Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
He asks about the family he has back home and wants to see pictures of the ranch. I share what I can, and we Facetime Beth, even though it’s ridiculously early back home. She’s awake and waiting for the call even though I said it might not happen. She cries when she sees Kai, but he takes it all in his stride, politely calling her Auntie Beth and patiently answering the same questions I already asked.
After about an hour, Maverick calls, and we arrange to meet. I carry Kai’s bag, wandering through the narrow streets to our meeting place, outside the Cathedral of St. Mary. I watch the way my son walks and marvel at how much he reminds me of my father. There’s something in his gait and the way he holds himself that’s passed down the generations, even though he never had a chance to copy it.
When we approach the cafe where Maverick, Clint, and Molly are waiting, I smile at Kai’s sudden shyness. Molly’s blossomed, and they’re almost the same age. I hadn’t thought about the potential for them to like each other. Rookie error when we’re all going to be staying in the same apartment for three days.
“Wow. Damn,” Maverick says before apologizing for the cursing. “He’s like your doppelganger. It’s like getting in a time machine and going back twenty-five years.” He shakes Kai’s hand vigorously. “Still the same mop of hair,” he smiles.
I introduce everyone, and then we set off to see some of the sights. It’s amazing having a local to explain where we’re going and what we’re seeing. Navigating the roads would be impossible without him because they all seem identical.
Sweet Molly spends most of the afternoon having a blushing crisis. Kai’s a good-looking kid, and when he speaks Spanish, she goes all gooey-eyed and weak-kneed.
As the evening draws in, we stop for tapas and a jug of sangria. Kai orders us a delicious mixture of mini plates: spicy Spanish sausage cooked in wine, intensely flavored cheese, small fried potatoes, Spanish omelet, prawns in a lemony sauce, and breaded balls of goat cheese with a sweet dipping sauce, to name a few. The sangria is fruity and delicious and goes down far too easily. Taylor sits staring out at passersby, her eyes wide as she takes in the well-dressed Spanish couples holding hands and meandering through the streets. It’s a far cry from our local small town. Although I long for the familiarity of home, I can’t help feeling that Kai’s in a good place here, a place where he can be happy and make a good life for himself.
Later, when we’re back at the apartment, Molly and Kai go to bed in separate rooms. I’m sharing with my son, and Taylor is sharing with her sister. Although I’d love to wrap myself around my woman and sink into her delicious body, this is the only practical way to fit into the apartment.
The relief of having almost everyone I care about under one roof is the icing on the cake on this European adventure. The relief of knowing that Taylor’s father has finally been thrown behind bars for his misdemeanors means that we’re all free to breathe easy. I’m relaxed in a way that I haven’t been in as long as I can remember.
Clint and Maverick are slumped onto the sofa, the fan circling overhead, and a Spanish soap opera on TV. “This show’s hilarious,” Maverick says. “Look at their facial expressions. Everything is so exaggerated!”
“Maybe you should audition,” I say. He tosses a small throw pillow at me, which I snatch from the air. Taylor approaches the back of the sofa and grips his shoulders with her hands, making him groan.
“Play nicely, boys. There are kids around.”
“Says the twenty-year-old.” Clint shakes his head as though Taylor’s age still disturbs him.
“I’m practically an old maid with three husbands under my belt.”
“Come sit with me, wife,” Maverick says, taking her hand and leading her around the side of the sofa until he can pull her into his lap. She squeals, but he silences her with a kiss. When Taylor pushes his chest to break the kiss, he stares up at the ceiling, breathing hard.
“Jesse. Come sit. I want us to talk about something,” she says softly.
I take a seat next to Clint, and we all focus intently on our woman.
“I’ve been thinking about things a lot. Taylor-Made Bakes is taking off. Molly’s still in school. We’ve been building up to this trip so Jesse can forge a relationship with his son. There’s been so much happening with the ranch and family.”
We all nod, but I’m unsure where she’s going with this.
“I know Jesse wants to start a family, but how do you guys feel about it?”
“I never thought I’d want kids of my own,” Maverick admits. “Not after watching how easy it was for my parents to fuck us up, but—”