Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Have you talked to your parents? How are they doing with all the kids?” Jade asks him.
“Mom and Dad are in seventh heaven. They did say they wish Remi could be there.” Orrin laughs.
“They have their hands full with two infants and Blakely,” Palmer chimes in. “Besides, Mom and Dad were happy to take the girls. One for each of them.”
“We keep having babies. We’re going to need to get some more babysitters on staff.” Orrin grins down at his wife.
“Don’t let your parents hear you say that,” Kennedy scolds him.
Orrin holds up his hands and starts to back away. “One beer for each of us, so you ladies do your thing.” He winks and turns his back to us. He hasn’t even taken a full step when Palmer calls out to him.
“Orrin.”
He immediately turns and gives his sister-in-law his full attention. “We’re going to need Archer, Maverick, and Merrick.”
“What?”
“Just tell them to come over here.”
“What do you have planned, Palmer?” There’s suspicion in his tone.
“You’ll see.” She waves him off.
Orrin makes eye contact with his wife, and she nods, also waving him off toward his brothers. “Make room, ladies. Whatever it is that’s about to happen, we’re not going to miss it.” He turns and saunters over to the table his brothers are sitting at.
It takes mere minutes for tables to be shoved together and for seats to be moved around as girls’ night turns into whatever this is. Somehow all the husbands end up next to their wives, and they’re immediately touching some part of them. Orrin has his arm on the back of Jade’s chair, running small circles over her shoulder. Brooks pulled Palmer into his lap. Declan moved in close so that Kennedy could relax against him with the way they have their chairs positioned. Sterling took a page out of his older brother's book and pulled Alyssa onto his lap while Rushton laced his fingers with Crosby’s and placed their joined hands on her slight baby bump. Heath, Piper’s husband, also has his arm around her chair, only he’s holding her close. Their chairs aren’t even a breath apart. Deacon is sitting close to Ramsey with his hand splayed across her still-flat belly.
Ryder, Archer, Merrick, and Maverick just fill in the open spots, which leaves me sandwiched between the twins and sitting directly across the table from Archer. I don’t look at him. I’m not sure how he feels about his family knowing that we hooked up. I don’t care if they know, but I don’t know him well enough to tell if he’ll care.
“Look at you, a lovely Kincaid sandwich.” Maverick leans in close and puts his arm around my shoulders.
“Double the pleasure.” Merrick winks, and I can’t help it. I burst into laughter.
My outburst gains the attention of the entire table, including a scowling Archer. “You two are ridiculous,” I tell them. Merrick places his arm over Maverick’s, and I do feel like I’m in the middle of a Kincaid sandwich.
“All right, boys.” Ramsey sits up straighter. “I have a challenge for you.”
“Oh, truth or dare?” Merrick asks.
“Something like that.” Ramsey smirks. “We asked Scarlett here to choose, and she won’t, so we’re going to choose for her.”
“Choose?” Deacon asks his wife.
Ramsey rolls her eyes. “We know you all know.” She glances around the table at the men in her family. “We talk, you all talk.” She shrugs.
“I thought the pick had to be just between the ladies?” Brooks asks, confirming that the guys do know.
“Yeah, isn’t this sacred or something?” Sterling adds.
“It was,” Palmer agrees. “But we’re running out of eligible Kincaid men. We’re down to three.” She winks at Ryder, and he gives her a small smile in return with a slight nod.
“This is how it’s going to go.” Ramsey rubs her hands together.
“Babe, maybe we should stay out of it,” Deacon tells his wife.
She waves him off. “We’re family. We meddle. That’s what we do.” She smacks a kiss on his cheek. “Okay, so since Scarlett here won’t pick, we’re going to. We being the ladies.”
“Hey!” Declan protests. “I want a vote.”
“Ladies only,” Kennedy tells her husband.
“Right. So, Maverick, Merrick, and Archer, you all have to kiss our girl here.”
“I like this game.” Maverick drops his arms from around my shoulders and sits up straighter in his chair.
“You’re okay with this?” I ask Maverick.
“Have you seen you? Yeah, I’m good with it. Mer?” He leans around me to look at his twin.
“Don’t fall in love with me, Scarlett.” Merrick winks.
My face flushes, not because I’m at risk of falling in love with either of them, but because I said those exact words to their brother before we hooked up for the first time. It’s not just a line either. I’m leaving. Willow River isn’t my home. The last thing I want to do is leave a broken heart behind when I drive out of town.