Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Knock it off. Milo can see you,” Colton chastises with the hint of a smile in his voice.
I pry my lips from my fiancé’s and turn to see the baby. He’s wide awake, taking in his surroundings and seeming hypnotized by his dad’s voice.
“Babe, this is Donovan Holland, an attorney who’s helping Colton set up his rights to Milo,” Chase informs, scooting over a bit so I can sit beside him.
“Good afternoon,” he greets politely before turning back to Colton. “I’ll file all of the paperwork on Monday morning, and your hearing will be immediate. As long as Miss Matthews doesn’t contest the proceedings, the State is prepared to grant you guardianship immediately.”
“That’s good news,” I state, trying to catch up on the conversation.
“Mr. Holland has a contact at the Department of Family Services. He made a call and they came this afternoon to do a well-check on Milo. Since we already have the test results, they agreed to temporary guardianship because no father is listed on the birth certificate, with full guardianship granted at our court date.”
“In all honesty, even if Miss Matthews does contest it, she’ll have an uphill climb in front of her, considering she abandoned the baby.”
“With his father,” Chase interrupts. “Or his presumed father.”
“True, but there’s a process to follow here, and she’s at risk of serious consequences for her actions,” Donovan states, placing a stack of paperwork in his briefcase.
“I don’t want her in trouble,” Colton says softly, his eyes smiling down at his son. “She did what she thought was best for Milo, even if it was stupid to leave him on a stranger’s doorstep. I just want… my son.”
“And you’ll get him,” Donovan reassures him before standing. “I’ll be in touch after I file the paperwork Monday morning.”
“Thank you, Mr. Holland,” Colton says, picking up Milo and walking him to the front door. They continue to speak, but I turn my focus on the man I love.
“Good meeting?” I ask as he pulls me into his arms and sets me on his lap. I can already feel things getting… hard down below.
Chase nuzzles my neck, inhaling my skin before he answers. “Yeah. Colton reached out to him earlier in the week and got the ball rolling to formalize everything. He said it should be a fairly simple case, if you can really call this bullshit simple.”
“I’m glad. I don’t want to see Colton run through the wringer.”
“You should have seen him today when DHS showed up. He was like a nervous teenager with a girl hidden under his bed when his parents got home.”
“But it all worked out,” I whisper, running my hands over his shoulders and up the back of his neck.
“It did.” His mouth moves once more, taking my lips in a bruising kiss. “I need you so fucking bad right now.”
“You just had me this morning,” I remind him.
“Too long. I need you all day, every day,” he adds as he nibbles on my earlobe.
“That’ll make it hard for me to get anything done at the office.”
“As long as you’re getting me done, I don’t care,” he adds, with an upward hip flex.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Fuck yes, I am.”
“Okay, seriously, knock it off. I can’t keep subjecting my son to this sort of PDA,” Colton says as he rejoins us in the living room.
“You can leave anytime, big brother,” Chase responds, then seemingly realizes what that means if his brother were to leave. “I didn’t mean that,” he adds, glancing down at Milo.
Colton sighs. “No, you’re right. I’ve got a decent savings and already made a few calls and have two places to look at this weekend. One is a two-bedroom apartment on the other side of town, which doesn’t really strike my fancy. But it’s in my price range, so that’s a plus. The other is a house only a few blocks from here, but it’s a little more than I was budgeting to spend.”
“How many bedrooms? Can you sublet one out?” Chase offers, seeming to be a bit excited at knowing his brother and nephew are close.
“Yeah, I considered that, but I’m not sure I really want a stranger in my place with Milo, you know? It’s not like I’m a twenty-year-old college student, looking to sublet my spare room.”
“Yeah, but it’s something to consider. Personally, I like the idea of my nephew having a yard to play in when he gets older,” Chase adds.
“I know,” Colton says, running his hands through his hair, much like his younger brother does when he’s stressed. “Lots to think about. Plus, I need a job.”
“What if I told you All Fit was hiring?”
I glance up at Chase, his eyes dancing with excitement. “I talked to Harrison the other day when he stopped by and he’s interested in taking on another manager and trainer. There’d be some traveling involved, but you can practically set your own hours.”