Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“What kind of games are we talking about?” I ask her.
“Hungry Hippos, Trouble, Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Operation, to name a few. They were such a good deal I couldn’t pass them up.”
“Hold up. I’m the king of Trouble,” Reid says. “Do you have them with you?”
Sloane laughs. “Yeah, they’re out in my car.”
“Game night!” Reid thrusts his fist into the air. “Come on, we have to.”
“I agree with Montgomery. We can’t have Trouble in our presence and not play.”
“You two are trouble.” My sister shakes her head, but she’s smiling.
“Do you really want to play?” Sloane asks.
“They do,” Foster answers.
“What, are you too good to play a kid’s game with us?”
Foster scoffs. “Get ready to get your ass kicked, Reynolds,” he goads me.
“Boys, boys, settle down.” Sloane smirks. “I feel like I’m in my classroom.”
Rowan giggles, and the sound stops me. I freeze and turn to face her. Her body is shaking, and her hand is over her mouth, but when her eyes meet mine, I can see the humor as they light up. Damn, those blue eyes of hers are lethal, especially when they’re shining with happiness. I’m half tempted to pull my phone out of my pocket and take a picture, but I refrain. Just barely, but I manage to keep my composure. Instead, I wrap my hand around her calf and feel her soft, silky skin. I have to swallow hard before I can speak.
“You think you can take us, Roe?” I ask, keeping my voice light.
“Are you challenging me?” she asks.
“You bet your pretty ass I am. You and me, Hungry Hippos. Best out of three.”
She shakes her head but grins at me. “You’re on, Reynolds.”
I give her calf a soft squeeze before releasing her, then stand and gather our trash, taking it to the kitchen.
Reid heads outside with Sloane to help her bring in the games, and before you know it, we’re all set up around the living room. Reid, Sloane, Corie, and Knox are playing Trouble, Baker and Foster are playing Operation, and Rowan and I are set up for an intense round of Hungry Hippos.
“What color do you want?” I ask her.
“Let’s make it interesting and go two. I want blue and green.”
“I’ll be yellow and red. Are we playing for the gold marble or just all the marbles?”
“All of them,” Rowan says. She’s sitting crisscross applesauce, and I smile when I think of how we used to say that as kids.
“Ready?” I ask.
She nods, and we both release our marbles. “One, two, three!” she shouts, and we’re off, slapping the tails of our hippos trying for a win. I don’t pay too much attention to how many marbles she’s eating because I want to win, so I can only focus on mine. When all the marbles are eaten and we count them up, Rowan throws her hands in the air when she realizes she beat me.
“Best out of three,” I remind her, just as Reid jumps to his feet and does a little shimmy around the living room.
“Trouble King, baby,” he boasts, and we’re all laughing.
Foster and Baker are both leaning over the operation game with serious looks on their faces. I watch as Foster gets zapped and curses under his breath.
“Ready?” Rowan asks me, pulling my attention back to her.
“Let’s do it.” She goes on to beat me once more and declares herself the winner. She shimmies a little dance where she’s sitting, and the smile on her face, not gonna lie, it does something to me. It warms my chest, and I don’t even care that I lost. Seeing her light up like this is better than the win.
We switch games and partners, and that’s how we spend the rest of our night. Playing games bought for preschoolers. Who would have thought we’d have this much fun pretending to be kids again? It’s not the game or the age but the company. This is my family, and spending time with them, no matter what we’re doing, is always a good time. It helps that the lovely Rowan has joined our crew. She doesn’t react to my flirting, but that’s okay. She’s one of us. So what if touching her makes my heart race, and I get lost in those big blue eyes of hers? It’s just a little… crush? Fondness? Whatever it is, this, too, shall pass.
Chapter Six
Rowan
It’s Memorial Day weekend, and the gang’s all here celebrating at Knox and Corie’s place. Corie and Sloane have officially adopted me into their friendship group, and I love them for it.
I left Los Angeles scared to be on my own, but I knew I had to get away. The job with the Rampage was a long shot, but it brought me to Nashville. To this amazing group of humans who I’ve come to adore.