Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Hunter, look!” Ella points to the paint.
Hunter cringes but quickly throws up a fake smile. “Wow, El. That’s… pink… and sparkly.”
I stifle a laugh at his false excitement. He might have some issues with his dad and need an attitude adjustment like most teenagers do, but he’s a damn good brother to Ella.
“When can we paint?” Ella asks, her eyes wide and hopeful.
“I told you we have to build it first,” I gently remind her again.
She nods, but I’m beginning to think she doesn’t exactly get it.
After dragging all the wood and materials into the backyard, we get started on the balance beam. After about ten minutes, Ella complains of being hot and sits down to observe Hunter and me doing all the work. Harper is getting the food ready for the barbeque later, but every now and then she’ll bring us out some cold waters to drink.
“Do you need any help?” Harper asks as I hand her back my empty glass.
“Mom, you would probably nail your finger to the wood,” Hunter says before I can answer. I chuckle, and Harper glares, smacking me on my chest. Momentarily forgetting we’re in front of the kids, I grip her hip and pull her toward me for a chaste kiss.
When she walks away, Ella says, “You kissed my mom again.”
Shit, I need to remember there are eyes on us all the time.
“That’s because they’re boyfriend and girlfriend, El,” Hunter says, hammering a nail into the wood. “Remember Mom talked to us about it?”
“Yeah,” she says. When Harper and I went out to dinner Wednesday night, she mentioned she was going to tell the kids we were dating, so if they do see us holding hands or kissing they would understand. She doesn’t want them to think we’re trying to hide what’s happening between us.
“Are you okay with your mom and me kissing?” I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to ask, but for some reason I feel like I need to hear it from them that they’re okay with their mom and me being together.
“Yeah, it’s cool.” Hunter nods, not stopping what he’s doing.
“Are you going to marry my mom?” Ella asks, instead of answering my question. Her question throws me off and I damn near drill the screw right through the wood.
“Umm…”
“Because if you do, can I be there?” she asks.
I glance up at her anxious face and wish Harper were here right now. I remember Harper mentioned Richie hid several of his engagements from the kids and even got married to one woman without them being there, and it really hurt Ella. Fucking dick, he’s always been so selfish. This must be why she’s asking.
Stopping what I’m doing, I walk over and sit next to Ella, so she has my attention. “Would it be okay with you if I married your mom?”
Ella smiles and nods. “Yes, but you have to buy her a pretty ring because the one Daddy gave her she didn’t like.” She scrunches her adorable nose up in disgust, and I choke on my laughter. “She told Bridget it was ugly.”
I try to stop myself from laughing, but I can’t help it. It might sound immature as fuck, but it pleases me to no end that Harper hated the ring Richie got for her.
“All right, pretty ring. Anything else?”
“I want to be the flower girl,” she says. “And I want to wear pink.”
I probably shouldn’t agree to any of this since Harper and I are nowhere near getting engaged, let alone planning a wedding, but when Ella gives me those damn puppy dog eyes that are identical to her mother’s, I can’t help but agree to whatever she wants.
“What about you, Hunter? How would you feel if one day I married your mom?”
Hunter stops what he’s doing and looks up at me with a serious expression on his face. “Just as long as you don’t make her cry like my dad did.”
Fuck, kids really do see and hear everything. I wonder if Harper knows her son is aware of her crying, and then I think maybe it’s best if she doesn’t. She’ll only beat herself up for it. Harper is an amazing mom and would never purposely let them see or hear her crying knowing it would hurt them.
“I can promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure your mom never cries again, at least not because of me, but sometimes things happen and adults make mistakes, so I don’t want to tell you she’ll never cry and then if she does, you think I lied to you.”
Hunter nods once. “I get that. I just don’t want to see her get hurt again.”
“She’s really lucky to have you two looking out for her,” I tell them both. “I will do my best to make sure she’s not hurt again.”