Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 71625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Cody and Conleigh had such adult conversations sometimes that it was downright scary. I remember at Cody’s age, Conleigh was getting into my makeup and still cutting her hair.
However, I had a feeling that some of Cody’s grown-up personality had a lot to do with Steel.
“Baby?”
“Told you that you wouldn’t be able to keep that secret for long,” Steel muttered, taking a seat at my side with a new plate of eggs.
I eyed those, too.
“Don’t even think about it.” He angled his body so that his back was slightly to me.
I pouted.
“Baby?” Again, Sean repeated himself.
“Yes, brother Sean. Baby. Do you know where babies come from?”
Sean rolled his eyes at Conleigh’s sarcastic comment.
“Why yes, sister Conleigh. I do. You and Naomi will be sharing a pregnancy, then. I wonder if my child’s niece or nephew will be born before or after him or her,” Sean mused.
I burst out laughing. “Our luck, it’ll be born after, and then we’ll have yet another weird name going on between them like you two already do. I’m sure y’all won’t let that opportunity pass.”
And I didn’t.
As much as Sean and Conleigh fought, they were actually quite fond of each other…like real siblings.
“I got a call today from an employer who wanted to know what kind of character I thought a ‘Lizzibeth Cross’ had. I told him that she would be a great fit for her company,” Sean said, stunning me.
“You did?” I asked. “Why did you do that?”
Sean’s grin was almost infectious. “Because this job was in Montana. Way the fuck away from here.”
“Language, brother dear,” Conleigh chirped.
Sean flipped her off.
“Children,” Steel drawled, humor lacing his voice.
I grinned.
I loved the brother/sister dynamic those two had.
He’d also helped her with school quite a bit, too.
After Angelina’s son and her son’s girlfriend had been outed for trashing and spray painting the police station and seven police cruisers, they’d been sentenced to juvenile detention.
Once they were back, they started at an alternative school and were no longer going to the public high school with Conleigh. Meaning Conleigh’s life got a whole lot easier.
Then again, so did mine.
Without having to worry about her day in and day out like I used to, I now had more time to focus on Cody. Cody, who was passing all of his classes with flying colors—and knew all of his sight words. Boom!
Again, that had a lot to do with Steel, too. Having two parents doing the parenting instead of one helped not just the parent, but the child as well.
It also meant that I didn’t have to work as many hours and got to spend a whole lot more time with my family.
“So, who was that boy that I saw you with last night, Con?” Sean asked, a gleam in his eye.
I turned to look at Conleigh, but it was Steel’s “WHAT BOY?” that had me shaking my head.
“Steel,” Conleigh said warily. “It was just a boy.”
“What kind of boy?”
Conleigh glared at Sean. “You know exactly who he is, loser.”
I studied the ceiling as Sean, Conleigh, and Steel started arguing, so I cleaned up my own plate and took a small, teensy tiny bite of an egg, that turned into an entire egg, behind Steel’s back.
“So who is it?” Steel asked as I scraped my plate into the trash and then rinsed it off.
“It’s a boy.”
“Not a boy. He has a beard. Boys might have mustaches, not full-grown beards.”
And that’s when I knew exactly who she was talking about. There was only one ‘boy’ that had a full grown freakin’ beard that I knew of, and that was Jessie James’ son, Linc. The college football player.
“You’re seeing Linc?” Steel barked. “And don’t act like you didn’t know the ‘kid’s’ name, Sean. You knew exactly who it was. Why wouldn’t you tell me this yesterday?”
Sean grinned.
“Because I’m a grown ass adult, and I don’t have to tell my father when I see my little sister canoodling with a bearded man who is three years older than her.”
While Steel was otherwise occupied, I took my shot.
Steel sat down moments later, still somewhat angry, and reached for his fork only to stop short.
“Where’s my other egg, Winnie?”
I waved and kept walking with Molly’s hand in one hand, and Cody’s in the other. “Okay, you two. Let’s play Candy Land.”
***
Two hours later, I was dropping Steel off at the airport where he would be riding in a helicopter looking for what he called ‘pot fields.’
“Thank you, baby.” He leaned over the console of my new Jeep Cherokee and gave me a kiss. “Pick me up around five if I don’t call.”
I winked. “Yes, sir.”
“Shithead.” He laughed and got out.
“Have a safe flight,” I said to him, pushing my door open and standing up.
He looked at me like I was crazy. “I have no say in the matter. I’m just a bump on the log in the grand scheme of things.”