Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 70092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
"Oh, sounds like you two need to be alone," Harlow says, coming to me. "I'm going to go and give Charlotte a bath." Charlotte throws herself at her mother. "And you two go and have men time outside. I'm going to put her to bed and then relax before the hellion comes home from the farm tomorrow." She mentions her son, Theo, who is going through the terrible twos and making sure they don't forget it.
"It's my turn for bath time," Travis says, handing me a bottle of beer.
"Last time it was bath time, it looked like a tsunami hit the bathroom," Harlow reminds him. "So you just saved me."
"Glad I could be of service," I say, grabbing the bottle of beer.
"Let's go sit outside," Travis suggests, and I suddenly get nervous about what is to come. We've been best friends since kindergarten. He's the brother that I've never had, and I know that if I call him, regardless of the time or the situation, he would be there beside me and I to him also.
"This is nice," I say, looking around at the patio that they just had done, which opens up into a huge yard with a play structure.
"My father-in-law." He sits down on one of the couches. "Came over one weekend, and the next thing you know, I'm looking outside, and he has this crew of fifty." His father-in-law is what you call a cowboy. He has all these farms, but not only is he a cowboy and you don't want to mess with him, he's a computer wizard. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. I think someone even said something that he trained with the SEALs for fun. Who does that?
I laugh, sitting on the couch beside him. "Let me guess, did you come outside to help?" I take a pull of my beer.
His eyebrows pinch together. "Are you out of your mind?" he huffs. "He had shovels and shit. You think I was going to come out here so I can give him a reason to actually bury me?"
I can't help but laugh at that, and I'm glad that I swallowed the beer, or I would have spit it out. "He doesn't still hate you," I tell him. "You gave him two grandkids."
"I broke her heart and left her for four years," he reminds me. "And I was going to marry someone else."
"Yeah, you can spin lots of things." I shake my head. "But no matter what, you are never going to live that down."
"Exactly," he says and then looks at me. "What's on your mind?"
I chuckle and take a pull of beer before I break the news to him. I'm both nervous and excited. "I'm going to be a father." I start with the easiest thing. Just saying the words, I can't help but smile big. The fullness that I feel is out of this world, and I didn't even know something was missing before now.
"Shut up," Travis says, shocked as he looks at me. "I mean…" He puts his arm around my neck, and his hand squeezes my shoulder. "I'm happy for you."
"It's Presley," I share, holding my breath, and now I'm wondering if perhaps sitting next to him wasn't the smartest idea.
"Wait a minute." His hand moves from around my shoulder. "Presley, as in my sister Presley?"
"The one and only," I confirm, and I don't know what I'm expecting, to be honest. He could be happy for me, or he could turn around and punch me in the face for sleeping with his sister. Either way, it doesn’t change the outcome of the situation.
“Oh my God," he says. "I…" He stops, looks at me, and questions, "Presley?"
"Yeah." I nod my head, and out of everything I've done in my life, this moment right here, saying that she is going to have my child, it is everything. "There is no one on this earth that I want to be with but her."
He throws his head back, and he laughs now. "Does she know this?"
I chuckle, the burning hitting my stomach now. "I'm going to marry her," I say, bringing the bottle to my lips and taking a pull.
"Is that a fact?" He can't help but throw his head back and laugh. His whole body shakes with laughter. "You told her this?" he asks me, and I just glare at him.
"She calls herself a lone wolf," I remind him. "You think she's going to be open to marrying me?"
"Not a chance," he admits to me, taking his own pull of his beer. "She's going to fight you the whole fucking way."
"Oh, I know." I smile, putting the bottle against my neck. "Trust me, I know."
"This is going to be fun to watch." He sits back on the couch and looks over at me.
"I can always use my charm." I shrug. "Made her sleep with me."