Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
And it wasn’t like her mother was helping her at all. Hell, she was struggling just to get toothpaste on her toothbrush.
That bitch wouldn’t go out of her way to help anyone.
“You’re sure Sylvia is out of the picture?” he asked Quaid.
“Oh yeah. She’s not coming back.”
“And Roger?” Rock asked.
“I’ll slowly make him pay,” Quaid told him.
Good. They all deserved it. He only wished that Billy was alive so he could torture him. Slowly. Spencer didn’t usually like to use violence.
Unless you hurt someone he cared about. Then all bets were off.
Spencer walked into her bedroom with her dinner and nearly dropped the tray as he saw her.
He’d just passed Beth in the hallway on her way home. What could have happened in the few seconds between her leaving and him arriving?
He hastily put the tray on the bedside table and sat facing her on the bed.
“Princess? What is it? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“I . . . I don’t know,” she wailed.
“Hey, calm down. You need to calm down.” He stood and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the chair and sitting with her on his lap.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he ran his hand down her hair. “Tell Dada.”
“It’s all s-so messed up. I feel w-weird. And I c-can’t do anything and it’s nearly C-Christmas. I just feel h-helpless and stuck.”
Oh, his poor girl.
“I know it’s hard, Princess. I know you feel strange and scared. We’re here for you, though. Nothing is going to happen.”
“I just want to f-feel normal. I want to do n-normal things.”
Hmm.
“I have an idea.” Sure, she had to rest. But getting upset like this wasn’t good for her or Button. “How would you like to come and bake some Christmas biscuits with me?”
“Are . . . are you sure I’m allowed?” she asked.
He tilted her head back and kissed her nose. “If Dada says you’re allowed! Then you’re allowed!”
She smiled and it reached her eyes. “I would love that.”
She giggled as Spencer danced around the kitchen in a reindeer onesie. It was ridiculous and cute and just what she needed. The others hadn’t looked at all convinced when he’d carried her out to the kitchen. But once Spencer had a word to them, they’d all come onboard.
“Why won’t this icing stick to my biscuits?” Quaid said, holding his up. All the icing had melted off.
She giggled again and noticed that the guys all smiled in reaction.
“Have you never iced biscuits before?” she asked him as she poured sprinkles onto hers.
Hmm. That wasn’t enough.
She needed more! You could never have enough sprinkles!
“No, I haven’t,” he said.
She sobered at that. She couldn’t imagine what his childhood had been like, especially before boarding school. He never talked much about his family, but she knew his mum had died when he was young and that his dad wasn’t very nice.
Even if he was a duke.
“Um, Princess, I think you’ve got more sprinkles than icing,” Spencer pointed out.
“And more icing than biscuit,” Slade added.
“Yep, so they’re perfect!” She held one up and the biscuit nearly collapsed under the weight of the icing and sprinkles. She took a bite out of it.
“Yum-yum.”
“Pure sugar,” Rock said.
His biscuits looked perfect, of course.
“Yep,” she said.
“You’re going to have to brush your teeth well,” Spencer told her, waggling a finger. “We might get Daddy to do it for you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m a big girl. I don’t need Daddy’s help with my teeth.”
“We’ll see,” Slade said to her. They all looked so relieved for some reason. But she wasn’t sure why.
She took another bite from her biscuit and it collapsed. “Oh no! It broke. Oh, well, I’ll just have to do another one.” She grabbed another biscuit from the pile in the middle.
Quaid had grabbed one that was too hot, that was why his icing wouldn’t work.
“No more eating them,” Slade said.
“What? Why, Daddy? That’s mean. If you ice them, you get to eat them. It’s a rule.”
“Not a rule,” Spencer said.
“Dada, hush.” She pointed at him. “You don’t know the Christmas biscuit rules.”
Spencer raised an eyebrow, giving her a stern look.
“Well, you don’t know all of the rules,” she grumbled. “Right, Da? I get to eat them all.”
Rock nodded. “One more.”
“You can’t keep giving in to her, Rock,” Slade told him. “You’ll create a monster.”
“Rawr,” she said, holding her fingers up like claws. They were covered in icing and she thought she should suck the icing off.
Something occurred to her suddenly. “Your gifts!”
“What?” Spencer asked as he stuck his tongue out while icing his biscuits.
“I had them in the car with Dave. I don’t know where they went. Oh no, Christmas is ruined!”
“Christmas isn’t ruined,” Slade told her calmly. “Margo got them and wrapped them for you. They’re under the tree.”
“Well, thank goodness. Because I wouldn’t rely on Santa bringing you guys gifts. I think you’re all getting coal in your stocking.”