Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Are you?”
“Maybe a little, but he doesn’t have to know that.”
“Understood.”
We said our goodbyes, and I ended the call before shoving my phone back into my purse. I dropped it to the floor and settled back in the bed next to Luke. The playful energy from moments before was gone and was replaced with a heavy silence.
His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, and his shoulders were tense. Grief was written plainly across his face, so I gave him a soft kiss on the side of his jaw. He let out a breath and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest as I asked, “Did something happen to Smitty?”
“You could say that.”
“Did it have something to do with the fight?” He didn’t respond. He just gave me a look, letting me know he wasn’t going to answer, so I asked, “Is he going to be okay?”
“Certainly hope so.”
“Man, this not being able to talk about stuff is tough.”
“It can be, but it’s how it has to be… It helps keep our women safe.”
“Our women.” I glanced up at him and smiled. “It sounds like you guys have your own harem or something.”
“Not like that at all… Like I said before, we are family. And we do whatever it takes to protect family. Simple as that.”
“And the girl from earlier?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Good.” I smiled. “Now what?”
“You give me a chance to catch my breath, and then, I’m going to have my way with you again.”
“Is that so?”
“Unless you have something else in mind?”
“No, I’m more than fine with another go, but after that, you’re going to have to feed me.”
“I think I can manage that.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m glad you came tonight.”
“I am, too.”
23
GOOSE
“Can’t believe you’re actually doing it.”
“It’s been a long time coming.”
“You sure you’re ready to take this on?”
“No, but it’s too late now.”
The sound of my kitchen being gutted to its bones echoed through the house. Cabinet doors crashed against the floor, wood splintered, and Seven chuckled when the countertop shattered against the sledgehammer.
The way my brothers were going at it, you would’ve thought that demolition was a competitive sport. I was trying to unbolt the last cabinet from the wall when Memphis came up and gave it a hard kick.
“Careful, man. That one’s structural.”
“It’s a cabinet.”
“Yeah, and it’s been holding this kitchen up since 1974.”
Seven stepped over and gave it another firm kick. This time, the cabinet came loose, and the wall did not collapse. At least, not yet.
Seven gave me a look as he muttered, “You’re welcome.”
Across the room, Skid was prying off the old, rotten trim with surgical precision, making sure to remove every last speckle, and Rusty was busy busting up the old tile floor, tossing the broken bits into a wheelbarrow as he went. Sawdust and grime hung in the air like a warning that my house would never be the same.
But then again, that was the point.
The old gal had been waiting a long time for this, and I had, too.
I just hadn’t been all that motivated to get her done until now. I found myself wanting my place to be something I could be proud of, and that had everything to do with Presley. We’d been spending more and more time together, and we were slowly slipping into a routine that felt right in ways I never imagined.
I glanced over to the living room and spotted her sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Tallie. They were going through the various stacks of paint swatches, tile samples, and what looked like three different notebooks between them.
She wanted me to have options, and by God, there were plenty of them.
Hell, I’d never seen so many different shades of blue, and there were entirely too many options for flooring. It was ridiculous. Wood is wood. Blue was blue. But Presley’s eyes lit up any time she came across something she thought I might like.
What she didn’t know was I was more concerned about what she liked.
She was busy talking to Tallie, and she had that little crease between her brows, the one she got whenever she was really mulling things over. Unaware I was watching, she gestured toward the kitchen like she was planning a hostile takeover. “If he stays with the dark counters, the cabinets need to be lighter, or it will feel like a cave in there.”
“Caves can be nice,” Seven shouted back. “Dark and homey.”
“Caves are for bats,” Presley piped back.
Tallie snorted, and I felt my mouth pull into a grin. She wasn’t moving in. At least, not yet. We’d talked about it and decided to stick to the plan. We would take it slow and keep it honest. No rushing. No pretending that completing my remodel meant something it didn’t.