Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Hard.
I stiffened and frowned, looking around.
“What is it?” I asked, my heart beating a thousand miles an hour now.
I could already feel my knees getting weak.
Excitement? Surprise? Extreme mood swings? Those were all a big no-no for me.
But there wasn’t anything that I could do about the shot of adrenaline that was coursing through my veins at the sight of his ferocious scowl.
My knees started to turn to jelly, but before I could hit the floor, a strong arm was around my hip.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Slone soothed. “Sorry, sorry.”
I instantly felt the feeling start to fade, and found my bearings before standing up and pulling away.
“Okay,” I blew out a breath. “Thanks for the catch.”
“Sorry for causing you to freak,” he scrunched up his face, causing me to smile despite the feeling of moments before.
“What was it?” I asked again, this time with my hand now firmly on the handle of my luggage.
“Nothing, nothing.” He held up his hands placatingly. “I was thinking about other stuff.”
Titus snorted and called for the kids. “Let’s go, children!”
When had they left?
When I looked around, they were nowhere to be found.
I heard them giggling, though, when Titus left the kitchen to look for them.
“Okay.” I pressed my free hand against my aching chest. “I…the last few days.” I blew a stray curl out of my face. “I think my brain is set on fight or flight after what happened with Simi, and I don’t know how to turn it off.”
“I imagine,” he said as he gently moved my hand off my luggage and pulled it toward him as he gestured with his head for me to follow, “that it’s going to take you a while to get over what happened. It’s not every day that you have a crazed sheriff set out to kill your sister.”
I shook my head. “Whatever the reason, it’s getting kind of old. I expect to see some screwed up person over my shoulder every time I turn around.”
He caught up the cat astronaut bag along with a duffle he threw over his shoulder, and then he rolled everything out in one large hand.
Titus followed with the two giggling girls, and then we were in a four-car garage with two trucks in it.
“This place is kind of magical,” I said as I eyed the area. It was old and outdated, but it was quaint and welcoming at the same time. “If you only put a little bit of effort into making this place your own, I’ll bet it’d be captivating.”
“We’re not really sure how long Banner will be here, to be honest,” Slone said as he slowly hefted our luggage into the back of the truck. Again, I watched as his shoulder muscles bulged underneath his tight t-shirt. “We don’t really want to put the money and effort into this place when it’s good enough for now. Maybe if we find that Banner wants to move here permanently, we’ll update it…but in the meantime, it’s just not something we’re interested in doing.”
“That makes sense,” I murmured as I opened the back door.
Briley was in the middle with Annabelle in her booster seat on the far side. I got in beside Briley and smiled at her.
“I’m betting that I’ll be taller than you one day,” she said to me the moment I got settled.
I couldn’t help the snort that left me. “Darling girl, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll be taller than me. Heck, when you hit your growth spurt around twelve, you’re gonna surpass me. Your dad is six foot fifteen.”
“Six foot fifteen isn’t real,” Briley pointed out helpfully.
“She said it as a joke, baby,” Slone said as he slid into the passenger seat in front of me. “Which you knew.”
Briley grinned unrepentantly. “That’s true.”
“And for your information, Ari.” I felt my heart swell at his use of my new nickname. It sounded so normal. I loved it. “I’m six-foot-five.”
“And two hundred and eighty pounds of pure muscle,” Titus supplied helpfully. “He’ll flatten you like a pancake.”
What if I wanted to be flattened like a pancake?
The trip to the airport was uneventful.
In fact, it was honestly quite surprising to say the least.
We arrived and drove straight onto the tarmac.
Titus handed his keys over to a man standing there with a rental car agency’s name on his polo shirt, handed him some cash, then was helping Slone unload all the luggage.
Seconds later we were being ushered inside a plane.
It wasn’t big. It wasn’t small. It was just…normal.
“Gentlemen,” the man who must be the pilot said. “Just wanted to make sure y’all are all ready to go.”
“Give us five to strap Annabelle’s car seat in, Gervin, and then we’re ready,” Titus replied.
Slone had it in fast, and then Titus was putting Annabelle in it.
“Is this y’all’s plane?” I wondered as I took a seat and strapped in.