Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Malone’s eyes went wide. “Boomer.”
Shit. She shouldn’t have missed that. Boomer was really just a walking gut who also happened to be one of the world’s best snipers. She’d seen Boomer eat quantities of food that would have killed most human beings. “How the hell did Hutch beat Boomer?”
Malone sighed. “I didn’t know Boomer had already been to an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. But I suspect your husband did.”
Ian managed to look as innocent as a rat-fink gorgeous bastard could. “The dude asked for pancakes. What was I supposed to do? And don’t play that game with me, Malone. I know you and Case spiked Hutch’s coffee with bulk fiber, you assholes.”
And that explained why poor Hutch had been in the bathroom for days.
“So Ian bet a night of babysitting and Michael bet what? Also, what did Hutch and Boomer stand to get from this besides heart disease?”
Michael put up a hand. “First off, all Big Tag said was I would owe him one. And all I wanted from him if I won was his Sunday Cowboys tickets.”
“I figured if I lost, I would give my seat to Malone and you could have Sunday to go and have a spa day or something,” Ian said. “It was kind of a win/win for me. I either got to spend time with you tonight or I got to make sure you had a day off on Sunday.”
That man. He was sneaky and manipulative, and no one should bet against him. She turned back to Malone, pointing his way. “He wins. He always wins, Michael. And everyone knows what owing him one means.”
Malone managed to pale as he looked back at the two girls playing quietly in the living room. “I kind of hoped it would be something like embedding myself in a crazy scientist’s clutches for months or joining a drug cartel so we could gather intel. You know, something like that. I could do that.”
Coward. Her sweet baby girls weren’t…no. She couldn’t even pretend in her brain. Those girls were trouble with a capital T, but it was only an hour and a half away from their bedtime. Seth was already down for the night.
And it would be fun to go out for a little while. It would be nice to play. Ian had announced that he was taking her out after they’d finished a lovely dinner of honey soy pot roast that likely would have lasted for days with a normal family, but her husband knew a thing or two about putting food away, too. Eric Vail was having a play party and they were attending. Between work and kids and all their various projects, they hadn’t had a lot of time to play lately. It had been weeks since they’d even been to Sanctum.
A big hand cupped her shoulder. “Come on, Charlie baby. It’s one night out and he was a Navy SEAL. He can handle a sleeping infant, two tiny girls, and the mutt from hell.”
There was a chime from her phone that let her know someone was on the property. A minute later, Ian was ushering in Boomer. Where Kenzie and Kala had mostly ignored Malone, they lit up when Boomer walked in.
The big guy’s face brightened, and he suddenly had his burly arms filled with tiny girls. “Hey, boss. Mike said since I failed the taco test, I have to come and help him. Are we babysitting? I thought it would be something bad. Can we watch Moana? I love that movie. Especially the chicken. The chicken is hilarious. Hey, do you think we could order some chicken, Mike? I’m a little hungry.”
Ian shook his head Michael’s way. “Touché, Mike. Well played. He’ll eat us out of house and home, but I’m not backing down because Macon is at the play party and he’s made lemon tarts. And Charlie can buy some more groceries. She does it all the time.”
Charlie sighed. Boys. All of them.
Boomer dropped to the ground and let the girls climb all over him like a jungle gym while Ian explained to Malone what would happen if his precious babies didn’t survive the night.
Honestly, she was a little more worried about the men surviving…
* * * *
An hour and a half later and Charlie was definitely seeing the plus side to her husband’s plotting. Sometimes his manipulative side produced awesome results. Though she was a bit worried about the chair.
“Are you sure this thing is sturdy? I don’t want to break Eric’s chair.”
She sat in Ian’s lap in Eric Vail’s beautifully decorated kitchen, waiting for the fun to start. Relaxed. How long had it been since she’d felt so relaxed? Since she’d been able to simply hang with her hubby and not worry about anything more than how long dessert was taking.
They were watching Macon Miles as he put the finishing touches on the dozen or so small lemon tarts he’d made especially for Ian. She always found it fascinating to watch the massive ex-soldier use his huge hands to create delicate treats.