Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 52773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
“We went by the house on the way here,” he admitted. “And Nyree saw a spider and refused to stay there. I had to check her into a hotel.”
His eyes went to the RV behind me.
“So we’re not meeting?” she asked curiously.
She sounded so hopeful. It was actually kind of cute.
“Yeah, we’re still on for dinner.” He paused. “That steak place.”
“Okay.” Waylynn paused. “The only thing that sounds good right now is Texas Roadhouse. Everything else I might very well vomit.”
“Candy and I can’t go,” Banks sighed. “We have to get some shit done with her dad.”
“We can’t either,” Desi sighed too. “I have to go stock up at the store.”
Leaving two people only.
My gut began to sink.
Ace chuckled behind me, and I glanced at him with an eyebrow raise.
He shrugged. “We’re down to go eat. Codie loves Texas Roadhouse.”
A sense of relief hit me when I realized that I wouldn’t be stuck alone with Jude.
Thank God.
Even if it was the brother that wasn’t very happy with me.
“Oh, thank God,” Codie cried out. “I love rolls!”
Ace looked at her.
“We can tell.”
Codie laughed in fake outrage, then turned to Waylynn.
“Let’s go get changed,” she ordered.
Waylynn nodded, even though she looked like she’d rather do anything but.
“Actually, Darby, why don’t you go get your shower in. I’ll talk to dad for a bit?” Way asked.
I looked at her, gauging her sincerity, then nodded. “Okay.”
I glanced at Ace to see him nod.
The silent order from me for him to ‘stay with her’ was loud and clear.
Hurrying into the trailer, I rushed through my shower and came outside ten minutes later fully dressed and ready to go.
The first thing I saw when I got out there was Ace’s narrowed eyes and Way’s tense posture.
When I got closer, I understood why.
“…was wondering if we could borrow the trailer that you were living in,” Jude asked.
I gritted my teeth.
And now we knew why he’d come all the way over here.
He wanted to ask to borrow something.
That was the only reason that he’d come.
Not for Way. Not for his daughter.
Nope.
He’d come because he’d heard that she’d won an RV—and a damn nice one at that—and thought it would be a proper time to come see her. Then ask if he could borrow it.
Of course.
Way looked at me sadly, and I gathered her into my arms.
“Let’s go eat,” I said softly.
She nodded her head against my chest, and I paused to stare down at her.
“Are you sure that you want to go?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I think it wasn’t the stomach flu after all,” she admitted. “I think it was food poisoning. I think that what happened was that Gibson and I got a bad batch of sushi yesterday. It’s the only thing that makes sense, and the only explanation I can come up with as to why I’m now starving.”
I tilted her chin up and pressed my lips against hers.
“Don’t worry about him,” I said. “How about you worry about me, and what I’m going to do to you when I get home.”
My teasing had the desired effect, and when she looked up at me next, it was to see her face lit with happiness.
“Hopefully it only involves cuddling and watching Netflix,” she whispered. “And I mean really watching Netflix. Not ‘Netflix and Chill’ like you hear about. Because I’m exhausted, and the last thing I feel is sexy.”
“Deal.”
Chapter 16
A peacock is just a chicken in drag.
-Farm life
Waylynn
“I’ll trade you,” I said softly. “My trailer for the land. Officially.”
They were about the same price when you got down to it.
“Get Darby to throw in his truck and we have a deal.”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “I can sell that RV for a whole lot more than you can get for the land and you know it. You bought that land for a steal from that old man. And the house is trash.”
My dad scrunched up his nose.
“What about a horse and the RV?” he asked, eyeing the horses that Callum and Ace were breaking in.
I shook my head again. “No.”
He sighed. “You drive a hard bargain.”
I shrugged.
“Can I take the RV tonight?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“No…”
“Yes,” Ace said. “We’re moving into our new place anyway.”
Dad made the sound of a man that’d just won the lottery.
“Sweet!”
“If you deed the land over right now,” he said. “We’ll go down to the courthouse and you’ll put it into Waylynn’s name right now.”
Dad was already nodding his head. “Sure, sure.”
I looked up at Ace when my dad walked to his car.
“What was that?” I asked in surprise.
“That was me getting my brother to move back home,” he said.
“But I’m with him…”
He grinned. “And I guess that makes it your home now, too. Welcome to the family.”
“Your brother’s still mad at you.”
Ace’s eyes went distant for a moment.
“I know.”
“Fix it?” I suggested.