Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
I shook my head. All of Aiden’s children were now married with families of their own. Ava and Hunter had two boys who kept them busy. Austin and Knox loved following their dad around and “helping” him build things. He insisted they were the future builders of ABC. Aiden couldn’t be prouder.
Ronan and Beth were constantly on the go with Evan’s teenage schedule, and their kids, Luke and Zoey, were the apple of Ronan’s eye. Jeremy and Kim had a daughter, Lana. Paul and Diane had a son, Joseph, and a daughter, Joanna. But Liam beat them all and had five children. He’d adopted Paige’s daughter, Lucy, had two other daughters, Shannon and Erin, plus a set of twins, AJ and Brock.
Prank-loving, keep-you-on-your-toes twins.
“What have they done now?” Jordan asked, amusement lacing his voice.
“They snuck into the science lab and took out all the fish from the tanks, then filled them with green and yellow Jell-O and plastic fish that they put in upside down. It looked as if the water had turned and the fish were dead.” He chuckled. “They missed one camera. Otherwise, they would have gotten away with it. Liam spent a day overseeing them cleaning the tanks and restocking them.” He grinned widely. “They are grounded for a week.”
Jordan shared a glance with Reid. “They’ll break out in two days.”
Reid shook his head. “I give them a night.”
I had to laugh. The pranks were usually harmless, but they kept Liam and Paige on their toes. Aiden found it vastly amusing since he’d had to deal with his triplets causing trouble growing up and had little sympathy for Liam, although he tried to keep a straight face most of the time.
Laughter came from the corner, and Brandon, Halton’s eldest son, stood and executed a bow. He was the comic of the family, the most gregarious of them all. He had shocked everyone when he had followed Amber Grey back to Hollywood and married her. They had met while she was here directing the movie adaptation of Mila’s book, and it had been a whirlwind romance. They divided their time between here and LA, him always traveling with her when she went on location. His consulting business enabled him to go anywhere as long as his laptop was with him.
“I’m sure Halton and Fee are thrilled to have all their kids together. Bethy was over yesterday, visiting Jordan and me.” We called Halton’s youngest Bethy, so as not to confuse her with Ronan’s wife, Beth.
Reid grinned, relaxing back in his chair. “Entertaining you with her archaeology dig stories? She has the best ones.”
“They’re certain the team is onto a huge discovery,” I replied. “Who knew home-loving little Bethy would be such an adventure seeker?”
“She always loved digging in the dirt.”
I laughed. “Darius seems nice and he can hold his own with this crew, so that is saying a lot. Another surprise wedding,” I added, looking over at the couple. Darius was a fellow archaeologist, and they had met on her last trip to Egypt. Now, they were inseparable. He was charming and funny, and it was easy to see how much he adored Bethy. Halton saw it as well and was pleased his daughter had found someone so loving.
“We seem to have a lot of those. But when you know, you know. Did she show you the pictures of them getting married by the ruins? Those were spectacular.”
“They were. Halton and Fee are planning a visit. Now that Elise has taken over the practice full time, they have lots of free time.”
“Did you see the article on her and the firm in the paper? Top ten family lawyers in the city. Her husband, Jeff, too. The firm is doing well.”
“Halton and Fee are very proud. And Craig and Joseph’s furniture company is booming. They’ve had to hire more people.”
“Joseph says his partner Duncan has an exciting new line he is designing. I can hardly wait to see it. Becca loves his stuff.” Reid crossed his ankles. “Halton has some talented kids.”
I hummed in agreement.
“Craig’s wife, Alannah, told me they’re getting a couple more foster kids,” Reid continued, sounding pleased. “They already have three, and they figure one or two more will fit in just fine.” He shook his head. “Those kids are damn lucky to have them.”
I knew he was thinking of his own painful childhood. I reached over and squeezed his hand, but he shook his head. “I wouldn’t change it, Sandy. I have this.” He swept his arm out. “I wouldn’t trade this family for the world.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Especially you.” He smiled. “But I’m grateful for families like theirs who take in kids and show them what a family is really like.”
We shared a smile, my heart full of love for this man. The boy I first met was still there—the one desperate to belong somewhere and afraid to hope for it. Except now, he’d found his place and tried to make sure others did too. He volunteered both his time and money to make sure to help the most vulnerable of kids. I was incredibly proud of him.