Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“No. We’re getting along fine.” Too fine, I think to myself.
“Fine,” he repeats. “What’s going on, Con?”
“Nothing. Everything is fine. We’ve been watching movies, and yesterday we even built a snowman.”
“Good. We’re all still driving there tomorrow. We’re not leaving here until noon-ish, so we should be there around dinner time. Hopefully, the road is good by then. If not, we’ll just rent a room in town, and then get on the phone and get it handled.”
“I can do that today,” I offer.
“Nah. Let’s give it time and see what happens. I’ve been watching the forecast, and no more snow is supposed to be headed that way until next week. You’ll all be back in Nashville by then, and my wife and I will be on our way to the Bahamas.”
“I can hear you smiling,” I tell him with a smile of my own that he can’t see.
“Been a long time coming.”
“It’s been a little over a year.”
“Too damn long,” Grant replies.
“I hear ya. Just don’t start spouting all that magic shit.”
“Trust me. It’s magic. When it hits you, you’ll know. You’ll find the right woman, and suddenly she’s all that matters to you. I’m telling you, Conrad, you’ll never be the same after you meet her.” Aspen is the first image to pop into my head, but I ignore it.
“I think Dad has you brainwashed.”
“What about Royce and Owen?” he calls me out.
“Them too. Marshall and I are the babies. He likes us best.” His roar of laughter filters through the phone, and I can’t help but grin.
“I can’t wait until I get to say I told you so,” he tells me.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“We’ll be there. Thanks for being there, Conrad. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, brother,” I say, ending the call, only for it to ring again. Glancing at the screen, I see it’s my dad. “Hey, Pop.”
“Conrad. How are things?”
“Better. It finally stopped snowing. I’m hoping by the time y’all get here, the roads will be passable.”
“That’s good to hear. Your mom has been worrying herself sick over the weather. She just wants this wedding to be everything your brother and Aurora want it to be.”
“We all do. Aspen and I are staying on top of things here,” I assure him.
“How is Aspen?” he asks.
“She’s good. Great. We’ve been hanging out, built a snowman, had a snowball fight, just trying to keep ourselves occupied since we’re stuck here.”
“Ah,” he says like he knows the answer to world peace.
“Ah? What does ah mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Come on, old man. Don’t start holding out on me now.”
“You like her.”
“Sure, I mean, I guess. She’s cool, and she’s going to be a part of our family, so yeah.”
“Not technically. Just in our eyes. We’ve adopted her as Aurora’s sister to be one of us, but she’s not family, son.”
“That doesn’t sound like you. What would Mom say if she caught you talking like that?” I told him. There is more heat in my tone than necessary, but it pisses me off he would say that about Aspen. She’s one of us.
“Don’t go getting yourself all twisted. You misunderstood where I was going with that. It was simply a reminder to you that Aspen is of no relation to you. So, if you were interested in her, there would be nothing wrong with that.”
“What’s Mom been feeding you?” I ask, trying to hide the fact that I jumped to her defense when I know my parents both love Aspen and consider her family. I let my feelings blind my view of the discussion.
My feelings?
Do I have feelings for Aspen?
No. She’s hot as hell, but I don’t have feelings for her. I couldn’t, she’s… not family.
Fuck me.
“There it is,” Dad says.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. We’re leaving around noon tomorrow. We should be there around dinner time.”
“That’s what Grant told me earlier.”
“Good. Is there anything you forgot that you need me to bring?”
I think about it for a few minutes just to make sure there isn’t anything that I need. “No. I’m good. Thanks, Dad.”
“All right, we’ll see you tomorrow, son. Oh, and, Conrad?”
“Yeah?”
“Let it happen.”
“You feeling okay?” I ask him. He’s acting weird.
“Fine as frog hair. See you soon.”
“Drive safe.”
“Always.”
Ending the call, I toss my phone on the bed and hear the bathroom door open. At least my family distracted me from the fact that Aspen was wet and naked. My cock twitches, ready to go at just the thought of her. “Not going to happen,” I mumble turning away from the window. Grabbing some clothes, I rush down the hall to the bathroom to take a long, hot shower. As soon as I step into the bathroom, I’m surrounded by her smell. She’s everywhere, and my cock takes notice. After turning the water on, I strip down and make sure the door is locked. Stepping under the spray, I close my eyes and think about last night. About holding her mostly naked, wet body next to me. The fear I felt when I thought something might be wrong, and the way I felt empty when I had to let her go.