Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
He looked across the elegantly decorated room and found her. His whole fucking beautiful life stood there in a black sheath dress that clung to her curves and made his mouth water. Her glorious red hair had only a hint of steel in it after all these years. But then he was pretty sure the woman was made of it. He’d never met a woman stronger than Erin Argent, and the joy of his life—the salvation of his life—was that he’d made her love him so much she dragged him back from hell.
His brothers often teased him about being the girl in their relationship. They could be toxic assholes sometimes, but he loved them. It never bothered him because he quite liked being Erin’s prize. It was a good thing to be.
“She likes to tell everyone how she did it. I believe it was an elbow to your solar plexus,” Devi said, sounding infinitely amused. “I know this is well-worn territory, but I still wonder how you thought it was a good idea to raid your brother’s company in the middle of a workday.”
“I wonder about it, too.” Because he really couldn’t remember. It was odd what came back and what didn’t. What surfaced at the strangest times, but lucky for him his baby would tell him stories. “I believe your mother would say I was an arrogant shit who stormed her castle and thought I would get away with it.”
It wasn’t true. He had been on a CIA team and following orders, though there had been something deep inside that told him when Ten Smith had ordered them to storm the building because he mistakenly thought his sister was in danger, he’d been excited. Not because of Erin. He hadn’t met her at that point. But at that point they’d met Ian Taggart and knew about Sean Taggart, and he thought he would have wanted to get to know his other brothers. He liked to think he’d been a young dumbass and the world had seemed like an adventure.
How odd to have gone through all of that and be right back here. Where his knees creaked and he had to worry about cholesterol and the world still seemed like a big, gorgeous adventure.
Devi threaded her arm through his and leaned her head against him. “Well, I personally think having parents who had an epic love story led your kids to find their own. At least with me and Zach. All Lou had to do was lay out a trail of sandwiches to get TJ to fall into her web.”
He snorted because that was so not true. “I think Lou would say there was a lot more to it.”
Devi and Zach had been much simpler. Zach had seen her, fallen in love, fucked it all up, and then wooed her back by kidnapping her and keeping her with a bunch of rescue animals. It had taken TJ and Lou years.
Louisa. His sweet daughter-in-law. He’d always worried about her working with the Agency, but she’d survived something horrific in those last few months when the team had fought Emmanuel Huisman and she still thrived. It had taken a while. It had taken love and therapy and a family surrounding her, but Lou had beaten all those beasts back and she was a wife and mom, and more importantly to the world, she was Lou again.
Devi stood up straight and her hand came out, catching the five-year-old trying to race by at breakneck speed. “Mitchell, what did I tell you? You cannot run around Top like it’s a park.”
“But Uncle Lucas lets us.” His grandson had the Taggart looks. Blond. Blue eyes. A smile that belied what would absolutely someday be a sarcastic wit. “He says the olds need a jolt of… It was something that starts with an A. I don’t know but Thea does.”
Thea Calliope Taggart. His first grandbaby. She had TJ’s smile and eyes, and thank the universe her momma’s intellect. Thea ran the little cousins’ group with smarts and kindness and joy. She was eight and would one day rule the world.
“And what did Thea tell you?” Devi asked.
Mitchell shrugged. “That I shouldn’t listen to Uncle Lucas because he’s going to get us in trouble with the grumps.”
“Do not let your grandmother hear you,” Devi said, glancing around.
“Eh, I’m okay with it.” The light of his life was suddenly beside him. Erin looked down at their grandbaby and winked. “If Big Tag can be Grumpa, I probably deserve Grumpma.”
She made him smile. He leaned over and kissed her. “You do not, sunshine.”
“Only for you, babe.” Erin knelt down with a grace that always took his breath away. She put her hands on Mitchell’s shoulders. “Sweetie, you should totally call your Uncle Ian an old. You should go do it now.”