Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 122966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“Remind me why I invited Uncle Darius over if he’s just gonna be a dick.” I made kissing noises when she smushed my cheeks together.
That made her laugh.
“Oh, come on, it was funny,” Darius argued, amused. “Didn’t I warn you about this? You’d get ambitious about doing shit with your buddies, but then you’d bail because you can’t be away from her.”
It wasn’t that funny. And it’d just been one time. We’d made plans a couple months ago to try out a new burger place, but then Darius and Ethan had suggested a bar afterward. I hadn’t signed up for that.
“They’re just jealous because you’re Daddy’s best friend now.” I smooched Grace on her nose.
I grinned at her adorable rambling. She was so fucking animated about everything, and she had the most beautiful, expressive eyes. She’d inherited them from me, but I didn’t make hazel look that good. Her hair was growing out too, in little brown waves, another thing she’d inherited from me.
“Maybe you’ll see one day, Darius.” I loved to fuck with him.
He got so riled up whenever I hinted about him going down a similar path.
“Ain’t gonna fuckin’ happen,” he said.
I chuckled and then heard the door open inside. It was Pipsqueak, and I slid the patio door open farther.
“Look who it is, baby.” I pointed for Grace, who was mildly obsessed with Pipsqueak.
Grace was bouncing and reaching for her the second she laid eyes on Pipsqueak, who, for once, hadn’t come over with a bunch of chocolate-related items. The next festival was a little under four months away, and preparations were in full swing. This month, she was narrowing down the choices to put together a twenty-item menu.
“Hi, beautiful girl.” Pipsqueak beamed at Grace and took her into her arms.
I smiled at the two and noticed something was different with Pipsqueak. I’d seen her without makeup, which was most of the time, and I’d seen her in too-heavy makeup for when she was heading out with friends. I’d always preferred the former, though she was undeniably pretty now too. It was subtle. Mascara and whatever women put on their lips that only had some shine to it.
Pretty was the wrong word to describe Pipsqueak, though. She was growing up to become a beautiful young woman, and it was bittersweet to watch. The other day, I’d automatically called her Elise, and it’d been strange. She’d reacted too. We’d laughed it off, but it’d left me with a strange feeling.
“You here to take over the kitchen?” I wondered.
“Not today.” She kissed Grace’s forehead, then glanced around me at Darius. “I didn’t know he was gonna be here, though.”
“I love you too, baby girl.” Darius had obviously overheard her. “I remember a time you bounced up and down every time you saw me.”
“Aw, you poor thing,” Pipsqueak giggled. “For your information, I was trying to protect you. I don’t think you want to hear what I wanna ask Avery.”
I lifted my brows, admittedly intrigued.
Darius stood up, having finished another chair, and scoffed. “In what fucking universe are my ears more delicate than Wonderdaddy’s over here?”
I laughed. “All of them.” But that could only mean one thing. I glanced back at Pipsqueak, finding her smirking, though not without a certain degree of discomfort. Fucking hell. She was going to ask about boys or something like that.
It was prom season…
I knew she was going, because some little motherfucker had come over to my house to ask her. Mary had sent him this way when Pipsqueak hadn’t been home. I didn’t know what she saw in him. It was some pimply jock who looked at Pipsqueak like he was undressing her with his eyes.
Pipsqueak raised her chin and leveled Darius with a blank stare. “It’s about sex.”
Fuck my life.
Darius blinked before squinting and scratching his bicep. “Do you smell that?” He inched closer and took a whiff near Grace, to which I rolled my eyes and couldn’t believe he was going to ditch me here. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna change this little poop trooper’s diaper. You get started. I’ll join you later.”
“Seriously.” I stared incredulously as he took Grace and headed inside. “What the fuck!”
“You don’t want her to get a rash, do you?” he hollered back.
So, he was just going to chill out upstairs until he deemed it safe to return? I gave it five minutes until Grace did something that terrified him. Such as coo or grin.
“That was easy,” Pipsqueak said with a pleased smile.
I suppressed a sigh. “Go easy on me,” I told her, walking over to the new chairs. “Remember to keep it clinical. Use technical terms if you can.”
“I only have a question, actually.” She turned one of the chairs so we’d face each other better. “You’ll do most of the talking.”
That wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“All right. Hit me with it.”