Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“That’s great that they do that,” Jordyn speaks up.
“Are you on call for the hardware store?” Ryder asks her.
“No. They have a great team. I guess if something comes up, I’ll handle it, but Gramps didn’t seem concerned.”
“Yeah, they take these trips a few times a year, right?” I ask. “I’ve heard George talking about them a time or two when I’ve been in the store.”
“They do,” Stella confirms.
“Have you been helping Ryder today, Ada?” I ask her.
Her reply is to lay her head on my shoulder and snuggle close. I rub her back gently.
“Aw.” Jordyn sighs.
“She’s ready for a nap, but there’s been too much excitement,” Stella tells me.
“She likes you.” Jordyn smiles at me.
“Of course she does. We’re best buds, right, Ada?” I hold her a few more minutes before handing her back to her momma. She cries and reaches for me.
“I’m so sorry. She’s exhausted.”
“Hey, hey.” I pull her back into my arms and rub her back. She rests her head on my shoulder and whimpers.
“Mav, why don’t you try to get her down for a nap? The Pack ’N Play is up in my office,” Jordyn tells me.
I look over at Stella. “You good with that?”
Stella bites down on her bottom lip and nods. Her face is sad. I don’t like her face to be sad. I step closer and wrap an arm around her shoulders. I have both of them in my arms, and when she smiles up at me, I know I did the right thing. “I don’t mind putting her down.”
“I’m sorry. She’s never done this.”
“It’s okay to let others help you, Stel.” I look down, and Ada’s eyes are already closed. “I’ll walk her around for a few minutes. She’s already out.”
“Okay.” She steps out of my hold, and I nod to Ryder. “Give me a few to get her down.”
“No worries. We’ll head back to the office so it’s quiet.” He laces his fingers with his wife’s and leads her out of the room.
“You keep saving us,” Stella says so softly I almost don’t hear her.
“She’s just tired, and I’ve got strong shoulders.” I wink at her.
“Must be the arm porn,” she mutters.
I bite down on my cheek to keep from smiling.
It's a good thing my niece Blakely isn’t here. I’m sure they’d have a full-on conversation about said arm porn. I stroll around the boutique, gently rubbing Ada’s back. Her breathing is deep and even, but I give it a few more minutes before I try to put her down. Uncle Maverick has been burned by thinking my nieces and nephews were sound asleep, only to find out their little eyes pop wide open when I lay them down. I’ve learned a thing or two over the years.
After I’m pretty certain she’s sound asleep, I walk back to the counter where Stella is folding scarves. I feel her eyes on me the entire time. She’s a momma bear, and that’s such an endearing trait.
“I think she’s ready,” I whisper.
“Okay.” She drops the scarf she was folding and leads the way to Jordyn’s office, where she nods toward the Pack ’N Play. Gently, I lean over and lay Ada down. She stretches but stays asleep.
“Jordyn has a baby monitor,” I whisper. Turning toward the bookshelf, I grab it, turn it on, and then take the receiver and nod toward the door. “We’re all set up to babysit,” I explain. “You never know when someone is going to need help, so we like to be prepared. Especially at the rate my brothers and their wives are popping out babies.” I smirk, and she smiles.
With the baby monitor in one hand and the other pressed lightly against the small of her back, we walk the short distance down the hall to the stockroom.
“All right, what do we need?” I ask my brother and his wife.
“Baby?” Ryder addresses Jordyn.
“I want to move that row of shelves over here against the other two. Make this one long wall of shelving. That leaves the other shorter wall for the table to open and unpack boxes. Then I’ll order more shelves and make another row to give us more storage space.”
“On it.” Ryder kisses her cheek, and he and I get to work, bringing her vision to life by moving the shelving where she instructed.
It doesn’t take us long to get everything where she wants it. “What else you got for us, J?” I ask her.
“That’s it. I wasn’t very prepared, or I would have had the other shelves here to put together.”
I nod. “Ryder, let me know when you’re ready to start assembling.”
“Definitely. I’ll call in the cavalry, and we’ll have them put together in no time.”
“I’m going to order dinner,” Jordyn says. “Is everyone okay with Mexican?”
“Yeah, but they take forever to deliver on Friday nights. I’ll go pick it up. Just call it in.”