away from an obnoxious Sadist for a weekend.”
I hurriedly wiped at my cheeks and glanced up at him. “I wanna be part of your life project.”
“Good.” He kissed my nose. “You’re ours, Corey. You’re mine—you’re so fucking mine—and you’re Sloan’s, and you’re Archie’s.”
I sniffled again, too overwhelmed to talk, and hugged him as hard as I could.
My breaths became unsteady, and I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t control all the emotions surging within me. The sheer happiness and hope and relief.
It felt like a defining moment that quickly turned solid as concrete.
The moment my dreams became so much larger than the haunting nightmares of my past.
I knew I was going to see Marcus in my sleep tonight. I knew I was going to continue to battle all the things he put me through. But then I was going to wake up in the morning. I was going to have breakfast with Master Greer, Daddy, and Archie. Maybe I’d start thinking about future travels—how I could break up an annual two-month journey into shorter, more frequent trips. Because fuck being away from these three for a whole summer! My two families had to merge. We were already going to New York to meet Greer’s family soon, and I’d met Archie’s sister twice. Next, introduce my Daddy to Mom. Get Lane into Mclean House—
House Mclean! Dammit!
“Fancy running into you two here.” That was Daddy’s voice!
“I made the boy cry,” Greer admitted.
Well, now he made me cry and laugh at the same time.
“Oh no, what did the Sadist do?” Daddy stole me and wrapped his arms around me. “Tell Daddy if he should spank the Sadist.”