Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Beach,” I said.
“We’ll stop and buy unhealthy snacks and eat those,” he replied.
My lips curled into a smile as he opened the car door for me. Turning to him, I placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him. I’d never kissed anyone. Not even a relative on the cheek. But I was too emotionally wrung out to find the right words. I owed him so much. I wasn’t sure I could have survived this had he not stood by my side the entire time.
Hayes’s left hand touched my waist, and he returned the kiss. It wasn’t passionate, and no new feelings emerged within me as I slipped my tongue inside his mouth. This was safe. It was comfortable. I enjoyed the connection with another person. Perhaps I should have tried this sooner with other guys. It was pleasant, and although it wasn’t true affection, it stood in for the emptiness. I could pretend it was more.
Present Day
I was pulling the biscuits from the oven when Gage walked into the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, afraid I was running past the time Huck had said I was to have breakfast ready, I realized Gage was early. With a sigh of relief, I placed the biscuits on the island.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” I asked him.
Gage looked at the food I had already prepared before grinning. “Damn, girl. You even made French toast,” he drawled, then walked over to study the other items. “What’s that? It smells fucking amazing.”
“It’s sausage and gravy breakfast lasagna,” I replied feeling anxious.
He then pointed to another item. “And that?”
“Breakfast fried potatoes. I just added some onions, peppers, and seasoning.”
He shook his head, still grinning. “Where’re the fucking plates? I’m gonna want to come back for seconds and thirds. I need to start now.”
Relieved that I had made someone in this house happy, I hurried over to grab the plates and set them on the end of the island.
He picked up a plate and then groaned. “Please tell me that’s homemade cinnamon rolls.”
“It is,” I replied.
He looked up at me seriously now. “Listen, if Huck pisses you off and you want to leave, then come see me. I love the man, but I have priorities. He’s not gonna mess this up for us. And if Levi proposes, say no. He’d make a terrible husband.”
I laughed, surprising myself. I hadn’t wanted to laugh in a very long time. I turned to get the sausage from the stove and bring it over, then headed to the fridge for butter and jelly. Remembering I still hadn’t gotten Gage’s coffee, I turned to see him walking to the table with a plate piled high with food.
“How do you like your coffee?” I asked him.
“Black,” he replied. “Could I have a glass of milk too?”
“Of course,” I replied and hurried to start making his drinks.
I tried to relax since he was pleased but he still needed to taste it first. Although I was pretty confident in my cooking skills. There wasn’t much I felt good at. Cooking was something I had taught myself to do to fill the time. It was good therapy. I rarely had anyone to cook for, which was why my butt was larger than it needed to be.
“What the fuck is this?” Huck’s deep voice filled the kitchen.
I turned around so quickly that the hot coffee sloshed over the cup and burned my hand. I winced, but said nothing. My attention was locked on Huck. He was scowling at the food like it offended him.
“Br-br-breakfast,” I managed to reply.
He waved a hand at it and looked at me like I was insane. “I said to cook breakfast, not a fucking buffet. There is just the three of us. Who the hell is gonna eat all this?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again.
“Shut the fuck up!” Gage called out from the table. “I’ll eat it. No one asked your ornery ass. If you’re gonna bitch over this, then go eat at the big house.”
What was the big house? I didn’t ask that though.
Levi walked into the room then, and his eyes went from me to Huck to the food. When they widened and a smile spread across his face, I felt somewhat better. Two against one. That was good odds.
“Holy shit, I’ve died and woken up in heaven when I was sure hell had a room ready for me,” Levi said, then walked past Huck to grab a plate. He looked back at me. “You did all this?”
I nodded, afraid to look back up at Huck, who was still standing there.
“I think I fucking love you,” he said and began filling his plate.
I picked up a plate and held it out to Huck. “Try it at least. You need to eat.”
He looked down at the plate as if it were disgusting. “I don’t like wasting food,” he said to me.