Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Let me finish. I’ve righted a few wrongs here and there with y’all, but nothing would make me a prouder father than to help my son give his fiancé the wedding he wants.”
“Dad, I don’t need you going into debt for this. You just bought a home last year. All Eddie wants is to be my husband.”
“I’m not talking about a five-member orchestra and live swans, damn. But I know a guy who owes me big, and I’ve been kinda saving this for you.”
Bishop ducked his head and shoved his hands into his pockets like he didn’t know what to do with them. “Saving what for me?”
“It’s a surprise, trust me.” Mike winked.
“Ah, shit,” Trent muttered, he and Bishop sharing the usual look of caution that brothers did.
Mike smirked. “It’ll still be simple, don’t worry. But I think you both deserve this. And since Edison’s father isn’t here, this would be a good way to maybe step into that role for him, you know. I don’t talk about how I feel, B, because I fuckin’ suck at it. But let me show my son-in-law how I feel about him the only way I know how.”
Bishop gave him another one-armed hug and mumbled against his shoulder, “All right, Dad. Let’s have a wedding.”
Trent clapped his hands. “I know I’m the best man, so that means I need to get to work on the bachelor party.”
Bishop tried to act like they were exhausting and irritating him with wedding talk, but his excitement was hard to conceal.
They got back to work after a little more wedding date talk and a whole lot of ribbing and teasing. Mike threw the last half-full bag of topsoil into the toolshed and used the water hose to rinse his hands and arms off. He was appreciative to have the help with his yard today, though he never minded working it on his own. It was his relaxing time. But he hadn’t done this with his boys in a while. Trent kept them laughing, and Bishop was phenomenal with his innovative ideas.
The guys had just finished helping Mike put the rest of his tools in the storage bin when he heard his truck pull into the garage. Rayne’s home. Those two words made Mike’s stomach do a somersault.
“I guess I better go help my new younger-than-me, sex-addicted stepdaddy bring in the groceries.” Bishop shoved Mike on his way past.
“How long are you assholes gonna obsess over Rayne’s age?” Mike gritted out, his cheeks heating when Trent laughed way too loud.
“Hey, you’re the one that turned our lives into a twisted reboot of The Young and the Restless, not me,” Bishop threw over his shoulder. “Deal with it.”
Chapter Thirty-three
Rayne
After Rayne returned from the grocery store, he’d put all the food away, then gone upstairs and done a little unpacking before he took another long, hot bath in his favorite oil. By then, it was time for him to get started on dinner.
He had his vegetables and rice simmering, and the aroma of fresh herbs was beginning to take over the downstairs. Surely, Mike had to smell it too. Rayne spooned some more garlic lemon butter sauce on top of his seared salmon filets before he took the skillet off the range and slid it into the oven to finish.
“What the hell smells like fish?” Mike yelled, coming down the stairs.
“Fish!” Rayne hollered right back. When he turned away from the stove, Mike was standing on the other side of the island, and then he was in his arms.
“What are you doing?” Mike asked, but Rayne didn’t have a chance to answer before Mike pressed his mouth against his. It made him moan at the confidence and the control. It wasn’t until his dick was good and hard that Mike stopped.
“Can I have more of that for dessert?” Rayne asked breathlessly.
“We’ll see.” Mike nipped his bottom lip, his rough timbre sending chills down Rayne’s spine. He liked that Mike wasn’t pressed for his body; his primary focus wasn’t to fuck him like every other man he’d encountered. And it was one of the biggest turn-ons Rayne had ever experienced.
“Yes. We will see.” Rayne gave Mike one of his looks, lowering his lashes to his cheeks as he smoothed his hands over Mike’s clean T-shirt that was clinging to his damp chest. He felt the rumble of Mike’s growl beneath his palm, making him dig in closer. “You’ll see I’m used to getting what I want.”
Mike held Rayne behind his neck and pulled him close for another kiss, smiling cunningly against his mouth before he let him go. Rayne was hot and flushed, but he managed to pull himself together enough to lower the temperature on his wild rice before it got mushy.
Mike opened the refrigerator and froze mid-reach. “Where’s all the beer? And what is… what is that?”