Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 154379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
I’d never felt anything more perfect in all my life.
THIRTY-TWO
PIPER
The evening had been…magical.
I really couldn’t describe it as anything else.
Theo and I were on the couch with Finn snuggled between us, while Nelly sat on the recliner that faced the television that hung on the mantel above the roaring fire.
The lights were dimmed as The Polar Express played out on the screen.
It felt like a whirlwind.
A dream.
Decorating the tree, sharing the delicious soup that Nelly had made, then curling up in the sanctuary of it all.
I’d changed into cozy pajamas, the same as Finn, and both of us had slippers on our feet.
Now, as the credits began to roll, my sleepy boy yawned from where he was tucked beneath a fuzzy blanket.
“I think it’s time we get you to bed,” I murmured into the hushed peace.
“I not tired.” Only he yawned again and rubbed a tiny fist in his eye, his blond hair sticking up all over the place.
A soft chuckle rolled out of Theo, his presence so thick I could taste him with every breath that I inhaled.
“You sure about that? If you stay up any later, you’re going to turn into a pumpkin.” Theo tapped a finger on the tip of his nose.
Finn scrunched it up with a giggle, wiggling his legs in front of him. “I not a punkin.”
Affection washed through Theo’s expression, though I didn’t miss the wave of wistfulness that came with it.
Nelly suddenly stood. “Well, I for one am spent after this exciting evening. I think I’ll take my little Finn here to sleep with me so I’m not lonely.”
There was no missing the gleam in Nelly’s eye as she pushed out of her chair and came shuffling our way.
“That’s not necessary.” It left me a wispy defense.
I wasn’t sure I could handle being alone with Theo right then.
Not when he had me feeling this way.
Like I was floating.
Free.
As if all of this could be a possibility.
“Oh, I’m not doing it as a favor. It’s purely for selfish reasons.”
“Because you wuv me?” Finn peeped it as she swept him into her arms.
“That’s right. Because I love you.” She smacked a kiss to his chubby cheek then set her knowing gaze on me and Theo. “Besides, I wouldn’t want my little man to suffocate on all the tension that’s clouding this room. It’s a wonder any of us are still breathing.”
I sent her a scowl, though it was soft. “You stop.”
“Just telling it like it is. Maybe you should start doing the same.”
She shifted her attention to Finn who clung to her side. “Now give your mommy a kiss and tell her to have a real good night.”
Another scowl, but it only lasted for the flash of a second since Finn leaned in my direction, his sweet face so full of joy and calm that I felt a rush of it roll through my being.
He gave me a sloppy kiss then pointed a chubby index finger at Theo. “Feo night-night!”
Nelly swooped Finn in his direction, and Theo reached out with those big, tattooed hands. Tenderly, he cupped Finn’s jaw and placed the gentlest kiss on the middle of his forehead. “Goodnight, Finn-Finn.”
Nelly was totally right. I couldn’t breathe.
Finn flapped a hand, then Nelly turned and plodded with him toward her bedroom. She paused in the doorway and wagged her brows at us from over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, this door will be locked up tight until at least dawn. You have the whole place to yourselves. We’ll leave you to it.”
She shut the door to the sound of Finn’s sleepy voice calling, “Night, Mommy and Feo!”
We sat there staring behind them for a few moments until Theo finally let go of a light laugh as he shifted in my direction.
“Does your grandmother make a habit of throwing you at the men who come crawling to your feet?” A soft ribbing filled his quiet words.
I rolled my eyes. “I hardly have men crawling to my feet.”
Another holiday movie had begun to play, the volume barely audible in the background.
That dark gaze slipped over my body.
In an instant, tension filled the two feet of space that separated us.
“I’m not sure how that would be possible,” he grunted.
I gave him a huff, voice hinting at a tease. “I think the shock and worry over coming up on that accident blinded you that first night. Or maybe you were the one who bumped your head.”
He drew a leg up as he turned to me, and the lapping flames cast shadows across his striking face.
Every severe angle etched in mischief and possession and lust.
“I was blinded, all right. Blind to everything else but the sight of you. Most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen.”
Heat warmed my cheeks, and my teeth sank into my bottom lip.
Theo groaned.
“You know exactly how to drive me wild, don’t you, Little Liar?” His words were gravel, and energy pulsed through the air.