Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
He shook my hand firmly. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask for a paternity test.”
I chuckled, part relieved. Going straight for humor was my jam. “I actually told Kellan to keep this between us at first. Now I’m glad he didn’t. Just…don’t think I’m tryna get in touch with John.”
That made him smirk. “Who the fuck is? I see him once or twice a year. That’s enough.”
Look at that, we had something in common already.
“This is beautiful. Just beautiful.” Finn squeezed Liam’s shoulder too. “Everyone can bond over how much we hate John.”
We chuckled.
“Come on.” Finn nodded at the table. “One beer before we throw the steaks on the grill.”
I wouldn’t call Liam guarded, but he was careful, for which I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t ready to ride off into the sunset either—but it was nice. This whole thing. Lively and fun and energetic. These guys knew how to shoot the shit, not to mention prepare a feast.
We could thank Emilia for the latter. It must’ve been decided beforehand that she, the girls, and the nanny were gonna look after the kids so that the men could talk and ask me a bunch of questions. Mostly because Emilia and Finn didn’t strike me as a couple to split the family up for meals. But after Emilia had filled the table with fries, salads, bread, drinks, and condiments, she’d sat down to eat with the girls by the pool instead.
Liam had allowed Nessa to come over briefly for introductions as well, and I couldn’t say I had much of an impression of her yet. If anything—actually, I had one thought. Because that security guy, Colm, had joined us when Nessa had been here, and she’d blushed and forgotten what she’d been saying, and then she’d walked away.
So, I guessed she had a crush on the guy.
She and Autumn were currently in the pool with most of the kids, and only three of them didn’t need floaties. My two and Ryan.
Trip seemed to have hit it off with CJ, in a way.
If there was one thing my son loved more than water and being able to choose his peace and quiet, it was being a big brother. He loved to teach and show Ellie stuff. If only she’d been interested. CJ, though, Trip was teaching him how to dive to the bottom and locate whatever toys they’d sunk.
I turned back to my food and cut another piece of my steak, and I heard the guys still reminiscing about back in the day. I’d told them I remembered Finn’s mother—and how—and it took Finn down memory lane, with Shan confirming some stories Finn couldn’t remember, such as Grace being the head of the church’s soup kitchen and monthly coat drive initiative for a few years.
“That’s fuckin’ crazy,” Finn chuckled. “I wonder if John ever saw. Like, imagine heading into church and you see your sister holding the kid you neglected to tell your wife about.”
“He neglected to tell all of us a lot of things,” Liam replied dryly. “I once asked him how many kids he had, and he thought it was funny and said it was best he didn’t know himself.”
Shan cleared his throat and poured more wine for Kellan. “Back in the day, we knew of two girls. That’s it. One in Milwaukee and one in Boston. Both had father unknown listed on their birth certificates.”
I lifted my brows. “Do I wanna know how youse determined the paternity?”
Kellan and Eric found that funny.
Maybe I didn’t wanna know.
Shan smirked faintly and took a sip of his wine. “Some secrets are all right to keep. As long as they’re not children.”
Should I start taking notes? This lifestyle had its own set of rules; that much was clear.
“Finn would never keep a secret from Emilia,” Kellan joked.
Finn chuckled into his beer. “Shut the fuck up.”
“And neither would you, correct?” Shan smirked at Kellan.
“Just the shit I’m allowed to lie about,” he replied smoothly. He nodded at me. “You’ll learn. More so when you meet your next man.”
I chewed around a mouthful of food and shook my head. “I’m done in that arena. No one for me to piss off.”
“That’s the way to go,” Liam told me with a nod. “Once upon a time, I was looking forward to having what Finn has with Emilia, but fuck it. Spouses bring nothin’ but trouble.”
There we go. He agreed with me.
Maybe down the road, I’d have casual fun again. I just couldn’t see it. I’d been “free” for two years, and I hadn’t so much as gotten a massage with a happy ending. Way back when, Kellan and I had gone to a massage parlor that was still at it today. I’d thought about it after the divorce, but I couldn’t. For several reasons. Partly, it felt like I would be cheating. Partly, I wasn’t interested in anyone but West. Partly, I didn’t think I deserved to move on with someone new.