Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“It shows.”
“I have to go up and say goodnight to him. I’ll be right back.” I have to pull my foot away and stand up before the relaxing massage puts me to sleep.
“How about if I pour us a glass of wine?” he offers as he stands with me.
“Excellent idea. The kitchen is this way.”
He follows me as far as the kitchen, and then I branch off from him to go upstairs. I find Caleb already in bed, his sidelight on.
And he’s already asleep.
I can smell toothpaste when I lean in to kiss his forehead, and it makes me smile. He actually brushed his teeth.
“I love you so much, baby boy.”
“Love you, Mama.”
He doesn’t open his eyes with the words. He’s already too sleepy for that. And for just an instant, he’s not a ten-year-old with smelly socks and a mop of brown hair that’s screaming for a haircut.
He’s my baby. I can see the pudgy cheeks and smell that baby smell. It’s in moments like these that my heart fills to almost bursting with all the love that I have for this little human that I created.
“Sleep good.”
“Hmm.” He rolls onto his side as I turn out the sidelight and walk to the door. I close it behind me because Caleb always demands pure darkness at night.
I tried a nightlight when he was little, but he wanted none of it.
My kid isn’t afraid of the dark at all.
I don’t make it back to the TV room because I find Drew still in the kitchen, casually leaning back against the countertop, a glass of wine in his hand.
When I walk into the room, his eyes light up, and it sends a jolt right through to the very core of me.
“He’s already out,” I inform him as I step forward and take the offered glass of white. “Do you want to go chat in the game room?”
“Honestly, I’d like a tour of this incredible house. I want to see it through your eyes.”
“Showing off this house is one of my favorite pastimes,” I inform him. “I bought it about five years ago, but before we moved in, I had a major renovation done to update everything. The house was built in the nineties, and it was pretty outdated.”
“This kitchen is great,” he says, looking around. I follow his gaze.
It’s a white kitchen with a massive island that I absolutely love for baking Christmas cookies.
“Check it out.”
I move to the tall cabinet next to the stovetop. It looks like a small pantry, but when I open the door, I reveal a massive butler’s pantry behind it.
“Whoa,” Drew says in surprise. “A secret room.”
“That’s exactly what Caleb said,” I reply with a laugh. “I love this space. I don’t host parties often, mostly during the holidays, but it’s so nice to be able to hide the mess back here. People tend to congregate in the kitchen, and this makes it possible for me to keep my kitchen clean while still using it, if that makes sense.”
“Makes sense,” he replies with a nod. “What else do you have hiding around this place?”
“There are quite a few fun things, actually. Here, let’s start at the front door and work our way through from the beginning.”
“Deal. Wait.”
He hurries past me, opens the front door, and steps outside. Thankfully, he doesn’t ring the bell and wake my son, but he knocks on the door softly.
“Who’s there?”
Chapter 7
Drew
“Who’s there?”
I can’t help but chuckle. God, is this the same woman that irritated the hell out of me just a short time ago? She’s completely wormed her way into my life and my thoughts, and she didn’t even try.
She’s now a fixture that I can’t imagine doing without.
“Drew,” I reply loud enough for her to hear, and she swings the door open, grinning up at me with humor.
And I realize, without a fucking doubt, that she’s mine.
“Drew?” she asks, her brows pulling into a frown when I don’t say anything.
“Sorry.” I clear my throat. “It must be the wine. Lead the way, madam.”
Her face relaxes once more, and she offers me her hand. I link my fingers with hers, and she shows me the entryway that still knocks me back a half step. The ceiling in here is impressive.
Then she leads me into a study, an office, and a guest suite complete with a walk-in closet and an en suite bathroom.
This suite alone is bigger than most apartments.
“My favorite part of this room…” London says with a grin as she pushes on a panel in a bookshelf. It pops open, revealing another room. “Is this.”
A library.
“Should I just call you Belle?” I ask as we walk into the hidden room.
“It’s not that big,” she replies as she lowers herself onto a plush reading chair. “I like to hide in here sometimes.”