Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“Okay!” they cheer and race off down the hall. I wipe down the table before joining them in the bathroom. I help them wash their faces and brush their teeth before we move across the hall to their bedroom. Once they have jammies picked out, I help them change. I know they don’t need it, but they asked for it, and who am I to refuse them?
“Now, this is very important. Are you ready?” I ask them. They nod, their little bodies vibrating with excitement. “I need you to grab your pillows from your beds. Do you know where mommy keeps the extra blankets?”
“We gots lots of those,” River tells me.
“In the hallway.” Rayne points toward the hallway.
“Perfect. Take your pillows to the couch and wait for me.”
“Okay!” they chorus as they rush to grab their pillows and take off down the hall toward the living room.
In the hallway, I open the closet door and sure enough, there are lots of blankets. I grab an armful, and head to the living room. River and Rayne are standing in front of the couch in their jammies, holding their pillows.
I drop the blankets in a pile on the floor. “Have you ever built a fort?” I ask them.
“A fort?” Rayne tilts her head to the side.
“What’s a fort?” River asks.
“We move the furniture around and build a fort, kind of like a tent with blankets,” I explain.
“Can we help?” River asks.
“You bet. First, I’ll need you to hop up on the couch.” They do as I say. “Hold on,” I tell them as I move the couch a few feet forward. The girls are laughing as I do. “Stay there while I move the rest.” I get busy moving the coffee table, and the love seat and two chairs. I get them in a nice three-sided square.
“Now what?” Rayne questions.
“Now, we drape the blankets over them and place pillows and anything we can find that won’t break to hold them up.” The girls climb off the couch and the three of us get to work. It takes some time, but thirty minutes later, we have a pretty damn nice blanket fort in the living room.
“Now what do we do, Forty?” River asks.
“Now, we enjoy our fort.” Dropping to my knees, I crawl into the fort and settle on the pad of blankets and pillows. The girls giggle and follow me in. “Let’s snuggle and read a book.” I reach for the small stack of books I got from their room and the flashlight I found in the hall closet when I was grabbing more blankets. The twins curl up next to me and, by the glow of the flashlight, I read them a story. They’re both out cold before I get to the last page.
Turning off the flashlight and tossing it to the side with the book, I snuggle them close and close my eyes. I’m not going to sleep, just rest. Running after two tiny humans and keeping them occupied is harder than I thought it would be. Regardless, I wouldn’t change a single thing about today. I’ve enjoyed my time with them.
My eyelids pop open, feeling like someone is watching me. Once my eyes are focused, I see Briar kneeling at the opening of our fort, with a soft smile on her face.
“Hey,” she whispers.
Before I greet her, I carefully move the girls off my chest and crawl out of the fort. As soon as I’m on my feet, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her into a kiss. “Hey, baby. Did you have a good day?”
“We did. Looks like you did as well.”
“They’re great kids, Briar.”
“Fancy building skills you got there,” Brogan whispers, her tone light and teasing.
“Thank you. I had two adorable little assistants.”
Brogan chuckles. “I’m calling it a night. See you in the morning.” She waves over her shoulder as she disappears down the hall.
“I should carry them to bed,” I say, looking back at the fort where the girls are sleeping.
“They’re fine for now. Are you in a hurry to get home?”
“Am I in a hurry to leave my girls? Nope. What are you thinking?” I pull her a little closer because I can never seem to get her close enough.
“Let’s sit outside. It’s a nice night. Not too hot.”
“Lead the way, baby.” I release her, only to lace her fingers with mine. She leads us outside to the back patio. The lights are off, but the moonlight gives off a nice glow.
Briar releases my hand and takes a seat on one of the loungers. Something is off, but I don’t know what it is. She seems to be stressed. Was it something I did with the girls today? Did my sister or one of the other ladies upset her? My mind is racing. Whatever it is, she’s giving off vibes that she doesn’t want me to squeeze into the lounger either. Instead, I drag another close to her and take a seat.