Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Just like that?”
“I think she’s been considering it for a while,” I replied.
Rena had just mentioned it to me the week before, but I knew she’d been preparing for much longer than that. I wasn’t even surprised by the decision. She’d always wanted to be a mother.
“Brave of her,” he said, walking over to pick up my coat from where I’d flung it over the back of the couch. “You ready?”
“We still have time.” I glanced at the clock.
“My mom mentioned doing drinks beforehand since Sven and Alice are leaving tomorrow.”
“Oh, sure. Give me a minute.”
It took longer than a minute, but Beau waited patiently as I found a sweater and slapped on a little makeup. The minute I tried to tame my hair, though, he walked straight into the bathroom and towed me back out.
“I have to pull it back or something,” I complained as he pulled me straight through the suite and out the door.
“I love it like this,” he countered, pausing to kiss me. “Leave it.”
“You’re awfully bossy about my grooming habits when you wouldn’t even let your beard grow in,” I chided as we went downstairs.
“It itches when it’s growing in.”
“Poor baby.”
“You want me to grow a beard?” he asked seriously.
“I mean, I wouldn’t mind feeling it between my thighs,” I mused.
Beau’s eyes widened in glee, and I nearly tripped over my own feet.
Goddammit.
“Hello, Erik,” I said quietly, just to test the waters.
“Hey, Reese,” he called back. “We’re in the living room.”
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“They can still hear you,” Beau said unhelpfully.
Lifting my chin, I swanned forward like they hadn’t just heard me talking about Beau’s potential beard between my thighs. The older couples were seated around the room, and all of them greeted us as we walked in. It was fine—everything was fine—until Alice inconspicuously toasted me with her glass and tilted her head toward Sven. He had a full beard.
I felt my face go up in flames.
“Reese and I are going to build a house,” Beau announced as he pulled me toward a chair across from his parents, tugging me onto his lap once he’d sat down. “Is that still on the table?”
“Of course, Bjorn,” Erik replied. “We’d love that.”
“I was thinking at the end of the lane,” Beau said, glancing at me. “What do you think?”
“Where we drove—”
Beau nodded.
“It’s pretty out there.”
“Plus, you’ll already have a driveway,” Erik pointed out.
“What kind of house would you like?” Mattie asked quietly as the men discussed the steps they’d need to take to get the property ready. “Two story? Ranch?”
“I have no idea,” I confessed, feeling a little strange. Did she care that we were moving out? “We just don’t have enough room right now.”
Mattie winced, and I felt like an ass. “When we built the house, we didn’t plan very well. We knew the boys would need their own space, but we didn’t anticipate their mates and the things they’d bring with them.”
“I don’t have much left,” I replied. “But it’s enough to make walking around the living room pretty impossible.”
“I can imagine,” she said kindly. “Well, start thinking about the kind of house you’d like to build. Once the two of you are home from Europe, you can start planning.”
The conversation went on, with Mattie and Alice giving tips about what I didn’t want to forget when picking out the details of our new place. Apparently, a laundry sink should be nonnegotiable, and we needed to make sure that we had enough electrical outlets in the kitchen. My mind spun as they went on and on about shit I would’ve never even considered or cared about. I was just about to cry mercy when Beau’s head snapped up.
“Danny,” Erik said, rising to his feet.
“I thought he was getting in tomorrow,” Sven said. “Did he tell you he’d be here early?”
“No,” Erik replied, striding toward the door.
As Beau lifted me off his lap, I looked at each of them. Something was wrong.
“You’re sure it’s Danny?” Mattie asked worriedly as she followed Erik to the front door.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Erik replied, striding out onto the porch.
I was glad for the coat Beau had carried downstairs as I pulled it on, following him outside. He took the porch steps in one leap.
“Beau?” I called.
Without answering or pausing, he held out his hand. The moment I gripped it, he tugged me along faster.
“Why does it matter if Danny’s here earlier?” I asked in confusion as I practically jogged to keep up with him. “We knew he was coming.”
“He was supposed to stop in Montana for the night,” Beau replied as lights shone through the trees. “If he came straight here, something is wrong.”
“What could be wrong?” I persisted. “Why wouldn’t he have just called?”
Beau didn’t have time to answer before Chance and Danny came striding quickly through the trees.
“Get back to the house,” Chance ordered, quickening his pace as he came toward us. “Back inside.”