Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“Honey,” he replied, “you’ve been living here for twenty years, and I’ve spent, all told, about a week and a half here.”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, her eyes sparkling, like it was nothing to her, when Tom felt that shoulder shrug and sparkle dive deep into his heart.
They heard the front door open, breaking their moment, and Teddy and Faun strolled in.
Faun tipped up his chin to Tom.
Tom returned it.
Teddy homed in on the paint chips, and instead of offering either of them a greeting, he exclaimed, “Oh my God! I told you no red!”
“Teddy—”
Teddy interrupted her. “Red has bad juju.”
“It does not,” Mika retorted.
Ringo made an appearance and slunk through Faun’s ankles.
Faun picked him up before he sat in a chair opposite Tom, all while throwing Tom a look advising him to settle in, because this was going to take a while.
Ringo settled in too. Tom could hear him purring from where he was curling himself into Faun’s lap.
Faun was a huge man, tall, built, fit, dark, with Italian ancestry, and Tom had recently learned he had a great sense of humor and a supremely laidback demeanor.
Which meant, fortunately for Teddy, he had a lot of patience.
Mika, for some unhinged reason, offered a paint card to Teddy, announcing, “We’re going with Rouge La Rue.”
Teddy swiped it out of her hand, stared at it, then rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, declaring, “It’s hideous.”
“It is not,” Mika returned.
“Come with me,” Teddy demanded, then stalked out of the room.
Mika, ready to rumble, only glanced at Tom and Faun before she got up and followed him.
They could be heard carrying on their argument in the entryway.
Tom looked to Faun. “How’s things?”
“Can’t complain.”
“My God, Teddy! Can’t I paint a wall without a drama?” Mika cried.
Faun slouched deeper in his chair, going for the gusto with his big hand buried in Ringo’s fur, and Ringo’s purrs grew louder, before Faun asked, “Care to take in a Mets game while you’re here?”
“Mets?” Tom asked in disbelief.
“Yankees are bullies,” Faun replied.
Thus, a much less animated, but no less fascinating conversation sprang up in the sitting area at the back of Mika Stowe’s living room, Rollo Merriman forever smiling above them.
Smiling because, when he was alive, Rollo knew without a shred of doubt that he was the love of Mika Stowe’s life.
But now, Tom knew he was her first.
He also knew he’d be her last.
* * *
Still April…
Scottsdale
“Are you going to be okay?”
Tom looked down at Priscilla standing beside him.
They were watching Clay, who was using the greatest of care while loading the cat carrier in the backseat of Brayton and Pris’s car.
Nala was going home.
“It’s never fun letting one go,” Tom said.
Her eyes grew soft, she wrapped her fingers around his forearm, and her voice was quiet when she replied, “I’m dreading it.”
She was not talking about pets.
He moved his arm so he could take her hand and give it a squeeze.
“Ready, baby?” Brayton called.
She nodded then looked to Tom again.
He kissed her cheek.
Clay dashed to him and gave him a hug.
Brayton shook his hand, murmuring, “We on for Saturday?”
Tom nodded. “I’ll text the tee time.”
Brayton clapped him on the shoulder, joined his family in the car, and Tom followed as they backed out.
He then stood at the end of his drive, watching until he couldn’t see their car anymore, as another of his kids left him to go and live her happy life.
* * *
May…
New York City
Graduation Day
“The minute the last one left, I called the workers to tear down the walls. I lost two bedrooms but gave myself a glorious bathroom and an enormous closet,” Nora drawled, sipping champagne, her eyes on Cadence who was holding court across the room.
Tom and Jamie, standing with her, chuckled.
But Tom was learning how to translate Nora Speak.
That meant she was devastated when her children left home. Therefore, she threw herself into a project that would take her mind off it, at the same time it reassured her children she was okay they were going off to live their lives, even when she was not.
Tom noticed Teddy walking in, carrying a huge bouquet of exquisite blush roses, an occurrence of the like that had been happening the last few days as Cadence got flowers and gifts and cards with checks in them from her and Mika’s large family of the heart and cadre of acquaintances.
However, carrying that bouquet, Teddy had a funny look on his face.
This meant Tom watched as Teddy set it down on one of the final available spaces and made a beeline to Mika, who was sitting with Chloe.
All of Tom’s kids came, with Chloe, being Chloe, having already bought tickets for her and Judge before they were officially invited.
Only Sasha was staying with Tom, Mika and Cadence (Chloe, Judge and Matt were at Jamie’s).