Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
“Oh, you know,” my mother said with a careless wave. “Checking out your dad’s fishing gear, of course.”
Yup. Right on the money.
“I’ll go and let them know you’re here and dinner is about ready,” Paula offered with a bright smile. “You two go get settled in.”
My mom gestured for us to follow her, then spun around and led us up to the second floor where the bedrooms, other than the primary, were located. “I put you in your old room, but we bought you a queen-sized bed so you wouldn’t have to deal with the double that was here.”
I tried to hide my grimace, but she caught it and shrugged. “The room isn’t big enough for a king, Rig.”
“It’s great,” Cleo jumped in. “We’ll just have to snuggle…doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”
I grinned and kissed the top of her head. “It’ll save room if we aren’t wearing clothes,” I mused.
Cleo gasped, and her face turned bright red, making my mother snicker as she walked back out into the hall. “Don’t worry, Cleo. His dad and I save room by sleeping naked, too.”
“What the fuck, Mom?” I choked as I clapped my hands over my ears. “I don’t want to hear that shit.”
Cleo burst out laughing, and my mom simply skipped out the door and down the hall.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” I grumbled.
Cleo opened her mouth to respond, then froze for a second before muttering, “I know you were kidding, but I think I’m actually going to be sick.” Then she bolted to the bathroom in the hall.
I was hot on her heels, and she barely made it in enough time for me to pull her hair back while she bent over the bowl and lost her lunch.
Later, when she’d finished heaving, had some water, and brushed her teeth, I set her on the counter and caged her between my arms. “You told me it was just a bug,” I growled.
Cleo ducked her head, and I grasped her chin, forcing her gaze back up to meet mine. “I thought it was,” she admitted softly.
She’d been waking up feeling sick for the past several days and had thrown up a couple of times. I’d been worried that she should see a doctor, but she’d sworn it was just something she’d picked up around campus that would quickly go away. She hadn’t been sick this morning when she woke up with me before I headed to the stadium, so I assumed she’d been correct.
“Did you throw up this morning, Cleo?” I demanded.
She sighed. “Maybe a little.”
“What the fuck, baby? I’m calling the doctor.”
Before I could take a step, she wrapped her arms and legs around me to keep me in place. “I will, I promise. But…I don’t think we need to worry about it today.”
I stared into her gorgeous emerald orbs and debated whether I could be patient. Since I had big plans for the evening, and I didn’t want to ruin her holiday, I reluctantly agreed. “But tomorrow, we will call the doctor first thing.”
“Absolutely,” Cleo agreed, beaming at me with such beauty that it took my breath away.
“I love you so fucking much,” I told her as I cupped her face and rubbed my nose against hers.
“I love you, too,” she replied sweetly.
“Come on. Dinner is probably waiting for us.”
I helped her back onto her feet, then we walked hand in hand down the stairs and to the formal living room where our parents and my sister were waiting.
The meal was fantastic, but I was even happier to see how much our families seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Especially because Cleo became more and more relaxed, having fun instead of being nervous.
When the supper dishes were cleared, I jumped up and announced, “I’ll help with dessert.”
Our mothers tried to contain their excitement, but they were doing a piss poor job of it until I glared at them. My dad grinned at me, and Rob pointed a warning finger at me, waiting for me to nod before he was all smiles too.
When I called to invite Cleo’s parents to Thanksgiving, I’d asked to speak to Rob alone. I’d been prepared for a fight when I asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage, partially because we’d only been a couple for such a short amount of time.
To my surprise, he told me that he’d swept Paula off her feet after one date and convinced her to marry him the next day.
“Love has no timeline, son,” he’d drawled.
“So I have your blessing to propose?”
“As long as you promise to treat her like she deserves.”
“Without question,” I responded.
“And you don’t do anything to fuck up the Nighthawks’ chance at a ring this year.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that…so I just agreed. “Okay.”
“Then you’ve got my blessing.”
It was a good thing we’d won that morning, or I wasn’t sure if her dad would still have been as agreeable about what I was about to do.