Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 128801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
“I promise he already knows that, but I also promise we’re going to make this incredibly special. A night he will never forget.”
“You can bet it’s going to be a night he’ll never forget,” she said out of the side of her mouth, letting go of the innuendo.
I faked disgust. “You can keep those plans to yourself, thank you very much. I’ll just focus on the food.”
“That’s an entirely different board you probably don’t want to see.” She wagged her brows.
Giggles flooded out. “Um, yeah. You’d better have that set to private. I don’t think I need that visual in my head.”
“You need something—”
“Shut it,” I said, letting go of the razzing warning before I sat forward so I could study some of the ideas she’d pinned.
There were a bunch of appetizers done in elaborate ways, and a few hearty entrees that had been set in pretty dishes, plus she’d pinned a ton of different ideas on decorating the trays and displays.
“It looks to me like you’re thinking mostly heavy appetizers.”
“Yeah, I’d like to set up a big buffet table with an array of yummy things that we can pop into our mouths. I don’t want to do the whole sit-down thing. I think Caleb will like it better if he can just hang out with his family and friends.”
I snagged her pink pen so I could jot some notes in my own notebook.
“Hey, that’s mine.” She feigned a whine.
“I like it, and I want it, so it’s mine,” I told her with a sly grin. “And am I not volunteering my time, energy, and resources to make this happen? You’d think you wouldn’t mind sharing your pen with me.”
“What I think is you’re a dirty thief and I’m never going to see my favorite pen again. I bet you’re actually the one responsible for these break-ins and you set the whole thing up at your house as a decoy.”
I gaped at her. “You caught me.”
She didn’t even fight her grin, knocking her shoulder into mine. “You know anything that’s mine is also yours, Doodle-Boo. I mean, except for my man.”
Another giggle slipped free. I always felt like I was back to being thirteen when I was around her.
We went through some different options and settled on a theme of country chic. From there, we made detailed lists.
Appetizers and desserts.
Drinks and decorations.
We were almost finished when I heard footsteps echoing on the stairs. A minute later, Ryder appeared in the doorway.
Paisley and I both looked up, but I was pretty sure it was only me who felt the earth shift.
That slight tilting that always shivered through me whenever he came into my space. Only this time, I swore I felt the world canting farther to the side than it ever had before.
The man stood there in dark jeans and a fitted black tee, black hair shining and damp from his shower. Every line of his face was sharp and edged in severity, though those gunmetal eyes were tender when he found us all in his kitchen.
“My Rye-Rye,” Kayden called, scrambling to stand and holding onto the sides of the playpen as he jumped.
“Hey, my little K-Bear.” Ryder strolled over to Kayden, and he ran one of those tatted hands over the top of his head. “How are you today?”
“I pway,” Kayden told him, holding out a big, chunky truck that he’d been zooming over the walls of his playpen. “Wook it.”
“What? Is that a monster truck? That’s awesome. You’ve got the coolest cars around.” He was all soft smirks, and I was having a hard time with the way my belly flipped at the sight.
Maybe staying here really was a bad idea. God knew how hard it was to constantly be in his space. But I’d make it through this. He was my friend first, and that was what I needed to remember.
He moved to Paisley and pulled her out of the chair, hugging her hard and swinging her around. “Paisley-Cakes. Are you staying out of trouble?”
“Who me?” She said it like him asking it was an offense when he set her onto her feet.
Playfulness danced through his features. “Looks to me like you two are up to no good in here.”
He slanted me one of those grins.
The kind that dripped sex.
I doubted he even knew it. The impact he had.
I shifted on the seat.
“Never.” Paisley touched her chest before she sat back down.
Ryder chuckled one of those raspy sounds as he wandered over to the coffee pot. “If I’ve ever seen any trouble, it’s you two.”
“Oh yeah, we’re total troublemakers. Sorry you have to bail us out of jail every weekend.” I rolled my eyes.
His laughter was quiet, scraping the air like a jagged lullaby, and he glanced over as he stirred creamer into his coffee. “What are you guys up to?”