Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Oh, what do we have here?” one of the guys asks.
“Hey, this is Eden,” Foster answers.
“Nice to meet you, but what’s that?” he asks, and everyone in the room laughs.
“Hi, I’m Rowan.” A woman steps forward. “That one”—she points over her shoulder—“is mine. Landry Reynolds. Welcome to our home. It’s nice to meet you,” she says, pulling me into a hug.
“Me next,” another says. “I’m Corie. That one over there”—she points to a tall man she was standing next to, who is holding a baby—“is my husband, Knox, and our son, Alexander. I’m so glad to finally meet you.” She, too, pulls me into a hug.
“My turn,” another woman says, bumping Corie with her hip, making the little girl on the other hip laugh and clutch her shirt. “I’m Bellamy. This is Coral, and that one over there is Reid. He’s ours.”
“Daddy,” the little girl says, pointing at him.
“That’s right.” Bellamy smiles at her daughter. “It’s so nice to meet you.” She smiles and steps back as another approaches.
“Hi, Eden, I’m Sloane, wife to Baker, mom to Camden.”
“That’s me!” A little boy wiggles out of what I assume is his dad’s arms and comes rushing over. He stops when he reaches me, and I bend down to his level.
“Hi, Camden, I’m Eden.”
“You pwetty,” he says, smiling.
“Hey now,” Foster says, scooping Camden up in his arms and tickling him. “Find your own girl,” he says, and Camden’s laughter, along with a few others, fills the room.
“I’m Amanda.” The final woman waves from a few steps away. “My husband’s not here, but I’m Bellamy’s best friend, and well, this group has kind of adopted me.” She smiles shyly.
“Kind of? Girl, you’re in,” Corie tells her. “Now, we have Eden, too.”
Her words slip straight into my chest and wrap around my heart. Instantly, I’m at ease, and my eyes meet Foster’s. He winks, and I shake my head with a small smile tugging at my lips. He was right. Today is going to be great.
“It’s nice to meet you all. I’ve heard a lot about you, but it might take me some time to put names to faces.”
“Like she said, I’m Landry, and we need to get back to that.” He points at the two dishes that Foster placed on the counter.
“Well, I made potato salad and cheesecake.”
“Marry her,” Landry says, reaching for the cheesecake, but his wife, Rowan—I think—smacks at his hand.
“Ro, baby, I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” one of the guys says. I think his name is Knox, Corie’s husband. I know the couples from hearing Foster talk about them, but getting the names to the faces might take me a bit.
“I mean, it is cheesecake. Homemade cheesecake,” Reid—maybe?—says.
“Ro, it’s homemade,” Landry whines, and I chuckle, unable to stop myself.
“Now that everyone’s here, we can eat,” his wife tells him. Landry reaches for the cheesecake again, but she again playfully smacks at his hand. “Dinner first, then dessert. We have to set an example for the kids,” she tells him.
“I spoil them. You spoil them. We all spoil them. Why can’t we spoil ourselves?”
She shakes her head and nods, and this time, when he reaches for the cheesecake, no one stops him. He quickly slices himself up a hefty piece, while we all watch.
“Ohmygodthisisthebest,” he says, with his mouth full.
“Thank you. I think.” I grin at him.
“Come on. Let’s eat,” Foster says, taking my hand, and we both jump right in and make our plates. We’re half inside, half outside, making room for everyone.
I sit back and quietly eat as I take in all the laughter around me. I can tell how much they all care about one another, about Foster, and that makes me smile. I’m happy for him. He’s found his place, just as I found mine with Carrie and her family.
“Okay, ladies, time to kick the men out,” Sloane says.
“But the kids can stay,” Corie adds.
“Daddy!” the little girl, Coral, says, clinging to her dad’s neck. He grins and shrugs, like What do you do?
“Daddy!” Camden mimics the girl and rushes for Baker.
“Fine, Alexander can stay,” Corie says, looking down at her son.
“I’ll take him.” Knox lifts their son from her arms. “You ladies chat freely,” he says, kissing her. “Yes, I’ll keep him out of the sun, and we’ll be right outside,” he reassures, before she has a chance to say anything.
“I’m not a helicopter mom. I promise,” Corie tells me. “I just love him so much.”
“No judgment from me. He’s a cutie. They all are. You all have beautiful families,” I tell them.
“Hey.” Foster slides his arm around my waist and kisses my temple. “You good?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine. Go talk with the guys. Do manly things.”
“We’ll take good care of her, number twenty-five.” Sloane winks, linking her arm through mine, and pulling me toward the couch and away from Foster.