Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
“Of course. I have always enjoyed your friends. They’re definitely interesting now that they’ve grown up.”
“Everyone at school never could understand why we were friends. We just clicked. Then when we found that book, I figured it was because we were all Littles and Daddies,” Amber suggested.
“That’s a definite possibility. I think you’re all very loyal personalities as well and you truly care about each other.”
“That’s true. I’d love if everyone ended back here together. I didn’t realize how much I missed them. I mean, we talk on video from time to time—but less as time passes.”
“You came home. I have a suspicion Colt bought the property adjacent to mine. I tried to buy the parcel of land closer to town, but it had already been claimed.”
“That would be such a coincidence,” she answered skeptically.
“Definitely. He hasn’t said anything about it. I’d suggest we let him share the news without mentioning my suspicion to Harper.”
“Okay,” she said with a shrug. A few seconds passed while they were each lost in their own thoughts.
“What are we doing today?” Amber asked, propping an arm across Rio’s broad chest.
“I’d like you to look at my house plans and see if there is anything you’d like to include or take out.”
“I don’t know how valid my opinion is. My architectural skills are limited. I always wanted a big outdoor space with a pizza oven,” she confessed.
“We can make that happen. I think we’ll need an entertainment space for your friends. They’ll all need a refuge to escape to.”
“And pizza!” she teased and then squealed as he reversed their positions to lie above her.
“Now I know the way to your heart. Dough, cheese, and sauce.” Rio leaned down to kiss her deeply.
“And hot pepper sprinkles,” she reminded him when he lifted his head. Unable to resist, she brushed her fingers through his sleep-tousled hair.
“Spice is important to life,” he answered.
“And limes?” she asked, catching a glimpse of Limey, who’d somehow ended up tucked between Rio’s pillow and the headboard.
“You boinked me over the head with Limey about two in the morning,” he informed her.
“Limey gets rambunctious sometimes. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, Ella. Limey and I are old friends.”
“I’ve loved him since you left him for me.”
“I’m glad. I wanted you to have something to hold on to as you left to go explore the world.”
“Did you mean what you said? That we could travel to Paris some day?”
“When do you report for work?”
“I gave myself two weeks to get settled and find some place to live before I start.”
“That item is already checked off your list,” he announced with a firm glance. “Let’s go tomorrow. We could spend a few days and return with time for you to unpack when your things arrive and be ready for work.”
“What am I going to do with all my furniture?” Amber blurted as she remembered her storage cube would come next week with all her belongings.
“We’ll put it in storage until you decide what you want to keep. This place came furnished.”
“You don’t have any furniture?” she asked as the beautiful room she’d napped in flashed into her mind.
“A few things. The original items that occupied space in your playroom are in the basement. Everything there now belongs to us,” he assured her.
“I’m glad. I seriously love that room. Did you mean what you said? We could go to Paris?”
“Do you have a passport with you?”
“In a file in my car. There were a few documents I thought I needed to keep with me.”
“Then I will arrange for tickets when we get up.”
“Really? We have to get ready if we’re going tomorrow. I don’t think I have the right clothes,” she worried. Pushing his shoulders away, she sat up to look at him.
“We can buy anything we need, Little girl. Unless you plan to go to L’Opera, I think you’ll be fine in jeans. A couple of nice dresses for dinner would be appropriate.”
Amber flung herself over Rio’s body to scatter kisses on his face. “I’m so excited.”
“I can tell, Ella. Shall we get up and make some plans?”
“Yes!”
Flinging the covers off, Amber instantly shivered as cool air enveloped her nude body. She dragged the sheet back over herself as Rio chuckled. “I usually wear pajamas.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I tuck you in bed at night,” he promised, sitting up to pull her to his warmth. “Although I don’t mind having your skin next to mine all night.”
“I liked it, too,” she admitted before grinning at him. “Paris!”
“Let’s get up and order tickets before you explode, Amberella. I can’t wait to show you Paris.”
Three days later, Amber sat next to the most handsome man in the world at a café on the Champs-Elysées.
“Et voila, Madame,” the indulgent French waiter pronounced as he poured a large amount of rich cream into her coffee cup to create the grande crème that she had become quite fond of already. Amber had been concerned that she wouldn’t be able to doll up her coffee with her customary four creamers and sugar, but leave it to the French to have the perfect concoction already, and for her Daddy to know what to order.