Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
It was the perfect way to spend her first day of real freedom.
“Not on your life, sister,” Harlow argued. “Look, it’s got wheels. We’re sticking together. I’ll text Lan we’re waiting.”
The door to the room that used to be Nicole’s swung open.
And Nicole realized her freedom might be over before it began.
* * * *
The smell of baking bread hit Josh as he walked through the door. The aroma took him right back to childhood when he and Olivia would sit in the kitchen hoping for snacks. Later, when they were teens, Grim was right there with them, telling their housekeeper about their school days while she made sure to take care of their grumbling bellies.
The memories pierced through him. Likely because he’d started to think about a family with Nicole. A vision of their kids running wild on the ranch made his heart clench.
He hung his hat up on one of the many pegs dotting the mudroom. It looked like the mudroom might be getting some use this afternoon.
“Hey, Josh. You’re home early.” Benita Wells had been around long before Josh had been born. She’d run this household before his mother had come on the scene. She’d taken care of his dads when no one else wanted to work for them.
“Dad called and asked me to come back. Is that your sourdough I smell?” Josh asked with a grin.
“You know it.” She no longer cleaned the house. They had a service for cleaning, but Benita still cooked most of the meals and oversaw the upkeep of the house. “Nicole likes the sourdough so she’s getting the sourdough.”
Like the rest of his family, Benita had taken a shine to Nicole. “Thank you for being so nice to her.”
“I’m nice to her because she deserves it. She’s a flower who’s never had any sun, Josh. You can make her come alive by loving her,” Benita said, moving to the sink. “Like your fathers did for Abby. I’m happy to see it play out all over again with you and Grim. You treat your girl right.”
“I promise.” The idea that he was following in his fathers’ footsteps made his heart soften. “I love her very much.”
“Not as much as I do,” a deep voice said. Grim walked in from the mudroom. “Something smells heavenly, Benita.”
“I love her way more than you do,” Josh argued, a little lightness taking over. It was fun to joke with Grim about who loved their almost wife more. Of course showing her their love was even more fun.
Benita’s head shook, and she was laughing as she waved them off. “You boys. That poor girl. Grim, there’s a sandwich for you in the fridge. I’m sure Joshua already ate but you got too busy and forgot.”
She knew them well. Josh had eaten at his desk while he was consulting his Uncle Lucas about wreaking vengeance on his enemies. Talking about vengeance always made him hungry. He could use a second lunch, but he doubted Grim would share. Their future wife, yes, but not a sandwich.
Benita offered him a cookie. “You go on now. Your father said you have some sort of meeting about Nicole.”
“It’s not for another hour,” Grim replied. He’d already downed half the big-ass, looked-delicious sandwich. “Is Nic back yet?”
“She left about thirty minutes ago, but she was with Landon and Harlow. I swear that poor girl is never going to get to drive her own car,” Benita complained. “It’s a beautiful piece of machinery and it’s just sitting there.”
“Hopefully after today we can start to see the end of the tunnel.” Josh was unwilling to pull her security right away. He knew she needed some freedom, but it would take a while. He’d already scheduled an upgrade for the security on the shelter. When it was in place, he and Grim would be able to access the cameras from their phones. “But if she wanted to drive herself around, she probably shouldn’t have decided to work a block from the office.”
“And directly in my office,” Grim added. He’d finished the sandwich in three bites. “I’m afraid she’ll have to deal with commuting in with one of us and probably having a lot of lunches at Christa’s.”
It was one block over. He could walk down to the shelter, and they would join him on sunny days. They would hold her hand and not give a damn about who was watching.
Or they could join him in his ridiculously big office. The one he was going to fully equip for afternoon play sessions with Nicole. Well, he would redesign some of what was already there. When he’d moved in he hadn’t wanted to think about how many very sturdy hooks there were in the ceiling when his father didn’t have a bunch of hanging plants.
“What did Lucas have to say?” Grim asked. “I’m worried my stepfather is going to cause trouble.”