Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“Okay, yes, that was bad.” Tulsi’s cheeks flushed a pretty pink that made Pike want to kiss her even more. “But it was an accident and now everyone knows better than to let me hold sharp objects after I’ve been drinking. A little celebration would be fine. You deserve to cut loose and have fun the night before you get married.”
“No,” Mia insisted. “And you are not allowed to use my love of fun against me, do you hear me Tulsi Renee? I’m serious about this. I will wrestle you to the ground and sit on your tiny body if you try to make me party against my will.”
“Okay, okay!” Tulsi lifted the hand not holding her coffee into the air in surrender. “I’ll head home after the rehearsal and go straight to bed like a good girl. I swear.” She lifted her coffee, shifting the cup before it touched her lips so only Pike saw the wink she shot him over the rim.
He fought the urge to laugh. She was the sweetest temptress in the world and he couldn’t wait to help her make that “straight to bed” promise come true. He was going to take her directly home from the rehearsal dinner and keep her in bed until they had to get dressed to go to the wedding the next day.
He was so eager to be alone with Tulsi that he expected the rest of the day to drag, but the float trip back up the river was even more fun than the day before. The morning was filled with easy conversation, lots of laughs, and so many charged looks between him and Tulsi that he couldn’t believe no one else noticed they could barely keep their hands off of each other. The group parted ways when they reached the trucks, and everyone returned home to rest and get ready for the wedding rehearsal. But two hours later he and Tulsi were under the trees in his parents’ yard, standing beside the wooden pulpit the preacher had set up in the center of the path leading into the woods, watching Mia walk down the aisle toward her future husband.
Pike kept stealing glances at Tulsi as the preacher walked Sawyer and Mia through the different portions of the ceremony, hoping it wouldn’t be long before she’d be the one in white. He didn’t want to rush her, but they’d already wasted so much time.
“How long until you’re wearing my ring?” he whispered later as they sat around the crowded table in his parents’ house, his words muffled by the noise of all his friends and family talking at once.
“A month maybe,” Tulsi whispered behind her wine glass. “That sound good?”
“As long as we pick a date not long after.” He found her hand under the tablecloth. “I already know I don’t like being away from you. And the sooner we’re married, the longer we’ll have to enjoy each other during the off season.”
She took a bracing breath and nodded as she squeezed his hand tight, the excitement he felt for the life ahead of them reflected in her eyes.
Later that night, they made love in her big bed, then lay holding hands, staring up at the stars through the skylight, talking dreams the way they had when they were younger. Pike promised Tulsi he’d have all her horses brought to the ranch in Montana and help her set up another equine therapy business there if she wanted. She said she’d prefer to homeschool Clementine for a year or two, instead, so that they could travel with Pike and watch the games. Pike—who loved the idea of never being apart—promised that the other wives would love her and Clem and make them both feel right at home.
“It’s no picnic traveling as much as we do, but the families stick together,” Pike said, running his fingers up and down Tulsi’s bare shoulder as she rested her cheek on his chest. “And even if I make a full recovery and am back on the mound in a few weeks, I don’t see myself lasting into my forties. I’ve got five or six more years, maybe seven if my rotator cuff holds up. By the time our third baby’s born, we should be ready to retire to the ranch and raise kids and horses.”
Tulsi propped up on her elbow and stared down at him with a bemused expression. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious,” he said, reaching down to squeeze her bare bottom. “It’s this primal thing we alpha males suffer from when we’re in love. We can’t wait to get our women knocked up.”
Tulsi giggled. “Take it easy, Mr. Alpha Male. Let’s wait and see how much you enjoy three months without sleep with the first baby and then we’ll talk about two and three. I’ve been through this once you know. I’ve still got battle scars on my soul from rocking Clem from two to four every morning while she screamed bloody murder.”