Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
As soon as Talia put the bottle up to her mouth, she went quiet and started guzzling it like a frat boy shotgunning a beer. I was worried she wasn’t even breathing because she was so consumed with drinking the bottle.
Talia carried her around and patted her back until a lumberjack-sized burp came out of her, and then did some baby massage on her. We haven’t talked about kids any more specifically than saying we both want them someday, but when she took a picture of me holding Rachel, I could tell she was thinking about it.
We need to get married first. I’d marry her today, but Coach wouldn’t like that. He wants us to be together for at least a year before I propose, and I respect that. We’ve been spending a lot of time with him in the offseason. Having him over for dinner, going to the farmers’ market and biking local trails.
“Daddy’s here now.” Carter gently takes his daughter from Talia. “Hey there, peanut, you’re awake.”
“How was dinner?” Talia asks Suki.
“Amazing. I had the best steak.”
“We can keep hanging with Rachel if you guys need to do anything else.”
Suki sits down in a recliner, looking relaxed. “Thanks, but we’re good. We still have a freezer full of food people have brought and we don’t stress about the house being clean.”
Darling spent most of the evening sleeping on one end of the couch. He snores so loud he wakes himself up. After lifting his head to look around, he drops it back down and returns to sleeping.
“He’s wiped out,” I say. “Is he okay?”
“Hallie played with him a lot in the yard earlier,” Carter says. “Now he’ll sleep until he wants to eat.”
“And come into our bedroom at three a.m. when we’re finally getting some sleep to wake us up and let us know he’s hungry,” Suki says.
“What does he think of the baby?” I ask.
“He sniffs her a lot, but he’s mostly not interested in her. He leaves the room when she’s crying.”
“So do I,” Carter quips.
“Yeah, right.” Suki laughs. “I lose more sleep to breastfeeding, so Carter gets to change the atomic waste blowout diapers.”
“It’s the most disgusting thing imaginable,” he says. “It makes me regret being born with a sense of smell.”
“She can’t help it,” Talia says, laughing.
“Aren’t you guys leaving for your trip tomorrow?” Suki asks.
Talia grins. “Yes. Our bags are packed and we’re so ready to go.”
Coach is picking us up in the morning to go to the airport. Chase and Chloe are already with him. It’s his first vacation with them since the divorce, and he carved out some time to do things alone with each of them.
After we get back from this trip, we’re meeting my dad in Maine for another one. He’s never been there, so we’re taking him to do some stuff. Lighthouses, lobsters, and a visit to Acadia National Park. Talia has it all planned out.
“I guess we’ll get out of your hair, then,” Lucien says, looking at me.
“Thanks, guys.” Carter passes Rachel to Suki and walks us to the door. “Let’s do a cookout when you finish traveling.”
He hugs us both, slapping my back, then grins at me, his hand on my upper arm. “Enjoy the South of France, man. It’s all glamour and sun for now, but your diaper changing days will be here soon enough.”
“I don’t mind. We get enough travel in, you know? I’m looking forward to peaceful summers at home with my family. I think we both are.”
I look at Talia, who nods. “Definitely.”
“What is this peace you speak of?” Suki quips. “We spend a lot of time mediating teenage girl arguments and prying nonedible objects from a pig’s mouth.”
“And cleaning up toilets that overflowed. Because if it doesn’t flush the first four times, maybe it just needs a fifth, right?” Carter says.
“That too.” Suki walks over to us. “And then mediating another teenage girl fight about who clogged the toilet.”
“Can’t wait!” I say, taking Talia’s hand as we walk out the front door. “Take care, guys.”
When we get back to the car, Talia gives me a questioning look. “So that didn’t scare you away from having our own babies?”
“Nope. We’ll figure it out.” I start the car and begin our drive home. “And speaking of activities that lead to babies, I really hope you’re in the mood.”
“Why is that?” she asks, her tone teasing.
“Because I can’t exactly rail you while we’re trapped on a boat with your dad. We need to get it in while we can.”
“You’ve never had a problem getting it in, babe.”
I scoff, laughing. “Goddamn right.”
“Lucien?”
I look over at her.
“I love that a crying baby is scary to you and that you always laugh at my jokes. And that you lick my pussy like it’s your job.”
I grin at her. “It is my job, babe. I play hockey on the side, but licking your pussy is my primary vocation.”