Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Megan shot him the finger as she stalked toward her hamster-wheel car. She glanced over at Ian. “Did you have his babies, too?”
Ian nodded solemnly. “He wasn’t even a tender lover.”
She shook her head. “You’re all weird.” Her voice shot up. “And I was faking it. Sharla was right. You’re bad in bed.”
Remy put a hand to his heart. “I’m wounded, chère.” He leaned toward Charlie. “And that wasn’t what she was saying last night. Now, it appears to me you’ve actually done me a favor, Mrs. Taggart. Have I mentioned how stunningly beautiful you are today?”
He reached for her hand.
“Hey, none of that hand-kissing stuff. That hand belongs to me.” Ian started up the walk, his back aching. It was all right. Bud was there to ensure that every single step had to be made with the absolute greatest of care since the dog seemed determined to walk underneath him.
Charlie paced the porch as she talked. “I thought you might find that fun. The gossip mill had it that you went home with a crazy blonde last night. You know I live vicariously right now.”
“Any time you want me to talk about my amorous dealings, I will. Only for you though, chère.” He glanced over Ian’s way, looking deeply amused. “What can I do for you, boss? Since it appears the lady boss has done me a great kindness. Sharl…whichever one that was woke me up talking about going out for breakfast and fixing up my house. I saw visions of a ring running through that girl’s head.”
It was good he considered it a favor because Ian needed one of his own. “I have a bodyguard gig for you. It’s a VIP gig, and I need you to take it seriously.”
Remy stood straight, his whole persona becoming competent in a heartbeat. Remy was good at his job, hence Ian putting up with his douchebag himbo private persona. “Absolutely, boss. Who’s the client?”
He held up Kala, shifting the girl into Remy’s arms before he could protest. “Kala, meet your bodyguard. And this is Kenzie.”
Remy went a lovely shade of white. His jaw dropped as he found himself with two arms full of Taggart princesses. They immediately started exploring the new guy, patting his face and pulling on hair that was way too long to be serious guy hair. “What’s happening? Why? Ian, I’m not…why?”
He dumped the car seats and two diaper bags on his doorstep. “Charlie and I are going on vacation. We’ll be back in two weeks. Don’t let the girls die and feed the dog. Bye.”
He reached for Charlie’s hand. He didn’t care what she’d said earlier. Those contractions were getting shorter and shorter, and the freeway birth was rapidly becoming a real option. They would have to name the baby I-75 if they didn’t get a move on.
Charlie grimaced and her body went still for a moment. Yep, they were getting longer and longer. “Remy, I’m in labor and I don’t think I have time to get to the office and back to the hospital. All you have to do is drive the girls to the office and Li will be waiting to take them up to day care. Case will pick them up this afternoon.”
“What do I do with these seats?” For the first time since he’d hired the six-foot-four-inch muscular ex-soldier, he looked scared.
“Strap ’em in, buddy.” Ian started hauling Charlie toward the truck.
Bud whined and tried to follow after them.
Ian stopped, looking down at the dog and giving him his best alpha badass voice. “You go back and you protect those girls. If the dumbass manwhore does something that might hurt them, you kill. Am I understood? You kill anyone who tries to hurt them and then raise them as your own. Go.”
Bud barked and then went back to the porch, where the girls were attempting to climb up the new guy’s head.
“I’ll work overtime with no pay,” Remy offered.
“They’re just little girls. Play princess with them and they’ll love you for life. But watch Kala. I think she’s already into starting fires,” Ian shouted back. “And Kenzie will put her fingers into light sockets. She thinks it’s fun.”
“Call Li.” Charlie seemed to have some sympathy for the man. “He’ll walk you through setting up the car seats. I would stay and let Ian do it, but I’m afraid my water just broke and we need to go.”
Her water broke? He looked down and sure enough, there was a wet spot on her pants. Her water. The stuff that was keeping his son alive and safe. Amniotic fluid.
He’d seen so much blood in his life, but the sight of that small spot made him woozy.
“Ian? Babe?” Charlie was staring at him.
They were wasting time. He started to turn. “We need to go.”
Pure panic threatened to overtake him. His son couldn’t be born here on Remy’s lawn. There was likely some kind of STD in the grass. Their baby needed to be born in the safety of a damn hospital with his whole family surrounding him. He should have called the ambulance. He shouldn’t have given in. He’d gotten soft, and it looked like it could cost them all.