Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
As I head over to Joe at the table and grip the top of his shoulder, everyone around me, including Joe, says some version of “Who’s that?”
“You like that new truck, Joe?” I ask. “It’s pretty cool, eh?”
“Looks like Big Betty’s great grandchild.”
“It is. The exact same make and model, only new and shiny, with all the bells and whistles.”
“You’ve got good taste. You’re gonna love driving it.”
“Oh, it’s not for me,” I say with a smirk. “It’s for you, Pop-Pop.”
Joe’s jaw drops. “What?”
“To thank you for helping me with the deck.”
Joe shakes his head, flabbergasted. “Caleb, no.”
“I won’t take no for an answer. You wouldn’t take my money, so you’re getting a brand-new truck, and that’s that.”
“I can’t—I can’t accept it.”
“Shoot. I guess I’ll have to donate it to a charity, then, because I can’t return it and I certainly don’t want it.” I chuckle at the tortured expression on Joe’s face. “Come on, Joe. Let’s go check it out, at least. You can do that for me, right?”
Joe looks at his wife, and she moves her head as if to say, “Go on.”
As Joe gets situated on his crutches, I say, “I wouldn’t have finished the deck without you. And even more importantly, I wouldn’t have known how to be a good father to Raine, if it wasn’t for you. The way I see it, a new truck was the least I could do.”
“Aw, Caleb.” Joe’s eyes have filled with tears. He motions to me like a toddler begging to be picked up, and I give him a bear hug, taking care not to topple him over on his crutches.
“Thank you so much,” Joe says into my shoulder. “But I’ll only accept the truck, if you agree to take Big Betty in exchange. Aubrey told me you love driving her.”
He’s not wrong about that. I love driving that big, old truck. It makes me feel like a real Montana Man, just like my grandpa. “I tell you what,” I say. “If I wind up keeping this place, then I’ll absolutely take Big Betty off your hands. Come on now. Let’s go check out your new wheels.” I call to Aubrey. “A-Bomb, will you do me a favor and bundle up Raine for the boat? This will only take a couple minutes.”
Aubrey looks a bit deflated, and I’m not sure why. But when her father speaks, I think I understand.
“You still haven’t decided to keep this place, huh?” Joe asks, as we slowly make our way toward the truck. “I’m surprised. Seems like you’re right at home here.”
The comment shocks me. But one look at Aubrey, and I can tell she shares her father’s sentiment. Barbara, too.
Seriously? I don’t have the heart to tell any of them this, but even if I keep the lake house after the custody hearing, it’d only be a second home. A vacation retreat from my real life in LA. How could this place ever be anything else, considering what I do for a living? “I’m waiting till after the custody hearing to make any firm decisions about my future,” I reply to Joe, just as Aubrey bustles Raine into the house.
“I guess that makes sense,” Joe says.
“Yeah, I don’t feel like I can make any decisions about anything other than my pursuit of Raine till then.”
“Gotcha.”
Truthfully, I don’t know what I’ll do if winning at the hearing somehow causes me to lose Aubrey. For instance, if Aubrey decides moving to LA for good to be with Raine and me isn’t in the cards for her. I’ve been assuming that’s what Aubrey would do, if the judge grants me full custody. I’ve taken it for granted Aubrey would set everything aside to move to my city—Raine’s new home with me. But the look Aubrey flashed me before heading into the house? Yeah, it’s calling my assumptions into question. Reminding me of the old adage about what happens when you assume. And now, suddenly, I’m scared shitless that the price of me becoming the father Raine deserves will be me losing the woman who’s made that possible.
Chapter 26
Caleb
Damn.
Aubrey is on fire tonight.
That would be a true statement every night, of course. The woman’s an atomic bomb. But tonight . . . Jesus fucking Christ. Is this white-hot blowjob Aubrey’s gifting me her way of thanking me for the truck I gave her father earlier tonight? If so, I’ll gladly buy the man a fleet of trucks every week. A fleet of yachts, airplanes, and helicopters, too.
Was it watching me dancing around with Raine to “Pretty Girl” that got Aubrey’s motor running so hot tonight? If so, I’ll dance with my daughter to every girl-power anthem in the world, every night of my life.
I tilt my head back on my pillow and sling my forearm over my eyes, trying to withstand the insane pleasure Aubrey’s giving me. It feels so good, it’s blurring with pain. Catapulting me into a state of delirium. Does this woman’s mouth have a personal vendetta against my cock or what?