Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“I can hide her in my room.”
I nod slowly, as if I’m thinking it over. “How are you going to feed her? Take her out to go potty and exercise?”
“When they aren’t looking.”
I continue nodding. “Are you gonna steal your mom’s car to go get it?”
“No, I was hoping you would give me a ride.”
“You want me to be an accomplice to Puppygate?” I shake my head. “I don’t think I can do that, baby bird. Your mama would be mad at me, and I do my best to keep the women in my life happy.”
“I’m a woman in your life,” she says, so perfectly calmly, you’d think we were negotiating the price of a used car. “And it would make me happy to help me get my puppy. Her name is Tabitha.”
Jesus, she’s too smart for her own good.
“You’ve already named her?”
“Of course. She’s a rottweiler.”
I blink down at her. “Baby, you know those dogs are huge, right? There’s no hiding that from anyone.”
“She’ll be quiet.”
I chuckle and kiss the top of her head. “I love you.”
“Is that a yes?”
“That’s a heck no.”
“Aw, come on! I bet Uncle Blake would do it.”
“Then you should go charm Uncle Blake.”
She narrows her pretty eyes at me, then hops off my lap and goes in search of a different uncle she can manipulate. Bridger said he was throwing a couple of steaks on the grill the other day, but it turned into a full family dinner, and I’m not complaining.
I love my family.
“She try to get you to help her with the dog?” Bridger asks as he sits next to me.
“Oh, so it’s not the secret she thinks it is.”
“She’s already tried with Dad and Beckett.” He shakes his head, and I snort out a laugh.
“Here I thought I was special. Are you going to get her the puppy?”
My brother’s eyes sober, and he looks over at his wife, who’s rocking the baby back and forth while she chats with the other girls. “No. Dani’s finally okay with the cat that adopted us. I don’t think I could get her comfortable with a dog. Especially not the big one that Birdie wants.”
I fucking hate the asshole father of Dani and her siblings that abused them to the point where they’re afraid of common household pets. He deserved a far worse death than what he got.
“I think Mom and Dad might get a mid-sized dog this winter, and they’ll call it Birdie’s dog. That might pacify her.” Bridger takes a drink of his water. “How are you?”
“Never better.”
His eyes narrow. “We don’t lie to each other around here.”
Shaking my head, I push my empty plate away and sit back in the chair, watching my brother across the table.
“I’m fine.”
“Oh my God, I forgot to tell you,” Billie says, catching my attention, although she’s not talking to me. She’s with Dani, Skyla, and Harper. “Jules is coming to book club on Friday! I finally talked her into it.”
I feel my jaw tighten and Bridger’s eyes on me.
“Still fine?” he asks.
“I don’t attend book club,” I remind him. “So it makes no difference to me where she goes.”
Bridger nods and watches Birdie flit around, talking to everyone.
“It has to fucking suck,” he says at last.
“What?” I might pretend I don’t know what he’s talking about, but I do.
And yeah, it fucking sucks.
“Having her here again.”
“It was a long time ago.” It feels like it was fucking yesterday. “What she does isn’t any of my business.”
“We’ve had takeout from her place a few times. Birdie loves it.”
“Good. I’m a fan of anything safe for our peanut.”
“Jules told me that she thinks she might have celiac, too, but she’s not sure. She started the restaurant because of her own sensitivities.”
Is she sick? I don’t remember her having stomach issues when we were younger.
“Sounds like it was the right thing for her to do then.”
“You know—”
“Why are we talking about this?” I ask him. “I don’t want to discuss my ex any more than you want to talk about yours.”
“Point taken,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender. Dani walks over to us, and she looks a little tired as she kisses the top of the baby’s head.
“He’s getting heavy,” she says, and I stand before my brother can.
“I’ll take him.”
Dani carefully maneuvers the sleeping infant into my arms, then kisses my cheek.
“Thanks, Uncle Brooks.” She grins, then walks back to talk to the women.
The baby doesn’t even stir as I sit back down and get him comfy against my chest.
“You look good with a baby,” Bridger says. “You should have a few.”
“Sure. I’ll just go make that happen.”
He smirks. “There are ways.”
Shaking my head, I drag my fingertip down Bryce’s round cheek. The one person I could see myself having a family with is out of the question.