Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Instantly, I’m crying too. “Yep. Due in May.”
“Congratulations! I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandpa again!” Neil exclaims, damn near jumping up and down on his feet.
“Ahh!” Avery shrieks, jumping up from her spot at the coffee table and wrapping me in the tightest hug. “Yay! Oh my God, a little surfer boy. I can see it now.”
“Someone else to fall in love with.” I smile through my tears, and Beau presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Another piece of you and me, here forever.”
“I’m so happy for you!” Diane yells, racing over to wrap me in a hug. I squeeze her tightly and soak it all in.
This is the dream. This is the fantasy.
Who’d have thought? It all started with a single crush on Beau Banks by a young girl with stars in her eyes.
Maybe Cinderella had it right after all. There’s magic at midnight.
“Am I interrupting?” The deep male voice comes from behind us, and when everyone turns around to find Henry standing in the Bankses’ living room, his face morphs into concern. “Wait…what’d I miss? Is everything okay?”
“Beau knocked June up again,” Avery answers. “But why in the hell are you here?”
“Relax, Ave. I invited him,” Beau responds through a soft laugh as he heads over to Henry to give him a man-bro-hug thing. You know, the one where they hug but, like, keep their muscles flexed at the same time, while simultaneously clapping each other hard on the back.
Yeah, that.
“But why is he here?” Avery questions, Beau’s answer clearly not enough of an explanation.
“None of your business,” Beau responds, but Henry just shrugs.
“Beau here, took pity on me and invited me to attend your Christmas festivities in the name of making sure I don’t end up with my head face first in a bottle of whiskey.” He looks over at Diane and Neil. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Diane responds and walks over to him to give him a hug. “It’s so good to see you, Henry. Everything going okay with you?”
“I’m okay,” Henry says, a little sadder smile in place than normal. “Things are just a little different this year.” Henry’s dad passed away after a battle with cancer a few months ago, and I can only imagine the change is startling. His father raised him alone, and for all intents and purposes, he was the only family Henry had. Because of the cancer’s progression, they’ve both had a year to prepare for this inevitable moment, but that doesn’t make being without your loved one any easier.
Thankfully, as I know better than anyone, the Bankses are about as good as a substitute gets.
“Well son,” Neil says, shaking Henry’s hand. “It’s always good to see you. And you know I always love to hear some updates about the adrenaline-junkie business.”
Henry smiles. “And you know I always enjoy giving them to you.”
“Dada!” Addy exclaims as she barrels over to Beau and wraps her arms around his legs. When she looks up and sees Henry standing there, her eyes light up with excitement. “Henny!” she squeals and switches legs altogether. And from Beau to Henry she goes.
He doesn’t hesitate to pick her up and swing her around. “Hi, Addy.”
“Hi, Henny.” Addy smiles at him and places her two chubby hands on his face. “Play tea party with me now.”
“Addy,” I say on a sigh. “You need to ask nicely, not bossy.”
“Play tea party with me now?” she asks, basically using the same tone with the same words and just lifting her voice a little at the end in question.
“I’d love to,” Henry says through a chuckle and sets Addy back on her feet. She takes his hand, clearly giving him no other option, and drags him over to the table she was playing with her aunt Avery earlier.
I head into the kitchen to help Diane set out drinks, but as I’m standing behind the kitchen island, I don’t miss the fact that Avery has migrated over to the tea party.
I also don’t miss the way she puts her hand on Henry’s shoulder and whispers something in his ear. He looks up at her, from the tiny kiddie chair his over-six-foot frame is currently sitting in, and his face flashes with a tenderness I rarely see from Henry. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
Avery turns on her heels, but just before she makes the full one-eighty, she spins back around to face him again. “Oh, and just so you know, I have a boyfriend.”
My head jerks back. Avery has a boyfriend? Unless it’s some kind of secret boyfriend she hasn’t told me about and that she never spends any time with, I call bullshit.
Henry laughs. “Got it.”
“So, no flirty stuff, yeah?”
“Heard you loud and clear, Avery.”
“Good.”
“Good,” Henry responds. “Glad we got that settled.”
Avery walks—more like, sashays—away, and I don’t miss the way Henry’s eyes follow her the whole way. I also don’t miss the fact that when she comes to help Diane and me in the kitchen, her eyes find their way back into the living room where Addy is bossily telling Henry, “Drink yous tea, Henny. Alls of it.”