Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
I roll my eyes. “Why do my mom and my brother have huge mouths?”
He laughs. “It runs in that side of the family,” he teases, and I chuckle. “So, I guess you love her,” he draws out, waggling his brows at me, and I push off the couch.
“Bye, Dad.”
His laughter follows me as he razzes, “I know you do.”
“I’ll call when I get there.”
He’s still laughing as the text comes through that Callie’s here. “Be careful, and know that I love you,” he sings playfully, and I roll my eyes.
“Have you been drinking?”
More laughter. “Maybe.”
“Dork,” I say, and then I wave as I go out the door. Callie gets out just as I reach the Jeep and opens the back for me. I throw my things in and then kiss her when she tips her head back for me. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Perfect timing.”
She beams. “Really?”
“Yeah, my dad was teasing me.”
She laughs. “Your dad is awesome. What was he teasing you about?”
I wrap my arms around her waist. “About how smitten I am with you.”
She grins. “Well, he isn’t wrong. I mean, I am awesome.”
“You are,” I say, kissing her nose.
“Am I driving, or are you?”
“Whatever you wanna do.”
She nods. “I’ll drive until I’m tired,” she decides, so I head to the passenger seat. I open the door to find a bag and chalk everywhere. As someone who is in a gymnastics gym regularly, I know this is chalk and not cocaine, though a lot of other people might wonder. And while I know this, I don’t know why it’s in her Jeep.
“You brought chalk?”
She shakes her head, starting the Jeep. “No, those are my grips for bars. Oh, it’s a little chalky.”
“A little?” I ask, and she laughs. She takes her hand, whacking the seat free of chalk and then throwing her grips in the back. She grins at me, her lips so glossy and her eyes so playful, it hits me straight in my heart.
“All better.”
I laugh as I get in, leaning across the console to kiss her lips once more. She cups my jaw, and as we part, she smiles so widely at me. “You’re in charge of the music.”
“I’ve got you,” I say, and I swear, I do.
I always will.
Because yeah, I’m serious about Callie.
So serious that it’s best Nico Merryweather just accepts that Callie and I are together.
We’re happy.
And not anything, or anyone, will change that.
thirty-one
Callie
I’ve done this drive a time or two, so it’s nothing for me. I stop at all my favorite spots to collect candies for Aviva and Nico and some for myself. I got some awesome bread from this Amish place, and Evan stopped by a winery to get wine for Aviva and Angie. I’m excited to go home and spend time with Vance, but also, my old coach, Amelia, is going to come train with me. Since she is so kind, I made sure Evan got her a bottle of wine too. I may get her something for all her kids too. She’s apparently raising the next starting line for the IceCats.
“I think they have Bigfoot-shaped pastries at the Bigfoot spot where Aviva wants us to stop for a picture, so we’ll get her some of those.”
Evan laughs as he takes pictures of the goodies we got at the Amish place. “We’ll have to get Owen some too. I told him we were doing this, and he laughed way too hard.”
“Because it’s downright foolish. You know she told me the other day that Bigfoot is actually an alien.”
Evan shrugs. “Hey, I believe it.”
I snort. “You’re a dork too!”
“Whatever, man. I should have gotten more of this bread. Owen just said he wants the loaf.”
“He can have half. That’s Aviva’s favorite.”
“That’s what I told him,” he says, moving everything to the back. “You good?”
“Yup. I figure you can drive the other half.”
“Are we driving through or getting a hotel?”
I shrug. “What do you want to do?” He winks at me, and I laugh from the depths of my soul at the look on his face. God, I love his dimples! “I don’t even know why I asked.”
“What? I am just a man who likes to share a bed with my lady.”
I snort. “I am not a lady when we are in bed.”
He points at me, grinning. “You got that right. So I’ll book a room in Bigfoot’s hut? I’ll make you howl like he does.” I don’t know how I even understand him, he’s laughing so hard. I roll my eyes. Though, it’s all for show.
He makes me all gooey inside.
Once his laughter subsides, he asks, “So, hotel?”
“Sure. Remind me to text Aviva, or do it for me.”
I see him visibly pause. “Like, you want me to touch your phone?”
“Yeah,” I say, throwing it in his lap. “The code is 3425.”
I see him out of the corner of my eye as he does as I ask. He places my phone in the cupholder and then picks his up. “I’m gonna find a hotel.”