Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 93683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“Yeah, he rode home with Jessey and Sergio.”
“That’s her boyfriend, right?”
“Right.”
“Is it wrong I’m relieved that girl is hookin’ up with someone else and so is he?”
“Not wrong but…” my head bobbles around upon my approach of the front double doors, “not totally out of the woodwork since he is hooking up with her best friend and her best friend – who Bronny went to HC with – is just hooking up with him until Jessey and Sergio break up again.”
“Why do we have our own little telenovela in our neighborhood?”
“Just typical teen drama shit,” I playfully correct while keying in the entry code.
“I don’t remember bein’ that dramatic.”
“Grams does.”
He lets another chuckle escape prior to asking, “She call to say happy birthday?”
“She did.” Pushing one door open is done in tandem with replying, “She said she’d pour an extra shot in her hot toddy for me. Another allergy spell seems to have got to her. She was having a lot of trouble breathing.”
Very sweet and sassy and southern; however, I get the feeling she’s going to be just as welcoming to me in person as she has been over the phone.
“I’ll make sure to check on her sitch in the mornin’.”
I’m barely two steps into the house when my foot collides with a balloon, instantly dropping my jaw. “What the…” Continuing forward has me stomping through the assortment of them that are littering the floor. Some are solid colors. Some are polka dotted. There are ones with words. Ones with crowns. Music notes. It isn’t until I’ve arrived in the kitchen that I see my nickname spelled out in bright gold, fully inflated lettering, hovering near the kitchen island. “Ohmygod!”
“Perfect,” Thayne proudly sighs, collecting my stare. “Your reaction was. Absolutely. Perfect.”
It’s almost impossible to speak, “I…I…can’t believe you…did all this…”
“Baby, I would’ve done so much more if I were in town,” he proudly gushes. “The woman of my dreams bein’ born today is a celly that should end all cellys.”
Softly cooing at his retort barely has time to leave my lips.
“So, there’s one espresso walnut cream cupcake in the fridge for dessert – I let Bronskie pick that out – and it’s sittin’ next to a bottle of pink Moscato. I got the one you really liked that first night I met your parents.”
Additional awe appears in my gaze.
“That is to go with dinner from Baltywood which is scheduled to be delivered within the hour.”
My cracked jaw only becomes more so.
“You mentioned wantin’ to try their crabcakes, so I ordered you them and a wedge salad ‘cause I know how much you love the green but not how much you gotta shell out for it.”
Hunks of lettuce shouldn’t cost that much!
“Now,” he smugly smirks at the same time he drops onto the edge of his hotel mattress, found shoe in hand, “if would kindly allow me to escort you up the stairs to our bedroom, where the rest of your birthday surprises are waitin’ I would greatly appreciate it.”
“There’s more?!”
“Of course there’s more, Gillybean.” The phone gets dropped at his side. “This may be my first season as the man in your life, but it ain’t my first rodeo.” My frame spins the direction of the stairs, internally excited to wade through the balloons a second time. “I know a boyfriend should be good to his woman on her special day and a man determined to marry her should be playoff good, aye?”
More swoons slip loose and I don’t bother hiding them.
Why should I?
He’s earned them.
Every.
Single.
One.
Seeing him wiggling around allows me to catch a glimpse of his brightly colored foot covering as well as lovingly tease, “Nice ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Feetkini’.”
“Why thank you,” he loudly laughs while leaning over to give a view of his bright beam. “Unlike the song though, I do not plan to try to stay in the locker room.”
“The thought never crossed my mind,” lovingly gets softly spoken. “You in tonight?”
“I am.”
“Cali’s…what…fourth in the conference?”
“They’ll be fifth when we’re done with ‘em.”
“Love the rizz.”
“Hate how you sound like Bronny.”
“I-” a gasp over the view of the stairs cuts off my rebuttal. “Rose petals?!” Disbelief paralyzes me in place. “There’s a path of rose petals leading to our room?!”
“Don’t worry,” Jukes brushes off and picks up the device again. “Sofie’ll be by again tomorrow while you’re at work to handle the mess.” My mouth barely twitches before he’s adding, “For extra pay.”
How is one human always so fucking thoughtful?
“I uh…came to that conclusion kinda late,” the man I love confesses during my ascending. “Got the idea together, bought all the stuff I could, ordered everything else, was feelin’ like Johnny Cash winnin’ a grammy for ‘A Boy Named Sue’ when it hit me that I wasn’t gonna be home to decorate…or…clean up.” A bashful scratch to the back of his neck occurs. “That whole do first, think second thing, got one by me again.”