Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
It hadn’t occurred to me how much snacking I’d been doing until I didn’t have someone bringing me goodies every day. Dinners also became a lot more basic once I had to cook them. Unfortunately, I was also putting Joy on store-bought food. The spoiled little princess was not a fan, but she’d adjust.
“You’ve always been sexy to me,” Declan continued.
“Come on, flirt. There’s someone I want you to meet before dinner.” I waved him toward my car, waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ve got a pot roast in the oven. You’re getting my home cooking tonight.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Declan’s eyes light up. “With the potatoes?”
The man was addicted to those potatoes, and I was happy to make them for him for the rest of our lives if it meant I got to see that look of joy in his eyes.
“We’ll see.”
As I reached the car, I opened the passenger side door for him, but he froze when he peered into the back seat to find the car seat missing.
“Where’s Joy?”
“Sebastian and Byron volunteered to babysit tonight.”
Declan’s head snapped around, and I swore he stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You’re joking?”
“Nope.”
“Sebastian and Byron?”
“Yeah, Byron offered.” I leaned in and added in a whisper. “I think Byron is testing out the idea of them having kids.”
“Well, tell him to borrow Sebastian’s niece next time. They’re not allowed to test anything with our—your—I mean Joy. Sebastian has never even watched his niece on his own. They have no idea what they’re doing.” Declan’s face was turning red with every stammered and flustered word he said. It made me want to kiss him so badly, but I held back. There were things that needed to be done and said first.
Instead, I patted him on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I gave them detailed instructions about what to do and feeding. I also taught them to change the diaper.”
“But—”
“They have Franks on speed dial,” I added before he could argue further. Declan’s eyes widened as if he were surprised that I’d reached out to Franks about helping with Joy. But his body relaxed an instant later. “Franks and Donovan are on standby and ready to jump in if necessary.” It also didn’t hurt that Declan lived less than twenty minutes from Sebastian. They could be over to help in a flash.
“Okay,” Declan murmured and climbed into the passenger seat of my sedan.
Still holding on to the door, I leaned down so I could look him in the eye as I said, “You’ll see Joy soon. I thought it was important that we be able to talk, just the two of us tonight.”
Declan nodded, his expression clearing. “You’re right. Thank you.”
Feeling lighter, I hurried to the driver’s side and jumped in. We zipped away from Declan’s house and across town. I glanced at the clock on the dash and did some quick cooking math. Right now, I had about an hour to get this visit done and get us to my apartment so I could check on the roast and finish prepping the rest of dinner. Unless I hit some crazy traffic, everything would be fine.
The drive was quiet, but Declan wasn’t much for small talk, and that was fine with me. I broke the silence here and there with some stories about Joy or other weirdness I’d encountered in the last week without him. Actually, I did far more talking than I expected, but after seeing him every day for two months, I’d gotten used to telling him every tiny thing that crossed my mind.
“Tell me, honestly, do you think I talk too much?”
“No.” Declan’s answer was sharp and immediate. “Does it bother you that I don’t talk?”
“Nope. Never has. I know if you’ve got something important on your mind, you’ll tell me.” I glanced over at Declan out of the corner of my eye to see his frown deepen and heavy lines dart across his forehead. “What?”
“I think maybe I didn’t tell you enough of the important things.”
As I hit the turn signal, I bit my tongue to hold in my words and suppress my smile. I could guess at some things he probably wished he’d told me, but that could wait a little longer.
We turned into Spring Grove Cemetery on the west side of town, and Declan’s head snapped up. Tall oaks crowded the narrow road, their leaves changing from green to orange, yellow, and red. The car crawled along, passing endless rows of graves with a mix of simple headstones to elaborate edifices to the dead. In the distance, there was a white marble building with columns that looked as though it had been lifted out of Ancient Greece, while another spot held a mausoleum that reminded me of an old gothic cathedral straight out of Germany.