Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“All right.” He leans into me, and before I know what he’s doing, he touches his lips to mine in a soft, closed-mouth kiss that’s over before it even begins. “Come on.” He transfers the box to carry it under his arm, then takes my hand in his, lacing our fingers together.
Still in a complete daze, I let him lead me to the main room of the lodge. Then, for the next two hours, I try to appear professional as I replay that kiss over and over again in my head. All thoughts of Lex, his mom, and the drama swirling around my life are a distant memory.
Chapter 11
EVERLY
With early-morning light shining through the window and Sampson sitting on my lap, I point at a picture of a black dog and listen to him say the word dog in his cute little voice. It comes out more like bog.
“Good job, baby.” I flip the page to the image of a car. “What’s this?”
“Car.”
“And this?” I flip to the last page.
“Fuck,” he says, referring to the duck, and I laugh as I drop the book to the carpet, then wrap my arms around him and rock him back and forth as I kiss his cheek, making him giggle.
“You’re so smart.” I fall to my back and lift him up so that he’s flying in the air above me, and he smiles, showing off his top two teeth that are now fully through his gums, making him even more adorable. “What do we say we go eat breakfast now?” I ask him, and he rattles off something I’m guessing is his agreement, causing a long string of drool to roll off his bottom lip.
Before it can hit me in the face, I sit up and grab a wipe to swipe it away, then get up and carry him with me downstairs. I put him in his high chair and give him a couple of toys to keep him entertained while I set up a pot of coffee and make his breakfast.
As I’m grabbing his oatmeal out of the microwave, I jump and look at my cell phone on the counter when it pings with a text. I might have been able to forget about Lex’s mother’s message after Blake’s kiss, but once he and Maverick took off to take out the guests, it was right back to the front and center of my mind, and it’s been there ever since.
The only thing that put me slightly at ease was that my dad explained to me last night that no judge would ever force visitation with a grandparent if it was not in the best interest of the child. And he also questioned whether Lex’s parents really did retain a lawyer or whether they were just trying to scare me. From what he explained, most lawyers would not take on a case where they’d have a difficult time presenting it to a judge. And Lex’s parents demanding grandparents’ rights when their son is not on the birth certificate and has not requested a DNA test would really make things difficult.
“Mama!” Sam shouts, pulling me from my thoughts, and I smile at him.
“Food’s coming, baby.” I set down his bowl of oatmeal on the counter, then go to my cell phone and peek at the screen without touching it. I let out a breath when I see it’s a text from Blake with a simple request that makes my heart beat a little differently.
Blake: Video call me when you’re up. I want to see your and Sampson’s faces.
I pick up my phone and press on his name, then touch the icon to call him, and the phone only rings once before he answers. “Hey, babe.” He smiles, and Sampson, hearing his voice, starts chanting “Da, da, da,” making him chuckle. “Let me talk to him, then I’ll talk to you.”
“Sure.” I laugh, handing my phone over to Sampson; then I listen to him babble to Blake while I finish adding milk and butter to his oatmeal. By the time it’s done and cool enough for him to eat, he’s gone from talking to trying to devour my phone, so I take it from him and clean it off before looking at the screen.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be up,” he tells me.
“Sam is an early riser,” I say, and just like yesterday, I see the ceiling of a room for a moment, then hear the whoosh of fabric and the sound of water turning on.
“He and I have that in common.”
“He and I do not have that in common. He just left me no choice but to get with his program,” I reply, and he comes back on-screen, grinning.
“Sorry, babe, I don’t think that will change until he’s a teenager. Then you’ll be wishing he’d wake up to spend time with you.”