Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
It’s okay to fail. Everyone fails until they succeed. Just make sure you keep getting up.
Follow your dreams and passions.
One day, you’re going to like girls. Treat them the way you would want someone to treat your mom and sister.
It’s okay to cry.
Always try to use your words instead of your fists.
Always hold the door open for a woman.
Learn how to tie a tie.
Money can’t buy happiness, but money pays the bills, so get a job you love but can also pay the bills.
When picking a wife, remember you can’t do better than your mom.
It’s okay to be the man and support your wife, but it’s also okay to support her dreams.
Cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, and caring for your babies is not only the woman’s job.
A happy wife is a happy life.
One day, your mom will find someone new to love. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love me anymore. It means she’s ready to move forward, and I’m okay with that. Make sure he’s good to her and if he is, be supportive. One day, when your sister and you leave home, I don’t want her to be alone.
When your sister gets married, walk her down the aisle, and when you give her away, give her two kisses: one from you and one from me. The same goes for your mom.
And last but not least, always remember that I love you and I wish I were there with you. If you ever need me, know that I’m listening and am here with you.
Love always,
Dad
By the time I finish reading the letter, I’m a mess, and my heart aches. Miles sniffles and takes the letter from me, folding it back up. “I don’t know a lot of what he said,” he admits, “but I’m never getting a wife or moving out. I’m going to live here forever, and so is Evie.”
I stifle a laugh at his innocence and kiss the top of his head. “You both can live here for however long you like, but when you’re ready to move out one day, that will be okay too. And when you’re older, you’ll understand more of what your dad wrote. Just know that he loves you and is watching over you.”
I turn off his light and partly close his door, then head to my room. I can feel my phone buzzing in my pocket, and I’d bet it’s Brody or Hayden, but I don’t have it in me to respond. I know Peter said he wanted me to move forward, but I can’t help feeling guilty.
While the kids were away, it was easy to live in a fairy tale, feeling like a princess who had found her prince—or, in my case, princes—but the moment they returned, it was as if the clock struck midnight, and I turned back into a pumpkin.
“Night, Mommy!”
I give Evie an exhausted kiss good night, then go to Miles’s room to kiss him as well.
“Night, Mom,” he says, rolling over and closing his eyes.
It’s late, and I’m exhausted. Between Jessica quitting unexpectedly—she apparently applied for an internship without mentioning it and got it—and one of my ovens going out and needing to be replaced—which will take weeks because the part is on back order—which means it’s taking twice as long to get the baking done, I’m ready for this week to be over. The kids’ birthday is coming up, and I’ve done nothing to prepare for them.
As I brush my teeth and wash my face, I make a mental note to buy invitations and call to make sure the park pavilion is available tomorrow. Then I climb into bed, missing Brody and Hayden like crazy. I haven’t seen either of them since the kids returned almost a week ago, and like the amazing guys they are, knowing I need to take things slow because of my kids, aside from them texting to tell me they miss me and see how things are going, they haven’t asked or complained once. And somehow, that only makes me feel that much more guilty.
Since my eyes aren’t tired yet, I turn on my e-reader to read a chapter since reading always helps me fall asleep. The book I’m reading is about a poly relationship—I know, I know, how cliché—but even though it’s romance and obviously not reality, it’s nice to read about people in the same situation as me.
Of course, the part I’m on is where they’re all about to be together sexually, and as I read, I can’t help thinking about the last time I was with Hayden and Brody. When we spent the night at the cottage Upstate. We missed lunch…and dinner, but it was worth it. The way they devoured me, working together to pleasure me…
I continue to read, but unlike with my guys and me, in my book, while the men are pleasuring the heroine, they’re also pleasuring each other.