Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
He turns to look at me. “Hi.” He walks around the bed and offers me his hand. “I’m Brooks Kincaid, Carol’s son.”
I take his offered hand. “Kennedy Edwards, Maureen’s granddaughter. Nice to meet you.”
“You as well.”
“So a wedding and a baby?” I ask.
He nods, and a smile lights up his face. “Yes, to both. We’re actually getting married at the Willow Manor on New Year’s Eve,” he explains.
“You’ll be working with Kennedy,” Grandma tells him. “I’ve got a bum leg.”
Brooks chuckles. “Can I get you anything?”
“Discharge papers?” Grandma asks hopefully.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He tosses her a wink, and I swear I can see her melt a little into her hospital bed. Not that I blame her. “Kennedy, it was good to meet you.” He waves before turning back to his mom. “Palmer is stressing about the flowers. Can you stop by the house on your way home and talk her off the ledge? I’ve tried, but I don’t know a damn thing about planning a wedding. I don’t care about any of that stuff. I just want her to be my wife.”
Now I’m the one who’s melting into my chair. Lyle loved me, but I know now that he never loved me like Brooks loves his fiancée. I never saw the look in his eyes like the one that Brooks currently has just by talking about his fiancée either.
“Sure. I need to swing by Declan’s and pick up Blakely first. She’s hanging out there for a while so I could stop and visit Maureen. And I already had plans to go visit with Palmer. She called me earlier and asked if I could meet her and her mother at your place to go over some final details.” Carol’s face is the epitome of happiness.
Brooks laughs. “She loves being there.”
“She does, but Declan always complains he never gets anything done during the day when she’s there.”
“I’ll stop and grab some donuts for us.”
“She’s going to love that, and Declan is going to yell at you for spoiling her.”
Brooks shrugs. “That’s my job as her uncle. I’m sure he’s been taking notes and is going to repay me when our baby is born.” There’s a sparkle in his eye when he talks about his unborn child.
Sadness washes over me. I don’t know if I’ll ever have that. If I’ll ever find a man who’s willing to adopt with me or foster, or even hire a surrogate, and potentially endure not only the emotional but financial burden to try IVF. My heart aches for the dream I’ve held on to. Even when the doctors told me it would never be possible, I knew there were other ways to be a mother. I can only hope that there’s a man out there who will love all the broken pieces of me and want to build a life and a family with me, no matter how unconventional that might be.
“Kennedy?”
I shake out of my thoughts and turn toward Grandma. “Sorry, I spaced out.”
“I was just telling you that Carol has nine boys.”
“Well, they’re men. Even my babies are now adults at nineteen.”
“You have nine sons?” I ask, a little wide-eyed. I’ve met Carol a few times, and I knew she had kids, but nine boys?
Carol chuckles. “Nine rowdy boys who I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
“Brooks is engaged. What about the rest of them?” Grandma asks.
“Grandma,” I warn. She, of course, ignores me and keeps her attention on Carol.
“Orrin and Brooks are the only two who are spoken for.”
Grandma claps, and I laugh at her antics. “Stop. Whatever you’re thinking, just stop.” I hold my hands up in defense.
“What? You got rid of the man who never loved you the way you deserve to be loved. Carol’s boys are all good men.”
“I’m sure they are.” My eyes flash to Carol, and I give her an apologetic smile. “But I’m here to help you take care of the manor, and I’ll still be working my job as well.”
“What is it that you do again?” Carol asks.
“I’m a book editor. Mostly for independent authors who self-publish. I love it. It gives me my reading fix, and I get to be a part of an incredible community who get to write their stories the way they want them told without a huge publishing house dictating the story.”
“Oh, give me a romance novel and a few hours, and I’m a happy woman,” Carol replies.
“Right?”
“My husband started a tradition when our boys were small. He takes them on a weekend of camping and fishing. No girls allowed. It gave me a weekend of no men in the house. Most of the time, I spend it reading all the books.”
“Sounds like a great weekend to me.”
“Most definitely. I do go get my nails done, and sometimes a massage, and meet up with friends for dinner, but the majority of my time, it’s enjoying the quiet and spending time with my favorite authors.”