Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
He tucked his hands back into his pockets and nodded. On the pivot, I jogged back up the steps and lifted West over. He was handsome and dashing in his normal cowboy wear, but today, we were all color coordinated so his pearl button shirt was a fancy color.
I placed West on the step beside me. He could walk down without a problem, and hoisted Hunter up. I kept hold of him against my side as I started down. So maybe ten full seconds had passed since I pulled Fisher over, and my boy was already climbing over the bottom gate to get to the other side. “Hey! Fish, don’t you do it.”
He grinned proudly, clearly thrilled with his progress, and nodded his understanding while trying to move faster to get over the gate before I got to him. With Hunter still tucked under one arm, I made it to Fisher when his second leg rounded the top of the gate. I managed to grab the waistband of his khaki trousers to keep him from falling to the floor. “Fisher, you must behave today. This is not behaving.”
“I think he should stay upstairs with Abuela. No chance, he’s good on his own,” West commented, clumping down the steps in his boots.
West wasn’t wrong. I put Hunter on his feet and adjusted my grip on Fisher to bring him eye level. He looked less like me than the girls did, but he was still a cute little guy, with a good nature and free spirit. Even if I was quite possibly looking down the well of many different prison stays with all the trouble he was bound to get into. “Fisher, are you going to be good for me today?”
It was the same smile and nod as seconds ago. Such a charmer. “Yep.”
“Good boy,” I said. Either he didn’t understand the meaning of “yep” or he just thought it was easier to agree with me and do what he wanted anyway, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I didn’t believe him. “And do you remember the code word we say whenever you need to settle down?” I asked.
“Fisher,” he blurted and began kicking his feet in the air.
“Correct,” I said, and put him down on the other side of the gate. “Please listen to us today. We have to be gentlemen while our company’s here.”
Shockingly, he stayed still as I opened the gate, and the other two boys went through. The rest of my pretty family followed into the space between the kitchen and living room.
The girls were in the same style dresses, adorned with flowers in the yellow and blue color palette the rest of us wore. Their sandals matched too. Fisher and Hunter wore the same outfits all the way down to their new runners.
I recognized the inequity for the girls. Each one had developed their own sense of style as well, but they were adorable when dressed alike. And today, how they appeared mattered more than their feelings on the matter. Yes, I was certain therapy was in their future.
“You look pretty,” I said to Ava.
“Daddy, I look like a clown,” she said, passing me.
“You can do this for me and Paw. It’s for an hour tops. We’ll take pictures first. You’ll then talk to the reporters and say only nice things about our lives. After that, Gigi’s waiting for you because I don’t trust any of you not to be heathens.” The children gravitated into a single file-line. “You look very nice,” I said to Livie.
“You do too, Daddy,” she said. I beamed at the compliment made from manners we instilled in them, not from any inspection she gave me. “I like the sandals because the flowers match the dress. I like when things match.”
All three girls had skipped first grade, going straight into second grade, but Livie’s intelligence was off the charts. She was so smart that it was becoming apparent that she was far more advanced than the courses she was being taught.
“Beautiful as ever, Mia.”
“I’m meh about it.” Mia passed, hopping off the last step then twirling her dress in a circle. “I like how flowy it is though.”
Then, my guy brought up the rear. “Meh?” he teased Mia.
I swear time froze for me. He captured my attention and held it until he broke the spell, moving past me. “The color suits you.”
I knew suits made him uncomfortable, so I opted for a snug, high-end athletic-style shirt and a pair of starched new blue jeans. Wranglers really highlighted both the front and the back of his body. New runners, the same style as the boys, brought the look together.
“Fisher, stay on the kitchen side of the house. Hunter, you stay on this end.” Beau had hold of Hunter’s shoulder and placed his back against the wall. “Troops, line up for inspection.” Beau began to walk the line of our children, using a playful military tone. At the same moment, the doorbell rang. I left him to tuck in shirts and straighten pleats and bows. He also gave each one of them small words of encouragement.