Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
He pretended to consider it before pumping his fist in victory. “Private jet, here I come. Hey, you got leather seats on that thing, my dude? I might have to snap a few selfies for the ’gram.”
As usual, once he got started talking, Indigo didn’t stop. And Lellie loved every minute of it. Tully had been right when he’d said I was surrounded by support, and for once, I was going to take advantage of it to get my life back on track and create the family I not only wanted but deserved.
But first, I had to figure out how Tully and I were going to keep our daughter.
“Indigo, would you mind watching Lellie for me right now? I need to ask the guys for some help.”
“Whatever you need, Dev, we’re in,” Landry said before I’d even finished sketching out the situation.
Kenji didn’t look up from his laptop at the kitchen table. “You’re not. You’re due in Milan tomorrow for the Valente runway event. And Zane already left for his show in Milwaukee.”
“Fuck,” Landry muttered. “I’m in for moral support. What’s the plan?”
He sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island, popping grapes in his mouth while Way finished drying a few dishes and Silas poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
“I’m not running away from this,” I said. “I can’t just take off with Lellie—”
“You could.” Silas lifted an eyebrow. “It’s not like you don’t have enough money to go someplace no one will ever find you.”
I ignored him. “—so I need to prove she’s my daughter. I told you Susanna wants me to find a lab near here and get a new paternity test done. I also talked to Tully yesterday, and he agreed. But I don’t know if the results from one lab near my new hometown would sway the judge. I think maybe we should find two or three places, just to be safe—”
“Oh, I think we can do better than that,” Kenji said. He lifted his head and pierced me with his dark eyes. “I’m just putting the final touches on your paternity lab tour of America.”
“What does that mean?” Silas asked. Way patted his leg and softly reminded him to shut the hell up and let Kenji speak.
“It means you have plenty of money, so why not overwhelm them with results from reputable labs all over the country? A Texas judge can’t possibly discount positive results from well-known labs in Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland, and LA. I’ve also thrown in Houston for good measure. All different lab owners. By the time we get to Dallas, we should have results from at least the first two or three labs.”
“Won’t they say we cheated it? That maybe the sample didn’t come from Lellie?”
Kenji tilted his head at something behind me. I glanced at the door as Foster strode in and tossed his empty travel mug at Silas. “Fill ’er up. I’ve been awake since four.”
“You say that like it’s special,” Way scoffed. “Try being a rancher.”
Foster shot him a look. “Try searching for AdventureSmash wannabes getting lost halfway up Maude Peak Friday night, responding to a DUI crash at three in the morning on Sunday, and then getting a text from your Girl Friday before dawn today that I need to pack a bag and get out to the ranch because Dev needs my help on my day off.”
I glanced back at Kenji, who smirked. “Foster’s coming along on the paternity tour. No one would dare question the integrity of those lab samples if they were video recorded and witnessed by a sheriff.”
I blinked at Foster, overwhelmed. “You’d do that?”
His smile was soft and affectionate. He really was a true friend. “Of course I would. I know how much family means to you, Dev. And you need to know that we’re part of yours. And family supports family.”
“Your mother is making you do this, isn’t she?” I teased.
“Jolene gets what Jolene wants,” he drawled. “And the rest of us fall in line. She doesn’t know about this yet because she’s been busy at the cafe, but you know she’d be completely on board with whatever it takes to keep that girl.”
I sucked in a big breath and let it out. “Okay then. I guess we’re doing this. Is the plane ready?”
Landry cursed under his breath. “If you’re using the jet, I guess this means I’m flying commercial. Motherfucker.”
“Whatever you need, Dev,” Kenji teased, repeating Landry’s earlier words in a credible impression of Landry’s deep voice. He went on in the same tone, “For you, I will make the noble sacrifice of flying first class on a commercial flight, even if it means the caviar served at my whim is… gasp… domestic.”
Landry pouted. “Hey! I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. It just means I’m going to have to head out even earlier. Like, tonight. Which means you and… um…” He cleared his throat. “Uh. Nothing. It means nothing,” he added quickly when Kenji gave him a narrow-eyed, warning look I couldn’t interpret.