Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“As much as I wish you were joking, I think this is a brilliant idea,” I tell my aunt.
“No,” Noah says. “My dad’s ego is already large enough. We don’t need to feed it with this sexy grandpa shit. Besides, he’d never go for it.”
“He would if I asked him.” I bat my eyelashes at my husband. “Maybe, you, Quinn, and Xander should do it as well. Pose with your shirt off, holding a baby. Oh, Ben too!”
“No,” he says just as Yvie yells, “Yes!”
“I can see it now; Portland Pioneers quarterback poses with his son or daughter. It’s a nice headline.”
“It’s garbage and you know it.”
“And yet, you’ll do it because you know we’d donate the proceeds to some worthy charity.”
Noah gives up the fight. He knows I’ve won.
Xander offers to work Noah out and he gladly accepts the offer. They leave Yvie and I in the breakroom.
“Did you meet Clover?”
I nod. “She had a hard time keeping eye contact with me though.”
“She has amazing credentials, but I’m not a fan. I trust my husband, but I don’t trust her. I asked Xander to make sure she’s always gone when he locks up. I don’t want her here when the doors are locked and they’re alone. I can’t stomach it.”
“It’s weird. I know Noah loves me and he’d never do anything to hurt me, but I worry, all the time. More so now because my body is going to change and once we have a child, things will be different. I’ll be different. He’ll still be him.”
“Does he know how you feel?”
I shake my head. “I’m afraid if I say something, he’ll think I don’t trust him. It’s society I don’t trust. It’s not like I can keep my husband locked in the basement or be with him twenty-four-seven. We do need our own space.”
“Peyton, it’s time to accept we married hotness.”
I cackle and cover my mouth. “I can’t believe you said that.”
Yvie shrugs. “It’s true. You know, it’s funny, your dad didn’t reach any level of hot until after he became a drummer, and then all the women wanted him. Yet, he never dated anyone. No exes in the closet or anything.”
“Well, there’s Alicia.”
“What she did to my brother.” Yvie pauses and shakes her head. “I love my nephew more than anything, but that woman deserved jail time. Still to this day, I see nothing but rage. And then to pull that shit with Quinn a few years ago. I swear, if I ever meet her . . .” She trails off.
What my dad and Quinn went through is still fresh in my mind. Sometimes, I look at Nola and wonder how he stayed with her. I guess when you’ve met the one you’re supposed to be with, it doesn’t matter how they ended up in your life.
8
NOAH
Every morning when Xander arrives, it’s like a reprieve because the night before was like a nightmare. I love my mother-in-law—I’ve loved her my entire life—but I need to find a way to keep her away from my wife. Yes, I know they have some mother-daughter bond, but the daughter in this situation—my wife—is fucking miserable and her mother makes things worse when she’s here. I know Katelyn means well, but she’s nitpicking about shit that’s completely out of Peyton’s control. Peyton can’t help that she was in an accident that nearly killed her and can’t change the damage done to her. It is what it is and there isn’t anything any of us can do about it. Katelyn telling Peyton the shots don’t hurt and to just relax only make things worse.
Is it my place to say something to Katelyn?
Should Peyton?
She’s already an emotional wreck. She’s tired, mad at her body, and herself. She’s irritable and uses me as her punching bag. But when we go to bed, things are good. Peyton’s in my arms where she belongs.
Peyton comes out of the bathroom, her long hair in wet clumped sections after her shower. I beckon her to me and take the hairbrush from her. “Want me to brush your hair?” Her eyes well up with tears instantly. I’ve done this before and she hasn’t cried, but ever since she started these damn shots, even if I stand next to her and brush my teeth at the same time she is, we’ve got tears.
Never mind walking into a store or near some baby shit. I know I will never fully comprehend how she feels about being a mother. Guys have it fucking easy. And if I could take away the agony and heartache she feels on a daily basis or each time pees on a stick and it’s negative, I would do it in a heartbeat. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
My wife sits on our bed with her back to me. I love having a height advantage over her, it’s perfect for times like this. She can sit here, where she’s comfortable and not on the floor or in a chair. When Katelyn or Elle do this with her or vice versa, they’re always getting up on their tip toes or standing on a step stool to reach. It’s cute and sometimes comical.