Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d talked so much. Ty, too. After the movie, we’d understandably ranted about movies that had been better in “our day,” at which point I’d felt the need to remind him that he was seven years younger than me, and he’d waved that off by saying he’d been born with a seventy-year-old angel on his shoulder. The devil on the other shoulder had to be a teenager.
Strangely enough, he made me feel younger.
The only time we’d spent apart today had been when I’d returned to my hotel to pack an overnight bag, and that had been enough for me to miss two men. Both Ty and Macklin. Ty was someone new to lean against, but I needed the love of my life glued to my side—emotionally and mentally, when he was not right next to me physically.
I lifted the cutting board and scraped the chopped mushrooms down into the pan with the knife, and then I felt Ty coming up behind me, pressing a kiss to my neck.
I smiled.
“Okay, so tell me what’s going to happen now,” he requested. “Is your phone gonna blow up?”
“Oh no. Not for a while.” I sidestepped so he could take over, and I took a swig of my beer. “The status updates will make the rounds in the subbies’ group chats first. Maybe Kit or Cam see it, but they’re not bold enough to comment publicly. They won’t go straight to Macklin either. They’ll likely shoot Tate or Ivy a message. They, in turn, will text Macklin and ask what’s up. Once Corey notices the relationship change, he will reach out to Lane—and I say that without knowing Corey very well. I’ve only met him a few times.”
Corey had joined our community a couple years ago, when I only visited Mclean sporadically, perhaps once every other month at most.
Ty chuckled and checked on the steaks. “That’s gotta be the biggest upside to a tight-knit community with many members. All the ways you can fuck with the subs’ heads with a single whisper. I want Lane’s head spinnin’.”
I smirked wryly and leaned back against the counter. “My, my, are you a hermit, sweetheart? Most would list the family feel and the constant support as the primary upsides.”
“Ha! Do you see me leavin’ a big community behind for Mclean? I’m by no means antisocial, but I’ve never been part of anythin’ like this either. I have an Instagram to keep track of my daughter, and I follow some Florida accounts—fellow hunters and friends involved with the national parks. That’s it.” He cocked his head, as if just remembering something. “Actually, I follow Colt and his men too. Kit posts a lot of photos of aircraft.”
He drew another smile from me.
“So how long do you think it’ll be before this reaches Lane?” he asked.
The man was antsy. It was sweet.
I hummed and thought about my answer. Lane had an account, I knew that much, and I was sure he checked it regularly now. He and I had added each other as well, so he would see my update in his feed. But if that happened before Corey found out, I didn’t know.
“Corey and Kit are fairly close, aren’t they?” That was the impression I’d gotten, after hearing about their group play over Christmas. “From what I understand, Kit wants to be involved in everything, so…” He was such a sweet boy—one who used to be very lonely. Now he was the opposite, and he took no friendship for granted. “If he sees the update soon, I’m sure he will text Corey. He knows they’re cousins, and he knows you and Lane started somethin’ in Florida.”
Ty switched off the heat for the steaks and seasoned the sizzling mushrooms. Then he brought the salad bowl to the table. “What are the odds that Macklin’s already told Lane about us?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows,” I replied. “The question is what Lane will do with the information.”
“Not a damn thing,” Ty chuckled with a shake of his head. “He’s a stubborn one.”
Indeed.
I was going to keep an eye on Ty. Being the one who chased all the time could be tiring after a while, not to mention discouraging and hurtful. Lane obviously didn’t mean to hurt Ty, and they were still in the beginning of the hunt. Hell, Lane didn’t know about it yet. Even so, I’d make sure to check in with Ty and remind him to be patient. Just like I had with Macklin.
It was a good idea to get Lane’s mind spinning, though, as Ty had put it. Whether it made the boy uncomfortable or not, we figured he wouldn’t be able to deny his attachment if he fixated on something else going on in Ty’s life.
A few minutes later, Ty and I sat down at the kitchen table, and we filled our plates with steaks, buttery mushrooms, salad, and bread we’d picked up at a bakery on the way back. My mouth watered at the scents, and I was going to rethink my entire view on food, thanks to this man. Maybe he was right. Maybe I didn’t need to add extra carbs to everything.