Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“No need to worry about spoilin’ a child with too much love,” Grace “Nonny” Fontenot assured, a smile on her face as she watched the interaction of the children in the play yard. “There really is no such thing. Lovin’ them and at the same time givin’ firm boundaries will see to it that your child will grow up healthy and responsible.”
Diego laughed. “Seriously, Nonny? You’re going to say that with a straight face? You have those boys to raise, and I can tell you, they’re wild as hell.”
Leila gasped and nudged him. Don’t say “hell” to her.
“Sweetheart,” Diego said aloud, “she has four grandsons. Raoul is just plain psycho and she knows it. He goes by ‘Gator’ and thinks he’s funny. She had no idea what he was doing half the time when he was growing up. There’s Wyatt. You’ve met him.”
“He seemed very nice.” Leila eyed Nonny warily. She really liked the woman. Nonny exuded warmth and had welcomed Leila and Grace into her home immediately. She had taken Grace onto her lap and talked to her softly, exclaiming over having the same name. Grace had taken to her instantly. The last thing Leila wanted to do was upset her by calling her grandsons wild.
The entire house was a monument to family. Going up the stairs were photographs of the boys as they grew. At the bottom of the stairs were two hand-carved chests containing handmade quilts and other precious things for her grandsons’ wives. Diego had explained what a hope chest was. Traditionally, a woman had a hope chest to collect linens and other items in preparation for marriage. Nonny had longed for great-grandchildren, so she’d had each grandson carve a hope chest for his future wife. Nonny then filled each with handmade quilts and other things she thought their brides might want. Leila loved the idea and silently vowed she would have one for Grace.
Nonny sighed and gave Leila a resigned grin. The expression made her look like a very young woman. “Unfortunately, Diego is tellin’ the truth. My grandsons are a wild bunch. Good, steady boys, but tryin’ to get them to go to school and stay out of fights was impossible.”
“But they take their responsibilities seriously,” Diego said. “And they are the best with children. The absolute best. I hope to parent Grace the way Wyatt does his girls.”
Nonny beamed. “He is a good dad, but we have a lot of help here. Remember that, Leila. I know the boys can be intimidatin’, but each of them helps with the children. They contribute knowledge and various other needed skills. They’re all good with the girls.”
Leila had met many of the men on Diego’s team. She was used to being around enhanced soldiers, and she wasn’t exactly intimidated. Still, trusting her daughter to strangers was not in her nature. That would have to come with time.
“It’s quite beautiful here,” Leila told Nonny. She had never been to Louisiana before. She’d trained in a multitude of environments, but this swamp wasn’t one of them. No one was going to send a soldier into known GhostWalker territory and risk losing them just for training.
Nonny preferred to sit outside on her porch where she could look at the river and forest, as well as watch the children in the play yard the men had constructed for them. If Leila had such a view, she might live on her porch. The breeze came off the river, cooling the heat of the swamp. At night, a million stars were on display. There were no lights to outshine them. The sounds of branches and leaves whispering in the wind added natural music to the character of the swamp. The sunsets and sunrises had to be spectacular.
“I’m envious of this spot, Nonny,” she admitted.
Diego leaned into her and brushed a kiss along her cheekbone. He did that often. He liked touching her. Holding her hand. Kissing the top of her head or giving her a more intimate but chaste kiss on her lips. Each time he did, her heart reacted. Her nerve endings rushed to life. Her entire being seemed to reach for him.
Leila sat in the rocking chair beside Nonny, switching her gaze from the play yard to the river to the forest and back to Nonny. Diego stood just to the right of her chair and a little behind her. His hand was on her shoulder. Occasionally, his fingers would do a slow massage, easing knots she hadn’t known she had. He did that without fanfare, yet she was very aware of the flow of energy between them.
Support. It was silent, but he was there, standing with her, his touch a solid commitment, a promise that he would be there for her in the difficult times. This was all new to her. She had taken a giant leap of faith, not only for herself but for her daughter. It was a risk, but love sometimes required risks.