Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Lou gave Kala a high-five. “And I don’t even have to go tomorrow. Mom said I register on Monday.”
“Cool. I’ll give you my schedule,” Kala promised.
All of those were distant sounds because Boomer’s attention was focused on Daphne. “I’m so sorry you were scared, baby. I’m sorry.” He smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead. “I won’t let anyone take Lou away.”
She leaned in, resting her head against his chest. “I was scared you were leaving me. Lou seemed to think you were leaving the state. I was scared I would miss you and I wouldn’t have a chance to tell you how much I love you.”
“Nope. Boomer was just making sure everything would run smoothly when you got back.” Tag lifted his hand up, and Molly stepped onto his index finger. “You will find everything is fine now, though I suspect my daughter has been teaching your daughter how to blackmail people.” He sent Kala a stare that would have frozen fire. “Nothing gets past me.”
Kala simply shrugged. “I wasn’t trying to hide it.”
Tash joined her sisters. “She asked Mom’s advice. Mom’s the expert at blackmail. Dad doesn’t have the patience for it.”
“He’d rather shoot someone,” Kenzie agreed.
“Now there is some truth in that.” Tag placed Molly on her perch and closed her cage. “Good-bye, bird of my heart.”
“Asshole,” Molly replied.
“Yeah, I love you, too,” Tag said with a grin.
Tash held out a sticky cell phone. Boomer’s phone. “Uh, I think Puddles took this. Also, he peed when Lou knocked on the door.”
Well, of course he did. He took the phone and realized he hadn’t had it in at least an hour. Shit. “Baby, I’m so sorry I didn’t have my phone. You called?”
She nodded. “So many times. I’m not leaving here tonight, so you should start dinner or call for pizza because we didn’t stop and I’m hungry.”
She started crying again.
His baby’d had a day, and it was his job to take care of her. “I will buy all the pizzas.”
“He means that,” Tag said. “Our work here is done, girls.”
Big Tag took his daughters and headed for home.
Boomer was left with one crying woman, a hungry twelve-year-old, two dogs with issues, a cat who often withheld affection, a potty-mouthed bird, and a bunch of eggs that could hatch any day.
Life was pretty perfect.
* * * *
“Mom, Boomer! They’re hatching!”
Daphne sat straight up and realized her daughter was standing at the end of the bed wearing the pajamas she’d put on after dinner the night before.
She was very glad she was still wearing PJs, too. She’d tossed on the nightgown after Boomer had made love to her and taken all her tension away, then showered with her before cuddling her to sleep.
“Seriously?” Boomer bounded out of bed, not at all acting like a man who thought it was awkward that his girlfriend’s daughter was in his bedroom. He’d put on a pair of PJ pants before he’d gone to bed, and he tugged a shirt on as he started for the door. “This is the best part.”
She watched as Boomer and Lou ran out of the room.
Had yesterday really happened? It was so weird to think that she was finally free.
No matter what Amelia tried, she wouldn’t be alone. She had friends who would fight with her, who would lift her up.
She had a man who wouldn’t let her down.
And maybe she should give Sanctum a chance.
“Mom, it’s so cool!”
Daphne slipped out of bed. They needed to figure out which condo to use. Or knock down a wall and double their space. Of course Boomer would probably use the extra space for new animal friends and Lou would set up an extra room as a base of operations for her and Kala to work out of.
Oddly, that thought didn’t intimidate her the way it should.
The world was changing, and once that would have terrified her. Now it was nothing more than a new adventure because she knew they would be okay.
They could get through anything as long as they were together.
She made her way out of the bedroom and through the living room. It was a Friday, but Boomer had taken the day off, and the night before he and Lou had planned out much of the day, from where they would eat lunch, to when they would take the dogs to the park, to the numerous snacks they would enjoy on their day off.
There was a lot of food talk.
She glanced into the room where Lou had slept the night before, and sure enough, all eyes were on the incubator Boomer had put together. Lou had a few things she thought she could improve on in case they needed to keep stray eggs warm again.
Boomer and Lou were staring at the eggs, and they’d been joined by Puddles and Sprinkles, who’d slept with Lou the night before. Sheba was yawning like the world bored her, but she was watching, too.