Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
My mouth goes dry and my body instantly reacts at the sight that will never get old.
“Hey, he was having trouble falling asleep.”
“I heard.”
“How long have you been there?”
“Heard you talking in the hall and stayed out of view.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t want to interrupt your time.”
“He loves you.”
“Feeling is mutual.”
Gah! Could I melt anymore for this man?
“Princess, you ready for bed?”
I glance back at my sleeping nephew, torn. Realistically, he’s passed out for at least ten hours and has Wolf in case he wakes up.
A pillow zips through the air, landing perfectly on the lounger. He comes to help me up, pressing me flush to his warmed body.
“We’ll sleep out here in case he wakes up.”
“You sure?”
“Baby, he’s hyped up on sugar and adrenaline. He’s crashed now, but who knows what the night will bring. He wakes up in a strange place, don’t want him scared out of his mind.”
“I could sleep out here. You don’t need to be cramped on the couch.”
Even in the dim light, I can see the storm brewing in his eyes. He maneuvers us around the air mattress, falling backward onto the sofa. The move is so smooth, I don’t flinch when landing on top of him. “Not fucking sleeping without you.”
“I want you to be comfortable.”
He rolls, tucking me to his side and propping up on an elbow to stare down at me. “Sleep on a bed of nails if you were in my arms.”
I scale my fingers through his wet hair, bringing them down to rub his jawline. “Thank you for today.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“Because you took in my nephew and gave him the funnest day of his little life.”
He copies my move, cupping my cheek and running his thumb along the skin. “Wyatt’s a cool kid, but more so, he means the world to you. Which means he means something to me.”
“You’re great with kids.”
His gaze heats. “Saw you with Maverick today.”
“He’s an angel.”
“Levi, Koby, Dylan—all of them. You’re a fucking natural.”
“Snuggling babies isn’t a chore. Nothing like keeping eight active kids busy for hours.”
“I liked watching you with them.”
My heart skips a beat at the intensity piercing into me.
“What are you saying, honey?”
“How many kids do you want, Princess?”
“I haven’t thought about it.”
This is mostly the truth. Kids are in my life plan, but graduating and establishing my career were always my first priorities.
“Four.”
“Four what?”
“Never had a problem being an only child. But when I met Ace, Ford, and Major, knew what it felt to have brothers.”
“You want four kids?”
“You agree?”
“Four is a lot, baby.”
“Need to revisit the house plans and make sure our kids will have the room they need.”
“Honey, the house is massive. We could have five kids and still have room left over.”
“Okay, five it is.”
“Maybe we should start with one and see how it goes.”
“You want to stop at one, we’ll talk about it. But I want to give you a big family.”
My stomach dives and soars in sync. I’d give this man anything in the world.
“One condition.” My fingers glide to his eyes, lightly brushing across his lashes. “I want my children to have your eyes and lashes.”
“I’ll do my best.”
A quiet settles between us, a new intensity building.
“What brought this up tonight, baby?”
“Anything you want, I’ll give it to you. Just say the word.”
“You already give me everything.”
“You want a baby. I want to give that to you.”
I jerk so fast he has to stop me from toppling over. “I love them all, but I don’t have baby fever.”
“Then what the hell are you holding back?”
“W-w-what do you mean?”
“Noticed it last night. Thought maybe it was the kick-off to wedding week. You taking on the pressure of making everything perfect. That’s not it.”
Whatever you do, act normal. The girls’ number one piece of advice rings in my ears.
I thought I’d done a good job.
“There’s nothing—”
“Careful, Princess, don’t lie to me.”
I flash him my most sincere smile.
He growls.
The smile dies and I blow out a breath. “Damn you and your hyper-senses.”
“Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Is Max in trouble?” I blurt out and brace for his answer.
His expression darkens and a tremor runs down my spine. “Fucking women.”
I wait for what seems like an eternity for him to speak again. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“The intel is unclear at this time.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’re on alert.”
His cryptic answers do nothing to keep my brain from running wild. “Talon, sweetie, I’m not fluent in badass Marine dialect.”
He drops his forehead to mine. “He’s on a mission outside of San Diego. The rest is mostly unknown.”
“Should we be worried?”
“No, this is exactly why the women shouldn’t worry.”
“But you said you’re on alert.”
“Alert means monitoring the situation. Robbie’s a fucking pro at discovery. With James and Finn at his back, we have the best resources.”
“Will you tell me if that changes?”