Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
I also enjoyed having everyone meet Chief Higheagle and her wife, Rosa, and Deputy Chief Sampson and his wife, Delilah.
“Really?” I asked him. “Delilah?”
“Like I’ve never heard that before,” he deadpanned.
Delilah winked at me as she walked by.
Meeting Luke’s crew was a treat for me, and especially José González Guerrero, his new foreman.
“I appreciate you being here to take things off his plate,” I thanked the charming man with kind eyes who brought his beautiful wife with him to our wedding. We’d invited their kids as well, but from what Belinda said, she was happy to have an adult outing without them.
“I love them,” she told me. “But they’re feral.”
I had a feeling we were going to be friends.
The neighbors on both sides were invited, and truly, it was the best day.
Later, on their way out, the last ones to leave, Owen gave me and Luke our second gift.
“Jared is sending the plane to take you and your family, including Wink, to and from Maine for Christmas.”
“No,” I said, absolutely stunned as Jared joined us, shaking his head.
“You needed to have tickets way before Thanksgiving,” he pointed out. “Tickets now, for five of you and the cat—are you serious?”
I stepped into Jared, who was still explaining how insane holiday travel was and how extremely costly. I hugged him, and he hugged me back.
“It works out this year because we’re hosting everyone at our house for the holidays,” Owen said. “Darius and Efrem, Dante and Noah, his daughter, Grace, and her new husband—whose name I can never remember, which is terrible because I was at their wedding.”
“It’s Stanton,” Jared imparted with a roll of his eyes. “How do you forget the name Stanton?”
“They’re not going to last,” Owen pronounced. “The man has no sense of humor, and Grace is funny and charming and…he sucks the joy out of every room he enters.”
Jared shook his head. “Dante’s daughter needed an anchor, and he is. I find him steady and solid. I’m a big fan.”
“Mark my words,” Owen said authoritatively. “But anyway, plane travel is on us this Christmas. Next year, you need tickets by July.”
“I’m all over it,” I swore as Luke slipped his hand into mine.
On the porch, waving as they left, I then turned to him. “You held my hand all day.”
“Yep. Didn’t want you thinking you should leave with anyone else.”
I shook my head at him. “You’re stuck with me now. There were vows, as you recall.”
“I know,” he murmured. He let go of my hand and stepped in front of me, at the same time pulling a ring from the right front pocket of his pants.
“What is this?” I asked as he lifted my hand and slid another gold comfort band onto my finger. This one was thinner than the ones we’d bought together and exchanged during the ceremony, but it had five round channel-set diamonds that caught the light and sparkled.
The door opened behind him, and I saw the kids clustered there, staring at us for a moment before I turned back to Luke.
“We,” Luke began, glancing at the kids for a moment before he returned his focus to me, “wanted you to have another ring that represented us as a family.”
“There’s a diamond for each of us,” Tatum chimed in, smiling.
“They’re not big diamonds like Owen’s,” Dar explained, “but each one is excellent quality. We talked to the jeweler.”
I smiled at them.
“The ring,” Griff said, then cleared his throat softly like he was having a bit of trouble speaking. “The ring will remind you of all of us, together, whenever you see it.”
“I don’t need a ring for that,” I husked, returning my gaze to Luke.
“I know, but this way, all you have to do is look down to know you’re the heart of our family, and you’ll carry all of us with you wherever you go.”
I nodded, gave him a quick kiss, then gestured for the kids, who rushed me. We had a big group hug, and then, since it was a bit frigid outside, went back in, where I hugged and kissed each one.
As I watched them head up to bed, it was after eleven, late for all of them, I realized there was no overwhelming feeling that they belonged to me, because I’d felt that way since before Luke returned home. I may have imprinted on them, but they’d done the same on me. I was never going to leave, and it was so strange to think about now.
“I’m sorry we can’t go on a honeymoon,” Luke said, back from locking and dead-bolting the front door and checking the garage and sliding glass doors. I’d heard him set the alarm as well. He was now as security conscious as I was. “But we’ll go somewhere in the spring. I promise you it’ll be—”
“It’s not necessary,” I stated, running my fingertip over the diamond ring sitting flush with my wedding band.