Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Meanwhile, Autumn, Everleigh, and I are in the kitchen, sitting on the stools while we drink wine and chitchat about nothing and everything. Everleigh and Autumn have been best friends since they were Lucy’s and Saige’s age, so they are talking about stories from when they did sleepovers.
The doorbell rings, and Emmett gets up, going to the door and coming back with four big pizza boxes. “Jesus,” Autumn says as he places the boxes down on the counter near us, “how many people are you feeding?”
“Wasn’t sure how hungry everyone was,” he defends, coming over to me. “You got the plates?”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding.
“Who would have called this?” Brock ponders, putting his beer to his lips, smirking. “Emmett with his own woman”—Emmett glares at him—“and not trying to take someone else’s.”
“It’s called domesticated,” Charlie goads, laughing. “It looks good on him. Like a feral cat.” Emmett stares at him. “Don’t fuck it up.”
I look over at Emmett only to see him looking down at the pizza boxes, his eyes focused on nothing, but he looks like he’s in a trance. “Let’s eat.” He finally says and avoids looking at me. I watch everyone grab plates as they take pieces of the pizza and I stand here almost like a stranger in this house. Hating I feel this way and knowing tonight, after we talk about Derek, we are going to have another talk, and that one is going to at least let me know where I stand with him.
Chapter Thirty-Two
EMMETT
“We’re going to head out,” Charlie announces, getting up with a sleeping Billy in his arms. “Thanks for dinner.” He smirks at me as I glare.
“We need to do this again,” Autumn says. “It was so much fun.” She hugs Lilah as she walks over to kiss Everleigh’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“We should get going also,” Brock adds. “Saige,” he calls for his daughter, who comes bouncing into the room with Lucy behind her, the two of them in matching pj’s. “We are going to go,” he tells her as she gets up on her tippy-toes to kiss him.
“Okay, Daddy,” she replies and gives him a hug. “I love you,” she says, walking over to Everleigh and giving her the same hug she gave her father. I turn my head to watch Lilah, who is smiling at them.
“I want you to sleep tonight,” Everleigh tells her, “and then maybe tomorrow we can do a double sleepover.”
“What?” Brock says, exasperated. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea at all.” That makes us all laugh.
“Good luck, you guys,” Charlie says as he grabs Autumn’s hand and walks out the door.
“You two,” I say to both of them, “time to pretend to go to bed.” Which makes them laugh as they rush back to Lucy’s room.
“How long do you give them before the giggles start?” Everleigh looks over at Lilah.
“At least twenty minutes,” she responds as we walk Brock and Everleigh out.
“Call us if you need anything,” they offer. When they walk to the truck, Brock with his hand in Everleigh’s, they wait until the last second before they have to let go of their hands.
“Tonight was a good night,” Lilah states from beside me, and I look over at her and see her tired smile. “You okay?” she asks as she wraps her arms around my waist. “You’ve been quiet all night.”
“I’m fine,” I answer softly, trying to get my head to stop fucking going a million miles a minute.
“I’m going to go and take a shower.” She tilts her head back, and instead of kissing her lips, I nod at her.
She lets go of me, turning and walking back into the house with me following her not far behind. She goes to the bedroom while I go to the kitchen to clean up the rest of the dishes we dirtied.
The tightness forms in my chest as I clean up and I hear the words in my head again. “Don’t fuck it up.” I finish cleaning, turning the lights off before walking to the bedroom and peeking in, the two of them in bed watching the television. The both of them are not saying anything as the light is turned off.
The sound of the shower comes out from the other bedroom as I walk back out and head to the front door, opening the door and stepping outside. Breathing in as I sit on the step, I look up at the sky, listening to the quiet that is the night and hoping it helps quiet my head.
Tonight was a night I never thought I would have in my whole life. Couples getting together with me as one of them, with my own child. It was a little bit overwhelming and I tried to calm myself down the whole night.
I rub my hands down the front of my jeans, trying to stop the panic going through me. I put my elbows on my knees, leaning forward and looking at her truck parked there beside mine when the front door opens. “There you are.”