Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 48808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
"I didn't even do anything," she lies.
"Oh, really? Is that why I'll be sitting across from our parents with a raging hardon all night?"
Her soft laugh hits me right in the heart. She may be nervous, but she'll be fine. We both will. We're not running a gauntlet here. We did that shit a long goddamn time ago. Now, we're crossing the finish line to meet the people who were cheering us on the whole way, even when we didn't hear them.
I kiss her again and then lift my hand, rapping on the door.
Judging by how fast Aunt Cadence throws it open, she's been waiting on the other side. But if she heard anything we said, she doesn't mention it. She just takes a look at the two of us wrapped up in each other, and a bright smile stretches across her face.
"I'm so happy for you!" she cries, flinging her arms around both of us in a fierce hug.
Before she even pulls back, I see my Ma crowding into the doorway behind her, flanked by my dad and Uncle Colton. Ma and Pops are smiling. Colton looks…okay. He isn't glaring at me like he wants to stab me in the throat, anyway.
He meets my gaze, his somber. But he doesn't get a chance to say anything before Aunt Cadence shifts over and Ma pulls us into a hug, whispering something in Chloe's ear.
"I'm so proud of you, son," she says to me, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "You're going to be an amazing husband to this sweet girl."
"Ma," I whisper, my throat tight as I squeeze the shit out of her.
"Alright, alright, let them breathe, baby doll," Pops orders, his voice light as he gently detangles Ma from around us, tugging her back inside the house. His eyes come to me, his expression a mix of pride and amusement. "Good to see you finally got your head out of your ass."
"Eli!" Ma swats him across the stomach. "Leave my son alone."
"Yeah, Uncle Eli," Chloe says, coming to my defense with her chin in the air and a stubborn glint in her eyes. "Maybe it wasn't him that needed to get his head out of his butt in the first place. Maybe it was me."
Pops grins at her, pulling her in for a hug. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm just teasing. We've been waiting a long goddamn time to finally get to call you our daughter. You two kept us waiting long enough."
She glances up at him, blinking like she's surprised. "You knew?"
"Everyone knew, baby girl," Uncle Colton answers for him. "We've known since you were kids. We've just been waiting for the two of you to figure it out."
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, her expression rueful. "Maybe we already knew," she says, glancing away from her dad. "Maybe we were just…afraid you wouldn't approve?"
"Jesus," Colton growls, nudging Pops out of the way to pull her into a fierce hug. "You don't ever break your own heart again to spare mine, you hear me, Clo?" His gaze drifts to me. "You either, son. You love each other and let us worry about the rest."
Jesus.
My throat is so fucking tight I can't make a sound. All I can do is nod in response. But hearing him say it? Knowing he isn't pissed that I'm stealing his baby girl? Goddamn, that feels good. It's like the last bit of weight on my shoulders just…dissolves.
"Dad," Chloe cries softly, burying her face in his throat.
He hugs her tight, whispering something in her ear that makes her choke and then giggle. And that sound tells me everything I need to know. Maybe we did everything backwards, but we still ended up precisely where we were meant to be.
Together.
"Are you coming back home?" Aunt Cadence asks Chloe halfway through dinner.
"Um…" Chloe darts a quick look in my direction.
"She's coming home with me," I say firmly. We talked about it last night, about what the future looks like for us, where it is, and what we want. And, not gonna lie, I want her in my bed, in the house I built for her. Every brick, every board, every piece of furniture was chosen for her. It's beyond time she's in it with me.
Chloe shoots a nervous look at her parents, like she's worried what they're going to say about her moving in with me right away, but Aunt Cadence just nods like she expected as much. Colton doesn't look thrilled about the prospect of his baby girl moving four hours away, but he doesn't shut it down, either.
"Eli and I will help you pack up her apartment tomorrow," Colton says.
"You don't have to do that," Chloe objects. "We can handle it."
"Doesn't mean you have to, Clo." He chews a bite of steak and then swallows. "One day, you're going to learn that you don't have to do everything on your own, baby girl."