Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
The afternoon couldn’t be going better. Simon was right, and they fell for Mia right away. She handed Mom the flowers, informed her she was hungry and she liked cookies, and that was that. Told her all about the pretty duvet covers we’d picked out and how much she loved to snuggle under blankets. She giggled at my dad and fell in love with Sheldon when he took her outside, pushing her on the tire swing we’d had in the backyard for years. Simon and my dad had a beer and bonded. He ate two helpings of my mom’s roast beef and polished off a huge slice of dessert, declaring her apple-cranberry the best pie he had ever tasted. He chatted with my brother about his work on a cruise ship.
“You must see a lot of great ports.”
Sheldon nodded. “I do, but it’s a lot of work. I’m one of the head stewards, and I never know what I’m going to get asked for or to do from minute to minute. It’s nice to be home and on a break for a while.”
“You must miss being home at times. Is it a lifetime career?” Simon asked.
“I hadn’t planned it to be, but the years have just flown by. But I love to travel. To explore new places. I take different contracts, so I can see different places. Some are four months, others are ten. Some I enjoy so much I sign on for a second term, but I usually move every year. I love being on the water. I don’t plan on doing this forever, but right now, it’s great. Room and board are part of the package, so I bank my paychecks, or at least most of them. I stay here or with friends out west when I’m off. No point in paying rent when I am never there. A bit nomadic, but I love it—at least for now. I figure another four years or so, then I’ll settle and figure out what I want with the rest of my life.” He grinned. “Maybe find a woman who wants to take me on. One who loves to travel and I can show her all the places I love and discover some new ones together.”
Mom interrupted him. “We love it when he comes home for a visit. Which isn’t often enough. And with Amy busy with teaching, it’s just us again.”
Dad laughed. “Between your gardening, quilting, volunteering, and bridge games, you’re rarely home either. I’m the one here, all alone.” He made a sad face. “No one else around.”
Mia climbed onto his lap. “You can come see me, or I can visit. Daddy can drop me off. You don’t have to be alone.”
My dad melted. Completely. My mom got tears in her eyes. I glanced at Simon, who winked.
“Told ya,” he mouthed.
I got up to take my plate to the dishwasher so I didn’t laugh.
He did, indeed.
It was almost dinnertime when we left. We hadn’t been out of the driveway for ten minutes and Mia was out like a light in the back.
“They wore her out,” Simon observed.
I laughed. “She wore them out. I bet they’re already napping too.”
He smirked, checking over his shoulder and changing lanes. “How old is your brother?”
“Thirty-nine.”
“Married to the sea,” he mused.
“He told me he’s never found anyone he was remotely interested in enough to try to stay in one place for. I think he is a bit of a Casanova on the cruises.” She frowned. “I hope he finds someone. He is a great guy.”
“Yeah, I liked him.”
I smiled and ran my finger down his cheek. “He liked you too.”
“Your parents were high school sweethearts?”
“Yes.”
“So long relationships run in your family. Marriage, ocean commitments, that sort of thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
“Your parents are on board. Told you I had the ace. They loved her.” He chuckled. “They insisted she call them Gramps and Gran.”
“They liked both of you.”
“Good. I liked them. It bodes well for the future.”
I sighed. “Mom asked when the wedding was. She’s as bad as you.”
He peeked at me, then put his attention back on the road. “I heard her, and I told her I thought spring was doable when we were alone in the kitchen.”
“Simon!”
He grinned. “No later than summer.”
“We haven’t discussed that. You are jumping ahead again.”
He shook his head. “No. You’re it for me, Amy. I already know that. I want to spend my life with you, and I want that life to start sooner rather than later. I’d marry you next week if I could.”
I gaped at him. “Simon, you seriously need to slow your roll. I recall you telling me we’d take it at whatever speed I needed.”
“Then you told me you loved me. That changed everything.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “I’m not pressuring you, Amy. I’m only saying what I’m thinking. I see us together. Raising a family, growing old. Enjoying life together. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what I feel, how you make me feel. I’m not going to change my mind. My feelings for you are only going to deepen. So why wait? Why not grab the moment and live it?”