Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Sorry,” Dakota says again. “Just so you know, my brother is an idiot too, but he’s right that Elena can absolutely do better.”
“Aww,” my future sister-in-law swoons.
“I’m Christine,” my mom says. “I’m sorry about my sons.” There’s another round of laughter before Mom says to Sadie, “I like your shirt. That’s really pretty.”
She blushes. “Thank you.”
“And I heard you play basketball,” she tells Nash. “We have the hoop up for you if you want to use it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nash says, both my and James’s gazes shooting to him because what the hell was that? I didn’t know ma’am was in his vocabulary.
“Your hair is holding up great!” Tasha gives Sadie a hug, and she lets go of James and Nash to return it.
“I did everything you said both last night and this morning. Nash helped this morning.”
Hannah smiles at them. “You guys killed it.”
“Anyone hungry?” Mom asks. “We have food and drinks. I didn’t know what you guys liked, so I got a little of everything. Want to come look?”
Nash perks up at the mention of food, so Mom, Tasha, and Elena go over to try and feed the kids because that’s just what they do. James follows them over.
Hannah wraps her arm around me and drops her head against my shoulder. “I better get to be the best woman at your wedding,” she says softly.
“What about me?” Kota teases.
“You want to be the best woman?” she asks him.
“You know what I mean.”
“Arm wrestle you for it?” Han asks as Nash and Sadie pile finger foods on their plates, and I know everything will be okay.
CHAPTER THIRTY
James
Sometimes, over the last few weeks, I’ll just sit back and watch Colton or think about him. How light and silly he can be when the time calls for it, and how serious he can be when that’s needed. About the way he’s always there for people, whether it’s me, the kids, Hannah, or a random person around campus. I watched him once after class help a woman who’d dropped her bag and all her things spilled out. That may seem like a small thing, but other students just walked by. Not him. He doesn’t have it in him to just walk by.
And now, today, being around his family, I see where he gets it from. They’re great. He and his brother don’t stop giving each other shit. They tease each other all day, but you can see—no, you can feel—the love there. He helps Christine in the kitchen and gets up to get Tasha a napkin. He literally picked the mushrooms out of a portion of food for Hannah because she doesn’t like them and Christine forgot. Christine offered to make her more because she forgot, and all that is normal to them—being there for people, showing up for people, making sure those around them know they care.
And that’s not even counting how attentive he’s been to me, Sadie, and Nash. I don’t think he would leave my side all day if he didn’t have to, and I know that’s mostly for me—wanting to make sure I’m comfortable and don’t feel alone. What he doesn’t realize is, I haven’t felt alone at all since he came into my life, something I’ve never experienced before.
We’re all sitting around the living room, our stomachs filled with food, when Colton taps his foot against Nash’s. “Wanna play ball?”
I can feel my brother come alive beside me, the spark of excitement nearly catching me ablaze too. “I always want to play ball.”
“Come on. Everyone has to this time.” Colton stands and holds his hand out for me. “That includes you.”
“I’m not a real sports ball kind of guy.”
“That’s okay. It’s my birthday, and I want to play with you.”
He’s absolutely trying to bite back a smirk. He phrased it like that on purpose, and if I didn’t have my dick in a cage, I’d be sporting a chub right about now.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Nash says, but I hear the disappointment, the soft tone that says it’s not okay, that says he wants this from me.
“I’ll play.” I let Colton take my hand and pull me to my feet. “You too, Sades,” I tell her, and she grins.
“Okay!” She jumps up.
“Only if I get to be on the opposite team as you, big bro.” Dakota nudges him. “I need to show off for my girl. We’re gonna beat you.”
“You don’t have to show off for me.” Elena smirks, then mouths to me, “He’s not good,” and I can’t help but laugh.
Everyone gets up, including Christine, and we all put our jackets on. It’s a cold day, but not as cold as it could be this time of year. We have an odd number of players, so it’s me, Nash, Dakota, and Sadie against Colton, Hannah, Christine, Elena, and Tasha, with Christine and Tasha subbing for each other.