Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59954 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59954 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“Help us get Daddy,” the twins screeched in unison.
“Noooooo,” Justice cried when Trevor switched sides and teamed up with the girls to reach up and tickle his sides and belly.
I’d been watching from the doorway of their playroom without any of them noticing me, but then a giggle slipped past my lips when Justice staggered backwards and crashed to the floor in an exaggerated fall. All four heads turned in my direction, and big grins split their precious faces.
“Wanna tickle Daddy, too?” Trevor offered, his gray eyes twinkling with delight. “I’ll hold him down so he can’t get you back.”
“Yeah, Dani and me can grab his arms,” Jenna added, climbing over Justice’s body to wrap her little hands around his left bicep.
Dani mirrored her action, throwing her body over Justice’s right arm. “C’mon, Mommy! Get ‘im!”
“How can I pass up an offer like that?” I laughed as I moved forward.
“Don’t move, Daddy. We have to be careful with Mommy since she’s pregnant,” Trevor warned, mimicking what Justice had told the kids about a million times over the past few months as he held his legs down.
Justice craned his neck up to meet Trevor’s gaze as he said, “Thanks for the reminder, buddy.”
I barely held in my snort at Justice’s response as I lowered myself to my knees next to him. He didn’t need anyone to caution him when it came to me since he’d wrap me in bubble wrap if he could. And then I’d just have to get him all worked up until he couldn’t wait to rip it right back off.
When my fingers brushed against his stomach before heading to his sides, Justice’s eyes darkened to a stormy gray, and a low groan bubbled up his throat. I couldn’t torture him too much with the kids so close, but I also couldn’t resist the temptation to cop a feel of his abs when they were right there in front of me. Not with my pregnancy hormones raging through my system, or at least that was the excuse I was going with.
Before we got any awkward questions about the sudden tightness of his jeans, I aimed for an especially ticklish spot just under his rib cage. When he roared with laughter, the kids wanted a turn too. By the time we were done, we were all laughing so hard that our sides hurt.
“Alright, guys. I think Mommy has had enough tickle time and needs a snack. How do cookies and milk sound to everyone?” Justice asked.
“Cookies! Yay!” the kids cheered, scrambling to their feet to race towards the kitchen.
“I’ll get you back for that later,” Justice murmured against my ear after helping me up from the floor so we could follow after them.
“You’d better,” I whispered back with a wink, looking forward to some quality alone time when the kids went down for the night.
My life was better than I’d dreamed it would be in my wildest dreams about Justice. But just like he’d told me a million times about his fantasies, reality far surpassed my imagination.
Curious about Thatcher? Her Love is now available! Want a FREE copy of The Virgin’s Guardian? Sign up for our mailing list now!
Epilogue 3
Blair
“What’s wrong, Mommy?”
“Nothing, baby,” I answered distractedly as I tried to concentrate on Trevor’s at-bat while rubbing my lower back. “I’m just watching your brother.”
Dani reached behind me to put her little hand over mine. “Do you haf an owie?”
Jenna cuddled into my other side and frowned up at me. “Are you sick, Mommy?”
Their questions caught Imogene’s attention, and she leaned over Dani to stare at me. Her gaze dropped to my rounded belly after she took in the grimace on my face. Bending closer, she hissed, “Are you in labor?”
“Maybe,” I mumbled.
“How long has this been going on?” Imogene asked as she twisted around to hand their youngest over to Thatcher.
“My back has been hurting since I woke up this morning. At first, I thought it was just normal pregnancy stuff.” I pointed at my stomach. “You’d think that since I’m only carrying one girl this time that I wouldn’t be so big, but nope. I’m huge, and my back aches so much I was starting to wonder if they missed another baby again. Not that it could be possible with the number of ultrasounds Justice had them do this time around just so we wouldn’t be surprised again.”
Imogene held up her hand to stop the never-ending flow of my words. “Whoa! You’re getting off track. You don’t have to tell me how many aches and pains there are when you’re pregnant. After having four babies in four years, I know. But you do need to tell me if your back pain has turned into contractions.”
“Yes,” I panted as my belly tightened and a wave of pain crashed over me.