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)
He heard a giggle as the twins ran past the cubicle where his admin, Genny, worked.
He knew what was going to kill him now. Those two. His daughters. Kenzie and Kala would definitely be the reason for his heart attack.
“Put him down in the crib in the nursery, but remember he’s gotten really good at climbing,” Charlie reminded him.
He needed no reminder. Seth Taggart was an expert at climbing out of his crib. Good at climbing, bad at landing. “I’ll take one of the monitors with me and sprint when I hear him waking up.”
It was good for his heart. Gave it a little shock. Maybe all those little shocks would make it stronger and he could survive the twins’ teen years and make it to his sandwich/napping days.
The doors closed behind him, and he touched the pad to lock it all down again. It was a Saturday, so he wasn’t truly worried about anyone coming into the office uninvited, but the girls had been known to play some pretty hardcore hide and seek, and he’d caught Kala trying to learn how to pick locks. The last thing he needed was to have the girls decide to break into one of the other businesses in the building.
Although letting them into Adam’s office might be fun. It could be interesting to see if Adam’s virtual assistant could deal with his baby girls.
Kenzie was getting pretty good with a computer, though. She might take over TESS and start World War III.
He was definitely going to have that heart attack.
“Have I told you thank you for taking the kids with you to the office?” Charlie asked.
That hadn’t been the plan. His original plan had been to come up and do as much paperwork as he could so he didn’t leave Alex and Liam a huge mess while he was on paternity leave. He might joke about that term and vomit in his mouth a little, but there was zero chance he was leaving his wife home alone with a newborn and three small demons. He liked his marriage, and he knew when to sacrifice for it.
Besides, he kind of liked those early days when they closed themselves off from the world and got to simply be a family for a few weeks.
“No need, baby. You take the afternoon and enjoy the quiet. It’s the last you’ll have for a while,” he replied.
Because next week their final kiddo was due. Another boy. Two boys. Two girls. All the trouble two adults could possibly handle.
He’d meant for this to be his alone time, but Charlie had looked so weary he hadn’t been able to walk out the door without taking the burden with him.
It was good no one was scheduled to be here because he’d made a huge show of how he was going to come up here alone on a Saturday. He’d talked about how important it was to get his work done before he left them alone while he took some time off.
He would likely get some ribbing over bringing his kids up.
“Bud and I will enjoy some quiet time,” she replied. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
“Love you, baby.” He hung up and slid the phone into his pocket.
It was a good thing he was doing. Charlie needed peace and quiet, and honestly, how bad could it get?
There was a terrible crashing sound and then silence.
But only for a second because Seth’s eyes opened.
“We’re okay,” a feminine voice yelled.
“Mostly,” came the other one.
Seth started crying, and Ian took a deep breath. It was going to be a long day.
Two hours later Ian stared at his screen, trying to read through the latest report from Deke and Bear. They were in Kansas City on a corporate case and thought they were almost ready to wrap it up. They knew who was embezzling funds, but they needed a bit more evidence in case the client decided to pursue criminal charges. They likely wouldn’t. Corporations seldom prosecuted, but he liked to give the client the option.
There was a little huffing sound from the baby monitor that let him know Seth was still asleep. It was the soft sound of him turning, and Ian knew for certain if he walked into the nursery, his son’s butt would be up in the air while he sucked on a dream pacifier. Or probably one of his momma’s boobs.
He’d almost gotten those boobs back. So close.
Where were his monsters? A prickle of awareness went up his spine. It was a little spark that he got usually right before someone tried to kill him.
He glanced over to the sitting area of his office. Charlie had furnished it with a comfortable couch and two chairs, a coffee table between them. It was where they often sat with Alex and Eve and had lunch. That couch had also been the site of many a good time between he and his wife. It was precisely why the couch was leather. Easy to clean. Didn’t end up smelling like sex. Not that he minded the smell of sex when it came from his Charlie, but otherwise it was off-putting to clients.