Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Bane and I relaxed in a booth, talking, laughing, and making out while he worked—just enjoying each other’s company.
Soon, he returned with the most expensive cake in the world, and we left for home—my home. I thought that every time I found the Fairfield in the skyline.
I’m home.
We pulled inside the parking garage, climbed out, and headed inside, waving hello to Thatcher on the way in.
The noise from the party hit us before we turned the corner for the terrace, finding our whole family laughing and dancing under the stars.
Adeline, her husbands, and their oldest daughters chatted around the fireplace while they took charge of smore duty—melting, assembling, and putting them on plates as fast as the kids were snatching them up and devouring them.
Sunny, River, and Ryker manned the grill on the other end of the terrace, having a heated argument over grilled meat and vegetables. Three people could not be least alike, or argue more, but I’d never seen a friendship stronger.
As strong as Ryker’s relationship with his girlfriend of two years—
“Kenzie, there you are. It’s about time. You see, folks, this is what I have to deal with?” Lyla said, pausing to kiss Ryker’s cheek before coming over to chew me out. “Running a business with someone who doesn’t own a clock.”
“Haha.” We exchanged warm kisses on the cheeks. “Last I checked, that business is one of the most successful fashion boutiques in Cinco, with another one opening in New York this summer, so it can’t be all bad.”
She grinned, winking. “It’s bad enough.”
“No one believes that,” Sienna spoke up. “The only person Lyla loves more than Kenzie is Laurel. Right, Mom?”
Our mother smiled at all of us as she sat next to the fire—happy and free. The last bit in no small part due to the heartfelt pleas delivered to the parole board by Lyla and her mother. “That’s right. I’d swear you two were twins if I didn’t witness myself that the doctor only pulled one baby out of me that day.”
We laughed, broken only by Laurel running up and jumping on Sienna’s lap. “Yes, Auntie?”
“Oh, I was just saying how much your auntie Lyla loves you.”
“That’s right I do,” Lyla cooed, holding out her hands and catching Laurel when she ran giggling into them. “Who’s my favorite girl? Huh? Who does Auntie love more than anything?”
“Me! Me!”
My heart melted into a puddle watching my sister with my perfect girl. Every day I pinched myself, but Laurel remained a high-energy, rambunctious five-year-old—racing throughout the Fairfield like she ran the place and everyone in it.
“Baby girl, did you finish your packing?” I asked. “We’re going to visit your brother tomorrow, remember?”
Yep, the next day, we were jetting off for Laurel’s monthly weekend with Damien, Talia, and Jeremiah. Damien still wasn’t father of the year, but after adopting Jeremiah, he finally started to wake up to what a massive asshole he’d been.
One weekend every month wasn’t much, but Laurel looked forward to it just as much as Damien, Talia, and Jeremiah did.
“I did it, Mommy,” Laurel confirmed. “I did it all myself.”
“Oh, really?”
Liam slid up to me, tossing me a covert headshake. He may have been forty years old, but the man was lean, hard, sexy, and gently greying like the fine-ass silver fox daddy he was. “Not a chance,” he muttered. “What she means is she supervised me packing her bag all by herself.”
I laughed. “That sounds about right. And thank you,” I said, kissing him hello. “I missed you.”
“You better have,” he growled, kissing me harder. “It’s been a whole six hours since I got my hands on you. You better have missed me so much, we need to go downstairs and do something about it.”
“Oooh.” I shivered. “Yes, please.”
“Mom.” Elizabeth pushed between us, snapping me back to reality. “How come I don’t get to go with Laurel to New York?” Her pout was out in full force. “She’s my sister, and sisters do everything together. Like you and Auntie Si and Auntie Lyla.”
Liam and I exchanged smiles over her head. We’d been having trouble explaining the family dynamics to Elizabeth, and why she couldn’t stay overnight in the home of a guy my guys still hated with all their guts. But even so, I loved how close my girls were. They loved each other the way Sienna and I always loved each other. They had each other’s backs—forever.
“You are absolutely right,” I said. “So how about this? Tomorrow, you, Laurel, Jeremiah, me, and Daddy are going to spend the whole day together in Central Park. Sound fun?”
“Yeah!” She ran off. “Laurel, did you hear? I’m coming too!”
“Are Damien and Talia on board with that?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, I already cleared it with them. They’re actually looking forward to having some alone time. They’re going to make a date of it.”