Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Do you think that people will comment about how I’m missing a front tooth in my wedding photos?” Shayne asked, her head in my lap.
The doctor had given her a clean bill of health, but they were also worried about all the trauma she’d suffered lately.
But her ribs had held up just fine. She had no broken bones, or as of right now, no bruising anywhere but on her face.
She had a scrape on the left side of her face where it had made contact with the ground, and there was the missing tooth.
But other than that…
“No,” Ande said as she stared at the two of us. She hadn’t taken a seat yet, and we’d been in my place for twenty minutes. “I think they’re going to be looking at the bruising on Quinn’s face, the sticks and dirt in your hair, and the way you were both holding yourselves awkwardly. Or, possibly, your lack of wedding dress. I don’t think they’ll notice your missing tooth.” She hesitated. “But you could’ve smiled without showing your teeth. That would’ve solved it all.”
“Too bad you couldn’t do the sticking it back into the socket thing,” Hollis said. “I replaced a tooth like that last month. Just stuck it right back into the socket after they came in. Freaked the mom out. But it worked. I saw that kid at the grocery store last week and he still had it.”
“I’m just glad I still have a face, let alone most of my teeth.” Shayne sighed and sat up. “I’ve been wanting veneers, though. I feel like my front teeth make me look like I’m a donkey.”
“Jesus Christ,” I scrubbed my face, nearly groaning into my hands at the ache. “You are beautiful, Shayne. Missing front tooth and all.”
Shayne pressed a kiss to my hand that was still covering my face, and I dropped it to look at her.
“Are you okay, husband?” she smiled.
And damned if she didn’t look fucking adorable with that missing front tooth. “I’m fine. I’m just…”
“Processing?” she guessed.
“Processing,” I confirmed.
“How about we talk about who sabotaged your chute,” Auden suggested as he came into the room with his hands full of a parachute.
“That’s not my parachute,” Shayne said as she turned to face Auden, who looked like he was fuming.
“Actually, you’re right,” Auden confirmed. “I bought this one after getting a look at the one that the police have in their custody. I wanted to show you where it was cut.”
“Cut?” I sat forward, ignoring the pain.
“Cut,” he said, then went on and explained.
“That would certainly cause the chute not to open. I can’t believe I’d miss something like that, though,” Shayne admitted.
Auden turned to survey her. “You didn’t.”
Making everyone happy is impossible. Pissing people off is a piece of cake.
—Shayne’s secret thoughts
SHAYNE
I watched in horror as I stood there and practically allowed Elliette to sabotage my parachute.
“How…” I shook my head.
“Just watch.” Auden said as he cast his phone to the TV and played the video he’d pulled from the hangar.
There Quinn and I were, standing next to Tom.
Tom and Quinn were deep in conversation, and I stood back and answered a phone call from Ande.
As I was standing there, Elliette came up behind me, took a knife out, and made a few cuts.
I remember feeling the tug, but when I’d turned around, no one was there.
But she had been.
Behind the fucking pillar that I’d been standing against.
I groaned, pressing my hand to my forehead in disgust. “How the hell would I miss something like that happening?”
“Uh,” Ande scratched her forehead. “If it was our conversation, I could see how you would miss it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Keene questioned, looking angry.
Hell, the entire Carter clan was angry.
We all were.
And holy shit, I was now officially a Carter right along with them!
When Quinn had asked me to marry him, I hadn’t hesitated.
There hadn’t been a second thought in my mind at all.
I’d agreed, we’d gone down to the courthouse right along with the rest of his family, and I’d said yes.
Right then. Right there.
I was finished with my second-guessing of Quinn Carter.
After today, I would never, not ever, second guess anything when it came to him and our relationship.
You didn’t hide feeling like that. Not at that kind of moment.
“I, uh,” Ande looked queasy.
“She’s pregnant,” I said to the room at large.
“What?” Keene asked, standing up.
“Pregnant,” Ande confirmed.
“How?” everyone asked all at once.
“That’s not something that happens through an IUD and a vasectomy,” Gable pointed out.
A couple of months ago, Ande and Keene had agreed that they were done having babies. They both lived very busy lives, and they were happy where they were at in life. So they’d both made the decision to make sure that they wouldn’t have any more children, ever.
Keene had gone the permanent route, while Ande had gone the long-term but still semi-permanent route with an IUD… at least they thought.