Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Today was the first time we’d have everyone over at the Monksville house. It was a beautiful June day and our first official party here, not only to celebrate the article, but Tristan had said he had some sort of announcement. That had certainly piqued my curiosity; I had no clue what it could be about. Delirious Jones had already decided to take a year off, so I couldn’t imagine that it had anything to do with the band. We were just beginning that much-needed break now, and I was loving every second of it.
Nicole cut up some vegetables. “Tristan and Emily flew in last night, right?”
“Yeah, they’re at an Airbnb right down the street.”
They’d taken their first flight from L.A. with their nine-month-old son, Levi. Ronan was also here, crashing at Tina’s with Kenzie, who’d given up her apartment here a while ago to follow Ronan wherever he happened to be. She was mostly doing freelance photography now. Those two couldn’t stand to be away from each other. I still couldn’t quite grasp the thought of him sleeping in my niece’s childhood bedroom with her tonight, but here we were. I’d try not to think about that too hard.
“You have any idea what Tristan’s news could be?” Nicole asked as she arranged some olives on a charcuterie board.
“I have no freaking clue. Like, none.”
“Should be interesting. It can’t be that Emily’s pregnant again. She had Levi less than a year ago. So I hope not, for her sake.”
I popped a block of cheese into my mouth. “You don’t think Tristan’s trying to get his wife pregnant again like I am?”
She slapped my hand. “You’d better slow down, buddy.”
“With the baby talk or the cheese?”
“Both.” She laughed.
“You know I’m kidding,” I said, stealing a second cube of cheese.
While I most definitely wanted another child with Nicole, we had our hands full for the time being with our almost-one-year-old, who only recently had started sleeping through the night. Our daughter was everything I’d dreamed she’d be: healthy, happy, and looking just like Nicole. Every time I saw her, I thought about how everything her mother and I had gone through had to have happened just as it did in order for Adele to be here now. I no longer had any regrets about the tough times Nicole and I had experienced. Adele made it all worth it.
The best part of today was that Giselle and David would be coming to the party with Christian and leaving him here while they went on vacation for a week. It would be my first time having my son at the Monksville house for any length of time. Since he’d last been here, I’d decorated his room with his favorite superheroes, and I couldn’t wait to surprise him. At four years old, he was turning into such a little man.
When someone rang the doorbell, I went to let them in. I peeked through the peephole to find Ronan and Kenzie standing there. She held a platter of some kind.
Ronan wore a shit-eating grin. “Hope we’re not too early,” he said when I opened the door.
“Your ass is always early, so I’m used to it.” He knew it annoyed me.
My niece reached up to kiss me on the cheek. “I want to help Nicole anyway.” She walked past me toward the kitchen.
“What’s Tristan’s announcement all about?” I asked. If Ronan knew anything, he’d spill.
“I might have an idea, but I’m not allowed to say anything until he gets here.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Shady.”
He smirked. “You’ll be happy with it.”
“Well, I’ll find out soon enough, I guess. He just texted that they’re on their way. Their Airbnb is right down the road.”
Ronan lowered his voice. “Hey, since things are gonna get a little chaotic here soon, you think I can talk to you alone really quick?”
I arched my brow. “What’s the big secret?”
“Let’s go out back for a second.”
Oh my freaking word. Did he knock up my niece?
Technically, if they were going to stay together, that couldn’t be avoided forever. And I had to say, Ronan had been a solid partner to her. He’d even cut down on smoking weed because she wasn’t crazy about it. But mostly I saw how much he made her smile. I remembered a time, especially right after her dad died, that making Kenzie smile wasn’t an easy feat. She’d never smiled more since getting together with Ronan.
“Follow me,” I told him. I went to the kitchen, grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge. I kissed Nicole on the cheek. “Do you need me for anything yet?”
“Everything’s under control until you have to start cooking the meat.” She winked.
“Ronan and I are gonna take these out back. I’ll fire up the grill in a bit.”
He followed me to the backyard. We took seats across from each other at the outdoor table. Ronan chewed on his lip, seeming tense.