Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
“That, and I have to be up at six,” Dylan chuckled. “But I’ll have Saturday off, so that’s nice.”
Right, it was Friday tomorrow. Barbecue at the Quad—after work. Fridays were busy for me this month, starting with my usual deliveries from the orchard, and then I was doing the lunch service at an acquaintance’s restaurant in the marina, after which I’d spend a few hours driving kids to their summer activities. I was gonna be starving by the time I got to the Quad.
“So I won’t get to see Teddy tomorrow if you have him.” I frowned at Blake.
He shot me a lazy smirk as he put on his hat again. “I haven’t seen my nephew in almost a year. I think you can survive one day.”
What the fuck did he know?
“Just so you know, I’ll be keeping an eye on you,” I told him, dead serious. “The slightest indication of you trying to convince them to leave Washington, I’ll hunt you down.”
Dylan let out a low whistle.
Blake grinned and rose from the sofa. “You tempt me, darlin’.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Are you guys flirting?” Dylan asked bluntly.
“No,” I said.
Blake opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it again and smile. Then he dipped the brim of his hat. “Thank you for a fantastic dinner, Wilder. I’ll see you around.”
Sweet hell, I wanted to fuck him.
Four
The next time I saw the Kidds was on Saturday. They packed up their car with swimsuits, towels, and fixings for hot dogs, and I hooked Mischa and Echo’s passenger trailer to my four-wheeler and led the way up the mountains.
Tiger Lily had a day of getting spoiled by Bob ahead of her.
We stopped halfway there to buy ice cream and for Teddy to switch vehicles. Riding with Bastian was just so much funner.
“The Last Stop,” Blake read on the sign above the ice cream place.
“Before it’s all dirt roads and hiking trails,” Sophia supplied. “It’s the law to stop here for ice cream.”
“Ah.” Blake smiled and unwrapped his Klondike bar. “I guess it’s kinda pretty up here.”
“You guess? Kinda pretty? Boy, if you could see my eyes roll behind my shades…” I shook my head and stuck my popsicle into my mouth. I needed my hands free so I could give Mischa and Echo water.
Soph snickered and extended a hand to Teddy. “Let’s go have a seat, baby.”
They walked hand in hand over to a group of picnic tables, while Dylan returned to the shop to get more napkins.
“Almost forty years old, and I get called boy by a Washington hippie,” Blake muttered.
He wouldn’t wanna know what else I could call him.
I wasn’t a goddamn hippie.
After making sure the boys were okay and hydrated, I got back on my ATV and just enjoyed a quiet moment. Up here, it was always quiet. Even when tourists crowded the area, locals knew where to go to get away from it all. Well, this particular spot was an exception, but there weren’t many people around at the moment.
I finished my popsicle and got rid of the trash, then hollered for Soph and Teddy to get a move on. It was gonna be a hot day, high eighties, and I needed to cool down.
“I go with you, Bastian!” Teddy called.
“Then come on, sweetheart. Lemme see how fast you can run,” I challenged with a grin.
He lit up and took the bait. He ran as fast as he could, and I held up my hand for him to high-five when he reached me.
“Whoa, that’s gotta be a record!” I exclaimed.
He soaked up the praise and climbed aboard, and I helped him get comfortable in front of me. It was much easier to have him with me on the four-wheeler.
“Drive carefully, boys,” Soph said, waddling past us. “We’ll see you at the lake.”
“Bye, Momma!” Teddy shouted.
“Loving the enthusiasm,” I chuckled and turned on the engine. “Teddy, do you remember what you can say to Momma when we go on the four-wheeler?”
He peered up at me over his shoulder. “What can I say?” he whispered.
“Eat dust,” I whispered back. “Say it to your uncle.”
Teddy giggled behind his hands. “I ’member now.” As I rolled toward the road, he peered back at the others and yelled, “Eat dust, Uncle Blake!”
Christ, I fucking loved this kid.
With that said, I revved the engine and peeled out of there. We hit the dirt road leading straight into the woods, up the mountain, and Teddy was over the moon. I went as fast as Mischa and Echo could handle, which was still pretty fast.
“Whooo!” Teddy extended his arms. “Music, Bastian! Music!”
I grinned and flicked on the sound bar, sending a quick apology to nearby hikers who might be here for the serenity, and connected to the Bluetooth. But what Teddy wanted, Teddy got. So the country rock poured out, the sun flirted with us between the thick vegetation that shone bright green, and the sweetest kid in the world couldn’t stop giggling.