Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 135300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 541(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 541(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Kane slides his arm around my waist. I can practically see him holding in a belly laugh.
“He’s not half-bad,” he tells me. “Frankly, he’s cooler than I’ll ever be the day Sophie brings a boy home.”
Hilariously, I know that’s no lie. I’m just grateful I’ll get to be there for it.
Hattie comes up to Ethan’s other side.
“All this dick waving is making me dizzy,” she says, ruining the effect by giving Ethan the soppiest glance I’ve ever seen.
“We’re only in New York for a couple days.” Ethan slides his arm around Hattie’s waist. “Want to come to dinner before we head out?”
“You can bring the kids,” Hattie tells Kane quickly. “Margot says she designed some really cool shoes for your daughter, and I’d love to see them.”
“See?” I say to Ethan, pointing at my best friend. “This is what support looks like.”
Kane kisses the side of my head.
“Dinner sounds great,” he says. “Sophie can’t get enough of showing off her favorite shoes.”
I sigh.
It’s so sweet how much she loves them. I almost tear up every time I think about it.
“Feels like a good time to bury bad memories,” Kane says as we all head for more from the breakfast spread set up on the bar. My mouth waters at the delicious smells.
“Cheers to that,” Dad says, holding up a glass of black iced tea.
While he’s distracted, Ares trots over and steals a sausage off his plate.
“Good boy,” I whisper.
Dad gives the dog the stink eye.
“I’ll always be around to help Margot any way I can. As long as she’ll have me.” Kane looks at Ethan, the words falling like a solemn vow.
Forever, you lunk.
I can feel the brushfire on my face, slowly rising up my cheeks.
I load up my plate more than usual, if only to hide the embarrassment.
I love my fam, but we’ve never been good at being vulnerable.
Even when Ethan was spiraling, locked in a little cabin with empty bottles strewn around the floor, he wouldn’t face his feelings. Not until I gave him a serious reality check.
But now here we are.
Kane, cutting through the Blackthorn family freeze with his honesty.
Telling everyone how devoted he is, how much he loves me, without even dropping the big L-bomb.
“Okay, Gigi,” Hattie whispers in my ear as she joins me. “It’s official. You’re getting married.”
“Um, what?”
She just grins.
I glance back at my family, my parents talking with Ethan and Kane and the over-the-top breakfast Mom arranged for us. All in her ridiculously fancy living room.
Sometimes, you have to scratch the surface to find the love, especially in a dysfunctional mess like ours.
But if you look hard enough, you’ll find it.
And sometimes you’ll accept it like new skin over scar tissue.
PopPop would be proud of us today.
As Kane looks up, I smile.
All teasing aside, my bestie might be right.
If the day comes when this rock of a man pops the question and wants to make me one with the mountain, with his kids, with eternity, I can’t imagine any reason why I’d ever say no.
26
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME (KANE)
A Few Months Later
The lake house has a different vibe in the winter.
The fall was an explosion of colors and vibrance.
Now, as I drive Margot and the kids up the familiar gravel road to the front door, everything sparkles under a pure white sheet.
There’s snow everywhere, casting a thousand shades.
The lake looks iced over, the center still cracked, the water dark and still as ink splashed on a white page.
We’ve only been back once since everything went down with the Babins and Lee Glazkov. Just the two of us. Margot came up to see the property to take care of it, and I insisted on being by her side.
I wasn’t having her go alone, even with the danger neutralized.
Yes, the Babins are locked up and waiting for trial, but they tried to burn the place to cinders along with my woman.
Better to play it safe.
Coming here now hits different.
The expectancy in the air, the excitement seeping in from the back seat.
“See, kids? Your old man told you we’d be back,” I say as I park.
Dan and Sophie are already flinging off their seat belts and throwing their doors open.
“Don’t go down to the lake,” I call after them, but they’re already gone, sprinting around the back.
I’m sure they know better than to risk falling through the ice. I pounded it into their heads ten times over the past week.
Margot stops and stares at the wooden porch. The dusting of snow gives the place an added shine under its tired paint.
“You okay?” I ask. “Tired from the drive?”
“It’s just weird. Coming back here in the winter, I mean,” she says, smiling. “But it’s nice to see the kids so amped up.”
“They love this place. Almost as much as I do.” Since the munchkins aren’t watching, I give in to my obsession, taking her face in both hands and kissing her.