Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
"We're decent," Lachlan calls a moment later.
I practically drag Sinclair back into the living room to meet Caitlin. She's sitting on Lachlan's lap fully dressed this time. Her face is bright red, hidden partially behind her hair.
"Hi," I say, waving to her. "I'm Lyric, Lachlan's sister. I'm sorry we just burst in on you. It's Lachlan's fault. He didn't tell me that he was bringing anyone over."
Lachlan scowls at me.
I smirk at him.
"Um, hi," Caitlin squeaks. "It's nice to meet you."
"Why are you here?" Lachlan demands suddenly, narrowing his eyes on Sinclair. And then his gaze drifts to me. "And why has your phone been off all day?"
Well, crap.
"She's been with me," Sinclair says.
Lachlan's scowl darkens. "She's been with you?"
"We came to get her stuff," he says quietly. "She's spending the night at my place."
Lachlan stares at the two of us in complete silence for so long I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest. He doesn't move a muscle. He doesn't even twitch. He just stares.
"Please say something," I plead.
"How long?" he asks, his voice deathly quiet.
"How long have I been in love with your sister?" Sinclair asks. "Since I met her. How long since I decided that she was it for me? Just as long. How long has she known? I told her today."
Lachlan glances at me.
"It's true," I whisper. "He found a stupid letter I wrote to Santa. It's a long, embarrassing story. But he never touched me until today, Lachlan. He never even told me how he felt until today or kissed me until today."
"She's the reason you're letting me buy you out," Lachlan says.
"I don't intend to spend my life with her working my ass off."
"You didn't decide this today."
"No." Sinclair holds his gaze. "It's always been the plan, but I needed to do it right, make sure I could take care of her the way she deserved. The house is almost finished. You're buying me out. She'll never want for anything."
Caitlin presses her lips to Lachlan's ear and whispers something too low for me to hear. Whatever it is makes him grunt.
"This is what you want?" he asks me.
"He's what I've wanted since I met him," I whisper.
Lachlan expels a heavy breath and then slides Caitlin off his lap before rising to his feet. He crosses the room, stopping directly in front of me. For a long moment, he just looks at me. And then he curses and drags me into his arms for a tight hug. "Then it looks like we're both getting what we want for Christmas this year, baby sister," he says, pressing a hard kiss to my temple. "Because I know exactly how that feels."
I throw my arms around him, sobbing.
Chapter Eight
Sinclair
"I have a present for you."
"Really?" Lyric's eyes light up, a soft smile overtaking her face. "But it isn't Christmas yet."
"No," I murmur, dragging her into my arms to nuzzle her neck. "But it's after midnight, which means it's Christmas Eve. And you've been a good girl today. Good girls should get a present early, don't you think?"
"Oh, yes, daddy," she breathes, practically quivering in anticipation. "I'll be good every year if I get presents early!"
I smile against her throat, certain she means it. My princess will be on her best behavior the day before Christmas Eve if it means she gets to open a present one day early. And I'll let her unwrap one before I unwrap her. It'll be our little tradition…the first of many.
Fuck. I never thought I'd look forward to something as much as I'm looking forward to creating traditions with her. I've never had many of those. I grew up without family. But I want a tradition for every holiday. One for every anniversary, every birthday, every year. We'll have hundreds of them, each designed to spoil her and make my fucking cock hard. Each started with love.
"What's my present?" she asks, making me grin. Lyric never has been very patient. She's never liked secrets much either. She can't keep them to save her life. If she thinks Lachlan didn't know how she felt about me until tonight, she's wrong. He's known since the beginning. I think he's just been waiting for one of us to crack.
It went a helluva lot better than I expected. Truthfully, I expected him to break my jaw for touching her. But I'm not questioning my good fortune. If Caitlin's the reason he's willing to entertain the thought of me marrying his baby sister, then I hope she makes him deliriously fucking happy.
"Come here and I'll give it to you." I scoop Lyric into my arms, carrying her out of the playroom and through the door into our bedroom. She wanted to stay at the cabin, but it's not nearly good enough for her. This is where she belongs.