Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
With an evil smile on her beautiful face, my mom nodded. “I haven’t scanned them all into my computer yet. You could come over for dinner some night, and we can go through old photos.”
I pointed at Brystol. “No! No, no, no.”
She winked at me. “Oh, come on, Gavin. I’m sure you’re not the only twelve-year-old boy who dressed up like a girl.”
I sighed, already feeling my cheeks heating up. “It was Jane Austen, and it was for National Read a Book Day at school. We had to dress up like our favorite authors.”
Brystol gasped and covered her mouth before dropping her hand to exclaim, “Oh my gosh! You were the guy they called Bingley’s Bitch in middle school!”
I gaped at her. I hadn’t heard that name in years.
“Everyone in school was talking about the boy who dressed up like Jane Austen.” She laughed even harder. “James was the one who said your name should be Bingley’s Bitch!”
It was my turn to gasp as I took a step back. “My own brother gave me that nickname? People called me Bingley’s Bitch for years.” I frowned. No. He wouldn’t do that to me. Would he?
Brystol pressed her lips together tightly.
My mother covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, honey, I’m sure he didn’t.”
I shook my head. “That asshole.”
Clearing her throat, my mother said, “Let’s not name call.”
I laughed. “Mom, do you know how ruthlessly I was teased by that stupid nickname?”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean for it to go that far.”
Brystol lost the battle to hold her laughter in.
I huffed. “I’m going to get him back.”
My mother folded her arms over her chest. “Gavin Quinn, that was years ago. What you’re going to do is let it go.”
I frowned.
“Your mom is right. Look how stupid it was for us to hold our grudges.”
“That’s different. You didn’t have copies of Pride and Prejudice show up at random places for years!”
Brystol covered her mouth with her hand and looked away.
My mouth fell open. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
Her hand dropped and she wore an innocent expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Turning, I started for my bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Brystol called out. I could hear her and my mother following me to my room. I went to the closet, pulled down a box, and took the lid off. Both women peered into the box and started to laugh.
“That is a lot of books,” my mother stated.
“No kidding,” I bit back.
Brystol looked at me. “Why did you keep them all?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It didn’t feel right throwing them away. I mean, it is Pride and Prejudice.”
“I spent so much of my babysitting money on those books.”
My mother choked back a laugh, then both of them started laughing full on. I stared at them as they could hardly catch their breath.
“It’s not that funny.”
Mom nodded. “It kind of is, but I think it’s sweet you kept all the books, darling. I’m going to head back down to the kitchen before my tea gets too cold.”
I looked at Brystol sitting beside me, wiping tears away. “Oh, man. I must have needed that laugh.”
“I’m glad you find this all so funny.”
She stood. “Do you know how many times I saw you crack open the book and start reading it.”
“And here I was, coming out here to save you from my mother.”
“Save me? From what? Your mother is lovely.”
I smirked. “She hasn’t gotten around to asking you about the bun in the oven then.”
“No, she did. As soon as she saw me, she asked if you were the father of the baby I’m carrying. She heard it from Betty Lou.”
“For the love of all that is good, how does that woman hear everything?”
Brystol shrugged.
“What did you say?”
“I told her the truth, of course. That I’m a surrogate for Evelyn and Denny, and Evelyn let it slip in front of a group of mothers. She nodded, looked at the tea selection, and decided she wanted a cup. As I was getting ready to make it, she started showing me pictures of you and James as babies.”
Confused, I asked, “Why?”
“You’ll have to ask her. But don’t all mothers do that?”
“I wouldn’t know. My mother has never met anyone I’m dating.”
She smiled at me. “I like the sound of that. Sounds weird, but I like the sound of it.”
Pulling her to me, I kissed her softly on the lips. “I do too.”
She let out a sigh. “Come on, before your mother thinks we’re bumping uglies in here.”
I rolled my eyes. “Jesus, and you run a business? How?”
She winked at me and started out the door.
I grabbed her hand. “Wait, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
With a worried look, she asked, “What is it?”
“I was thinking, with your permission, that I could talk to Evelyn and Denny. I know they want to tell the world you’re pregnant, and you’d like to wait until the first trimester is done.”