Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“Fine. Are we good to go?” I asked stiffly.
Shit, I needed to calm my tits.
Perhaps I was nervous. To the point where I had sat in on Alvin’s therapy session yesterday. It was just a lot. We had almost three weeks of vacation planned out, but not a damn thing would take place if Alvin decided he couldn’t do it.
In addition, I had two gold rings burning a hole in my wallet and zero plans for how to actually pop the question. I mean, it wasn’t just us visiting Trace’s folks. Sarah and Chris were flying down with their two, and that was an explosive family gathering in the making. Primarily because of their kids. Chip was wild all on his own, but Chris’s son, CJ, was much the same. And they were the same age. They liked to raise hell. Last but not least, Trace and Sarah. The way they were at each other sometimes…
“I think Dad needs coffee,” Alvin whispered to Trace.
“I think he needs to sleep.” Trace snorted softly. “Baby, go down to the truck. Alvin and I will bring the last of it. We’re just waiting for the coffee and his cocoa.”
“I’m getting my own thermos,” Alvin said smugly.
I took a breath and did my best to unclench. Thermos, great. Rings, great. Family gathering, great.
To make the trip as short as possible, Trace and I had decided to drive in shifts.
Rose had given us a pro-tip that we applied to the journey as well. Her intention had been for us to use it at home; as in, encourage Alvin to take naps at home to get him used to waking up there. This time, we were using the advice so that Alvin could stay up all night. He was on board. Being awake helped him with new surroundings. So for the first eight hours of the drive, he tried to sleep as much as possible. He took a sleep aid and everything. We kept his anxiety meds close at all times.
Outside of Nashville, we stopped for dinner. Alvin was curious but wary, and we didn’t wanna push it, so we didn’t eat in the diner. Instead, we ordered takeout and parked at the far corner of a Target parking lot. That way, he could sit in the truck and eat in peace, and Trace and I could stretch our legs.
“It’s already too hot,” Trace said around a mouthful of burger. “The sticky South.”
I grinned and threw a few fries into my mouth. He liked to bitch about the weather, something he had in common with his old man.
“And the fuckin’ bugs!” He swatted away a fly.
He was so goddamn cute.
I picked up my own burger from the hood of the truck.
One of these days, I’d like for us to have our own car. Trace and I hadn’t traveled much in our lives, and we both liked to drive. If this went well with Alvin, I could picture us driving all over the country.
The farthest Trace had traveled was South Florida, New York, and Vancouver. I’d been to Seattle, Denver, and Las Vegas. Other than that, we hadn’t left the Midwest, not counting a few trips to Toronto.
“Oh shit, I forgot to tell you,” Trace said. “I heard back from the landlord.”
I raised a brow. He definitely had my attention.
He waved his burger at me. “He agrees to your proposal. He’ll take two hundred bucks off our rent.”
Fuck me, that was incredible. Win-win for all parties. We paid less rent, and I ran the maintenance, including the bar and the attic space. It was mostly the bar that needed said maintenance, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.
“We’ll set up a contract when we get home,” he finished.
“That’s great. Fuck, I’m relieved.” Two hundred bucks every month? And once we finally gave up Ma’s old place, we’d be downright comfortable.
Unbelievable.
“You got that dazed look on your face again.” He grinned softly.
Yeah, well. Christ. Who could blame me?
He came over to me and kissed me. “I love you.”
An overwhelming rush of peace and joy swept over me, and I squeezed him to me. “I love you too.” More than I could ever put into words.
We had two hours left on our journey when Alvin agreed to take his medication. He was so anxious, not to mention torn, because he was far away from everything he knew so well…and only two hours away from the shoreline he’d dreamed of seeing since he was a kid.
We stopped at a gas station so he could get comfortable. We’d brought his comforter and pillows for this very reason. The stops were a good way to stall for time too, because at this point, we’d arrive when it was still dark.
“And here are your headphones, bud.” I helped him put them on while Trace got gas.