Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
“I thought I recognized you.” He looked past her. “Jerico. Aspen’s here,” the man announced in a voice that reached the far edges of the vast interior of the building.
Aspen turned to see heads and bodies popping up all over what she had thought was an almost empty place. Her face heated, and she knew she was blushing furiously. The only thing that saved her was the priceless look of happiness that appeared on Jerico’s face. Immediately, he jogged over to see her.
“Hi!” he greeted her as he wrapped his arms around her before pressing a kiss to her lips.
“Hi,” she returned the greeting before realizing that she was getting wet and stepping back automatically. “You are soaked!”
“Completely,” he agreed. “The sprinklers were on in front of the building. Koa broke ranks and ran through. I couldn’t let him take all the blame.”
“So, you joined him,” she said, laughing. “Thank goodness this isn’t all sweat.”
“A lot of it is,” the deep voice behind her said.
“Aspen, you might remember Max.” Jerico introduced her to the bear-like man who’d scared her.
“Oh, sorry.” She’d never even looked at his face because of her fright. Her attention had focused on Jerico and then on the floor.
“Hi, Aspen. I’m glad to see you again. Do you like brownies or cupcakes better?” he asked.
Startled by the question, she answered honestly, “Brownies.”
“With nuts?”
She shook her head. “Yuck. With chocolate chips.”
“Of course. Thank you. Good to see you, Aspen,” he said and wandered off.
When she looked back at Jerico, she knew she looked totally befuddled. “What…?” She didn’t even know what to ask.
“I think you just picked the dessert for the barbecue,” Jerico told her.
“Oh, he doesn’t have to bring what I like,” Aspen said quickly.
“In his opinion, he does. Come, say hello to the others.”
In just a few minutes, Aspen was reacquainted with Caden, Zale, Hank, and Koa. Each of them was so different, but there was something similar between them. More than just being in amazing physical shape. They treated her as if she were special—not flirting with her, but watching out for her. Hank kept her from tripping over a backpack when she backed up. Koa grabbed a fly out of the air that was dive-bombing her face. Zale handed her a bottle of water and told her to drink. And Caden? He gave the team an extra five-minute break so Jerico could walk with her back to the picnic table.
“I like them,” she told the handsome man next to her.
“I do, too. Some teams just click. I worried that I’d miss my former group, and I do, but it feels like I should be here,” Jerico shared.
“I’m glad you are.”
“Eat your lunch, baby. I’ll see you at home.”
His kiss made her cling to him until once again the water seeped against her skin. “Daddy, you’re getting me wet.”
“Just how I like you, little girl,” he whispered in her ear before turning to jog away.
She loved his deep chuckle. Squeezing her legs together, she knew that was inevitable when she was with him.
Pulling into the driveway, Aspen knew she’d beat Jerico home. She sat in the car for a few seconds and thought. Home. That word had changed meaning for her since Jerico had come into her life. Her old place had just been where she lived and where her stuff was.
Here, everything she owned lay scattered around with the bulk of her possessions down in the basement. That should have concerned her, but sitting here, Aspen knew none of it mattered. He made it home—not the stuff. She would be happy to live wherever he did.
Woof!
The ‘what are you doing?’ inquiry was muted by the barrier in front of the dog. Aspen laughed when she saw Rexy with his nose pressed against the glass of the front picture windows. She popped open her door and called, “I’m coming, Rexy.”
After opening the door with her beautiful pink key, Aspen rewarded the large beast with enthusiastic pets before heading outside to give Rexy a bathroom break. It was such a nice day outside, she decided to take the energetic animal on a walk and texted Jerico.
As they walked down the street, Rexy earned a lot of attention from the kids who were playing in their yards. She waved and called hello. Aspen wasn’t sure how Rexy would react to children, especially young kiddos, but he seemed very interested in joining their games.
When she reached a busy street, Aspen turned around. She must have walked further than she thought. Aspen didn’t recognize any of the houses. They must not be on her normal driving route.
Crossing her fingers that she hadn’t wandered too aimlessly, she continued on the same path. The sound of kids playing basketball caught her attention. At the corner, she looked down that road and recognized the teenagers. Reorienting to the right path home, Aspen lectured herself about paying attention to more than the scenery.