Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
However, our relationship was strained.
At first, I changed my phone number. I mostly did that due to the fact that I didn’t want them finding me to try to change my mind. Over the course of a few months, I finally snapped out of it and called them. It was touch and go there for a minute, but now we talked every so often.
It still wasn’t good enough.
It never was.
Not holding back, I confessed, “I miss you guys. I hope you at least know that.”
“Oh, Nicholas…” Grandma pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m so happy you’re home.”
My mother made her way into the large space, kissing me on the cheek with a nostalgic smile clear across her face.
“We’ve all missed you,” she coaxed, pulling me into another tight hug.
I hugged her back. It felt good to be in her arms.
“Despite what happened, we’re very proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and now that you’re home, I’m hoping we can take the steps to move in the right direction.”
“Yes,” Grandma agreed with my mom. “Especially if you’re going to have a baby!”
“What?” Mom smiled, beaming.
What the hell is going on?
I opened my mouth to argue, but I closed it instead.
The thought of Noelle pregnant with my baby made my heart race…
“Is she pregnant?” Mom followed up, way to overly excited. “Oh, I’d love a baby in this house! We’re long overdue!”
“He just got here!” Felix exclaimed. “He can’t work that fast.”
Or can I?
Speaking of the devil, Noelle walked in with Holly beside her. My little sister wasn’t so little anymore.
“Nicholas!” She rushed over to me, wrapping her arms tightly around my chest. “I’m so happy you’re here! It’s been way too long.”
The emotions that poured out of me in that second weren’t something I expected to happen this soon, but they were unintentionally laying it on thick.
“I missed you too.” I kissed the top of her head.
Noelle stopped dead in her tracks, taking in the vision in front of her before hiding a smile behind her hand. She couldn’t fool me. It didn’t matter how nonchalant she pretended to be, I knew how much she enjoyed this.
Fully aware everything was getting to me.
Including envisioning her pregnant with my baby.
It wasn’t as if we were getting any younger, and she was my best friend. In a matter of seconds, my life with her flashed before my eyes.
Her.
Me.
A puppy.
Mistletoe Town.
A baby…
The thought of her carrying my kid stirred my dick, and I realized all too soon we needed to go.
“Let me take a picture of you guys,” Noelle ordered, directing everyone to the main Christmas tree.
She set us beside each other by age order, meaning I had to wrap my arm around my brother. To my surprise, he did it first. My sister leaned into me, and we all smiled like one big happy family.
Although there was a long road ahead of us.
The future looked merry and bright.
CHAPTER 23
NOELLE
Iwoke up in Nicholas’s arms again, with the puppy sleeping in the nook of his arm.
“You’re going to spoil him.” I smiled, not caring in the least.
“Too late for that.”
“He’s supposed to be sleeping in his crate.”
“He wasn’t into that idea.”
“Oh… so you’re owned by a cockapoo now?”
“I guess so.” He smiled. “He needs a name. What do you think about Maximillian?”
The puppy’s head perked up as soon as he heard his name. “Well, looks like he has chosen.”
He brought him up to kiss his face. There was something about a man and a puppy. I swear my heart was exploding.
“So, he’s like Max 2.0?”
“He’s in memory of Max. We have Maximillian.”
“That we’re still going to call Max?”
“Mm-hmm…”
I giggled. “I’ll go with it, but only since Max approved.”
He was relentless in his pursuit of trying to win me over, and I stopped fighting it. I was so happy.
Moving half of his body off me, I tried to get up, but he wrapped his arm around my stomach.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he hazily questioned, pulling me back toward him and engulfing me with his addicting scent again. He tucked me into his chest.
Slowly, he ran his nose along the back of my neck. “I always love the feel of you in the morning,” he groggily added, brushing his lips against my back.
“It’s excruciating,” I sassed, teasing him.
Before he could object, I propelled my body forward and rushed out of the bed, taking the bedsheet with me. Except that left him only in gym shorts in front of me.
My gaze greedily took him in.
From his chiseled chest.
To his rock-hard abs.
Down to the V above his dick.
Which was just as hard as his abs, standing straight at attention.
I licked my lips.
You’d think he’d have some sort of modesty, but nope. He didn’t know the meaning of the word. He simply sat up against the headboard, placing his arms behind his head.