Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“We humored him,” Dad said. “I’d say, oh, really, you saw Nathan pouring water into the dirt out front? How interesting.’ But we knew you were really just bored and looking for some sort of gossip or intrigue.”
I puffed out a laugh, shaking my head at them. “I’m glad I could entertain you all when I was eight or nine years old, even if I was totally annoying. Now can we stop embarrassing me in front of my best friend?”
“Tris,” Jack said, giving me a soft smile. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I love hearing stories about child Tristan. It’s adorable.”
I felt a slight heat creeping up to my cheeks and hoped to hell my blush wasn’t visible.
Something about Jack calling me “adorable” had instantly set off a lightning bolt inside me. Christ, I was craving more time alone with him. I loved spending time with my family, but right now a huge part of me still wanted to be in bed with Jack.
Talking to him.
Looking at him.
Maybe putting my tongue on him, anywhere he might let me.
I wanted more of him, really badly, and there was no denying it anymore, even though I couldn’t make sense of it.
“And you turned out to be a badass after the Sibling Police years anyway,” Lindsay was saying, waving a hand through the air. “I was a couple of years older than you, but I almost looked up to you, in a way, in high school.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “What? Looked up to me? I always thought you all hated me in high school. I know I had… issues.”
Issues didn’t even cover it. I had been a teenage drug addict, rebelling even though I had nothing to rebel against. I tried every drug and pill I could get my hands on, though luckily none of the really bad stuff made its way into my hands. I stole cigarettes and alcohol like nobody’s business, and snuck into countless bars and clubs I shouldn’t have been in. When I’d gotten my driver’s license, there had been plenty of nights I’d drive my beater car in abandoned parking lots, doing burnouts and donuts, an adrenaline junkie in any way possible.
Lindsay gave me a sympathetic glance. She looked good this morning, too, dressed in light hiking clothes, her dark hair up in a messy bun.
“Sure, I always worried about you,” Lindsay said. “But you had an amazing heart and an amazing mind, and that never changed.”
“You two are going to make me tear up,” Mom said. “I love you kids. Love you enough to give you these plates and silverware and make you set the damn table, already.”
She chuckled as the rest of us came around, making quick work of getting breakfast ready. In another five minutes, we were feasting again on some of the best food I’d had in a long time. Sunlight filtered through the trees into the big windows behind us, casting everything in fresh morning light as we talked and ate.
I sat across from Jack, watching him chat with my siblings, getting into conversations about dogs with Lindsay and about power tools with Shawn and Nathan. My heart ached seeing how well he got along with everyone—how right it felt to have him here.
“Now, Jack, I’m going to ask to borrow you just for five minutes before you take off with the rest of the kids,” Dad said as we finished eating. “One of the sprinkler heads in the back garden is funky and I’ve been told you’re an expert at fixing them.”
“Happy to help,” Jack said. “Let’s take a look.”
The moment the two of them had stepped outside, Shawn and Nathan shared a look with me.
“We all know that ‘five minutes’ is going to be about forty-five minutes, right?” Nathan asked.
“One hundred percent,” I said.
“A thousand percent,” Mom agreed, nodding her head. “Your father is incredible at many things, but estimating project times is not one of them. That sprinkler is impacted with a shrub root or something.”
“Sounds like it’s time to clean up breakfast and take a quick walk around the property line,” Lindsay offered. “Sadie needs a morning walk, anyway.”
“Hell yes,” I said.
I needed some fresh air. The night I’d had with Jack was pressing at the corners of my mind like a bubble getting bigger and bigger, threatening to burst.
Cleaning up took no time, and soon I’d strapped on my hiking boots and clothes to join Lindsay and her dog for the walk. I wore my swim trunks, knowing that we’d be driving down to the waterfall cove today. Shawn came along too, and the sound of gravel crunching under our shoes was all the refreshment I needed after the hot coffee and amazing food. The air was warm with a slight breeze and the pine trees gently swayed back and forth as we set off down the gravel path.