Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Cian ran his hand reverently down the board then set it gently against the back of the couch and strode toward me. I jerked in surprise as he yanked me into a hug.
“Thanks, Mam,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re the best.”
“Glad you like it,” I whispered back. “Thank you for always going out of your way to have my back. I couldn’t do life without you.”
Cian nodded against my shoulder, still gripping me tight.
“This is so cool,” Ronan said excitedly.
Cian jerked away and spun toward our brother. “Don’t touch it,” he ordered, striding back toward his present. “Hands off.”
“Can I try it?” Ronan asked, completely unperturbed.
“Let’s give Cian a chance to break it in first,” Aunt Ashley said with a laugh. “You should turn on the porch light and take it out back on the patio.”
“Awesome,” Cian said, immediately heading for the back door.
As soon as he was gone, Richie leaned down close to my ear. “He calls you mam now?”
“It’s a new development,” I replied, still looking toward the door Cian had gone through.
“Huh,” he mused, leaning away again.
It took a long time for the kids to settle again after the excitement, and we all went to bed really late that night, the kids in the room we’d been sharing while Richie and I went out to sleep in the bed of his truck. I was pretty sure Aunt Ashley thought we were crazy, but she just watched us with an amused smile as I grabbed my pillow and followed him outside.
There wasn’t really any good place for Richie to sleep inside except the couch, and since both of us would never fit there, and I refused to sleep without him again, the truck was our best option. I stood by the tailgate while he spread out the sleeping bag we normally used and zipped another one to it.
“We’ll be like a burrito,” I said as he boosted me into the back of the truck.
“Believe me, you’ll be happy they zip together when it gets cold tonight,” he said following me up.
“Want to share my pillow?” I asked, grinning as I climbed inside. It was nice and cozy, the flannel inside soft against my bare legs.
“I knew I forgot something,” he joked, smacking a duffel bag that he’d shoved to the side to make space for our bed.
“Did you bring everything you own?” I asked, looking at the full truck bed.
“Didn’t know when we’d be back to get stuff,” he replied, crawling in beside me. “So, I brought everything I thought I might need.”
“Including tools,” I mused, staring at the toolbox by my head.
“Have to work, baby,” he reminded me. “Wherever we’re living.”
“You were really prepared to move out here,” I said softly, almost to myself.
“Told you that.”
“I know, I just—”
“Didn’t believe me?”
“Nothing has ever gone right,” I said, laying my head on his shoulder. “I believed you, I just have a hard time trusting it.”
“We’ll work on that,” he said groggily.
I smiled as I stared at the night sky. I wondered if we’d fool around, but as his breathing slowed into the familiar snuffling sounds, I cuddled in closer and closed my eyes. I wanted his hands on me, but we had plenty of time.
It was the first night since we’d left home that I didn’t wake up once.
We spent the next day getting ready for the trip back. Oddly, when we’d left we’d been able to pack and head out in less than an hour but it took all day to round up everything we’d brought with us. Cian and Richie went into town to get my tire fixed and rent a trailer so we could pull my car behind Richie’s truck. I wanted to argue with him about the expense, but neither of us wanted to spend all day apart so soon…and I had to admit that I wasn’t sure my car would even make the trip back.
Ronan, Saoirse, and Cian agreed to ride with Aunt Ashley in the motorhome, excited about the novelty of being able to walk around while she was driving—even though she assured me she wouldn’t let them—but Aisling insisted on riding with me and Richie. I hadn’t really noticed how clingy she’d become because we were always together, but once Richie was there, and we never had a moment alone it was glaringly obvious.
I figured it probably wasn’t abnormal after all the upheaval, so I pretended not to notice.
Monday morning, we headed east again. As we passed the spot where I’d run over the tree branch, I told Richie the story about the bikers who stopped to help us while Aisling peppered in extra details she remembered. He laughed a little at my description of Cian kicking my flat tire, then grew serious as I described watching him disappear down the hill. His hands were tight on the steering wheel until I was finished, and the look he shot me warned me of all kinds of trouble if I ever pulled such a stupid stunt again.