Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
She laughs. I love her laughter and how it makes me feel alive and hopeful again. I wish it could erase my conversation with Tia, but that woman’s words stain like a permanent marker.
“Your new kitchen sink comes in tomorrow. I’ll have it set before you get home,” I say, slipping in a Bluetooth earbud and heading down the street.
“My fridge is being delivered on Thursday. Jamie said she’d be there for the delivery if I’m not home. I feel like so much has happened in the week I’ve been gone.”
“It’s looking great. And Lola has a surprise for you.”
“God, I miss her,” she says with a sigh.
If I don’t control my grin, I’ll show up at Diego’s with a dozen bugs between my teeth. Maren thinks she falls in love with me every day, but I fall deeper in love with her every second of every day.
“Be safe, baby. Okay?”
“I’ll do my best. Hug Lola and Bandit for me.”
“Bandit doesn’t like hugs.”
“He doesn’t like hugs from you because you abandoned him. But if you tell him the hug is from me, he’ll keep his claws in check.”
I chuckle. “You’re such a liar, but I love you anyway.”
Maren hums. “Say it again.”
“You’re a liar.”
“Ozzy.”
I glance behind me before turning the corner. “I love you.”
“Now I can sleep. It’s like a warm blanket and a kiss on my forehead.”
“If I were with you, I’d kiss you good night in far more intimate places than your forehead.”
“When you press your lips to my forehead, it’s very intimate. In fact, I don’t think a guy kisses a girl on the forehead until he loves her. It’s like a parent kissing a child on the forehead to see if they have a fever. It’s a loving gesture.”
Brynn used to kiss Lola on the forehead all the time. And last winter, when I wasn’t feeling well, Lola tucked me into my bed and gave me her favorite stuffed animal while kissing me on the forehead.
“We’re both right,” I say. “If I were with you, I would kiss you in so many places, but before you fell asleep in my arms, I would kiss your forehead.”
“I know. Good night. And I love you too,” she says before ending the call.
“It’s Lola’s dad!” Kai yells before opening the screen door.
“Hey, Kai,” I say.
“Where’s Lola?” She cranes her neck to look past me. “I haven’t seen her in forever.”
“She’s at her grandma’s house for the night.”
Kai frowns as Diego comes around the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel.
“Sorry. Dinner’s over,” he says.
“I ate.”
Kai spins on her bare feet and heads up the stairs without another word.
“Ozzy.” Cheyenne steps around the corner with her hand on her pregnant belly. “Good to see you.” She hugs me.
“You too. And you look amazing.”
She takes a step back and rolls her eyes. “I’m a mammoth.”
Diego hands her the towel and kisses her cheek. “You’re carrying our baby. That makes you a goddess. I’ll be out in the garage with Oz.”
“Then you’re rubbing my feet.” Cheyenne tosses her long black hair over her shoulder. “And my back.”
He nods toward the door. “I’ll rub everything.”
I step back outside, and he follows me to the garage.
“I’ve gotten myself into a pickle,” I say.
“A pickle, huh? Well, who doesn’t love a good pickle?”
“Tia and Amos are leaving if I don’t drop to my knees, beg for forgiveness, and vow to stay single for eternity. And while not having help might be fine this summer, I’m screwed when school starts.”
Diego retrieves two beers from his fridge and hands one to me.
“Is this about the blow job woman?” He takes a swig of his beer.
“Let’s call her Maren.”
He smirks. “Is this about Maren?”
I nod. “She asked me and Lola to move in with her.”
“Why don’t they like her?”
“Because she’s not Brynn.”
Diego shakes his head. “That’s messed up. It’s been more than two years.”
“It’s not like I was searching for her. She kind of appeared from nowhere. I’m not on dating apps. I rarely go out to bars or put myself in situations to meet women. And now I . . .”
Diego eyes me, waiting for me to finish.
I don’t. Instead, I drink my beer and admire the new rims on his Mustang.
“You love her,” he says.
“Yep,” I say, like I don’t want to love her. But I do. I want to love her. I want to move in with her. And if I don’t scare her away, I want to be the reason she doesn’t need a backup husband in two years.
“And Lola?”
“She adores her. And I haven’t told her that Maren asked us to move in with her, because when I explain why it’s not an easy decision, it will fall on her shoulders because she won’t get into a car or ride the school bus.”