Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Uh-huh.”
“Oh cool. In that case, I’ll come and help you with the bathroom.”
Blair balances, discreetly shifting her weight onto her other foot, the move putting her directly in the center of the hallway, blocking my way. “No, there’s no need for that. Why don’t you go change out of your work clothes and we’ll spend the afternoon together? Far away from here. Far, far away.”
“No, really. We’ll get it done in no time if I help.”
Her gaze darts around the house as if madly searching for an excuse, and all I can do is lean back against the kitchen counter, crossing my feet at the ankles, getting way too much enjoyment out of this. “You wouldn’t be hiding something from me, would you?” I accuse. “Something like a big fucking cow that happens to be chilling in our bathroom?”
Her eyes widen like saucers, gaping at me for just a moment. “How the hell did you know?”
“The security cameras, babe. I knew what you were planning on doing with that cow before you even did. And for the record, we can’t keep him. What the hell would we even do with a cow?”
“Love him, Nick,” she says, hitting me with those big beautiful eyes . . . and cue the batting lashes. I’m a goner. She steps into me, looping her arm through mine. “At least come and meet him before you go and make a hasty decision. He’s sweet.”
I groan and let Blair drag me down to the bathroom, and when she reaches for the door and gives me a promising smile, I prepare for the worst. Only as she swings the door open, my jaw drops.
I was expecting a lot of things—a cow getting a facial, maybe it was getting a blowout, or having its hooves painted, but I wasn’t expecting to see the little fucker soaking in my bathtub like a goddamn queen.
“What in the fresh hell?”
“He was filthy,” Blair says. “We can’t have him living here if he’s going to stain all the couches.”
“Why the hell would he be anywhere near my couches?”
“You don’t expect him to sleep on the floor, do you?” she demands before answering her own question. “No, you’re right. The couch is insane. He probably couldn’t get up there yet. We should buy him a bed . . . or maybe just the mattress. Do you think he needs toys like a dog?”
I stare at the woman I have every intention of making my wife the second she allows me to. “You want to go and buy a mattress for a cow?”
Blair grins and steps into me, her hand cradling the non-existent bump at her stomach. “If Butterscotch is going to be a part of our family and be our baby’s sibling, then why the hell shouldn’t we give him an incredible life?”
“Butterscotch?” I question, glancing over at the cow who seems to be watching me a little too closely.
“That’s his name,” she confirms. “Well, either that or Guzzle Guts. You should see the way this thing drinks his milk. It’s insane.”
A smile pulls at my lips, and I pull her into me. “You really want to be cow parents?”
Blair pouts out her bottom lip before glancing back at the calf. “Look at that little face,” she tells me. “How could you possibly send him back out into the world to fend for himself when we can give him the best life any cow could want? Just think of him as an oversized puppy.”
“An oversized puppy comes with oversized shits.”
She grins wide, knowing she’s got me exactly where she wants me. “But he also comes with an oversized heart,” she whispers, pushing up onto her tippy toes and brushing her lips over mine. “Just like yours.”
Fuck.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I groan and reach for a towel. “Come on, then,” I say, nodding toward Butterscotch. “Dry him up. If we leave in the next twenty minutes, we’ll be able to catch the pet store before it closes.”
“YES!” Blair cheers, yanking the towel out of my hands and hurrying toward the cow. “We’re going to be the best cow parents. You’re not going to regret this.”
Then as she struggles to get the cow out of the tub, I have no choice but to climb in there with it and scoop its heavy ass out of the water. “I already am,” I tell her, and yet, I can’t fucking wait to see exactly where this goes.