Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“Oh, good,” he says. “That took longer than I thought.”
“Well, it’s going to take even less time to send it back,” I say, and he stops kissing Ari and looks at me. “You can’t pay me for my house,” I say of the money he transferred to me. “My house is not for sale.”
“I’m not living here for free,” he says, glaring. “That is a rule.”
“You sent me five hundred thousand dollars.” I throw my hands up. “My house is worth less than that.”
He shrugs. “Oh, well.”
“I’m putting the house on the market,” I say, and he just looks at me. “I want to get a house that we both love. I want to get maybe another bedroom so we can do a playroom for Ari, and I want to have a guest room for when Zoey comes to town,” I say. “If that’s okay.”
“I think I found a house,” he says, and now I look at him shocked. “I spoke with Evan.”
“Nothing in the past two months has ever started good with I spoke with Evan,” I say. My man has stepped up his alpha tendencies, thanks to my brother whispering in his ear. I have panties that I can only wear with him because if something happens, he’s there to make sure no one sees them. I have jeans that have gone “missing” along with some shirts.
He ignores what I just said. “Becca set me up with a realtor, and I showed him pictures of this house, and I said I wanted this but bigger.”
“So it’ll be our house.” I put my hands on the counter in front of me as he nods. “So fifty-fifty.”
“If you mean you are paying for the house.” He looks at Ari. “That is a no.” He smiles at her. “Is Candace talking crazy?” he asks Ari, and she claps her hands again. “Yeah, I think so, too.” Then he looks at me. “It’ll be our house that I buy for us,” he says, getting up and coming around the counter. “And you can do whatever you want to it.” He puts one of his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “Now I’ve been without you for two days,” he says. “I need to get Ari down for a nap so I can get my welcome home bj.” He winks at me. “Rule number—”
I put my hand up. “You can’t use rules that I say during sex,” I say, and remember when I made the rule up right before he left. His face was buried between my legs. “It’s called temporary insanity.” He laughs, and when Ari rubs her eyes, he smiles.
“Give me ten, maybe twenty and be naked and ready,” he says.
Just so he doesn’t get the last word, I ask, “Do you want me to get really ready and break out the—”
He doesn’t let me say the word vibrator before he flips me the bird. “I’m just asking.” I shrug.
“I’m throwing that thing out,” he says, walking down the hallway to Ari’s bedroom. I pick up his bag and bring it into the bedroom and unpack it for him, and I get sidetracked folding Ari’s laundry when he walks back into the room ten minutes later, and he’s throwing his jacket on the desk. “Why aren’t you naked?” I laugh. “It’s been two days.”
“It has not. We had sex yesterday before you got on the plane,” I say. “My parents are on their way.”
“Now?” he asks, kicking off his shoes. “Like, this minute?”
“No, not now, but they are coming down for the home opener,” I say, and he nods his head. He has yet to meet them face-to-face, but we talk to them on FaceTime each week. “Are you nervous?”
“I mean, a little bit.” He takes off his pants. “But I’ve spoken to your father and let him know my intentions.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, shocked. “Did I wake up, and it’s nineteen fifty again?” He grabs me by the hips and takes the shirt out of my hand and tosses it back in the laundry basket. “I mean, I guess you would want the same when Ari moves in with a man,” I say, and he stops.
“Ari’s becoming a nun,” he says, and I laugh when he picks me up and carries me to the bathroom. “Shower sex, it is.” We stay in the shower until the water runs cold and I’ve came at least a dozen times. During which I conceded to him buying us a house.
The next night, he heads off to the arena to prepare for the big home opener. “Are you ready for the big night?” I ask Ari as I dress her in black tights and then slip the baby jersey that I had made for her with Ralph’s name on the back. “Look at you,” I say, grabbing the headband I also had custom made with a huge bow in the middle with the team logo. “Are you the most beautiful?” I say to her, and she claps her hands. I pick her up and snap a picture of us dressed the same, minus the big bow.