Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Laughing would be a good start.
She hadn’t had a full-belly, side-aching laugh in a long time. It wasn’t like she could buy one or make one magically appear out of thin air, but she’d try, even if it only helped her feel some semblance of normality again.
Nadia went into her house and headed straight to the kitchen. She happened to have a couple of rolls of already made sugar cookie dough waiting in her refrigerator. Without taking the girls from their duties as top decorators, she turned on the oven and sliced the dough per the faint cut lines and set the circles on her baking tray. She couldn’t do much, but what she could do was bake or offer her neighbors treats.
While the first two dozen baked, Nadia gathered as many cups as possible from her party supply shelf in her pantry and put them on a tray, along with a pitcher of lemonade and liters of soda. For some reason people used soda as a crutch and had brought her copious amounts, along with food, after Rafe died. She hadn’t had a use for it until now.
Carrying the tray outside, she had to maneuver around people—no, friends—when she got to the porch. “Drinks!” she hollered. “Cookies will be out in a second.” Nadia turned and caught Gemma staring at her.
“You made cookies?”
Nadia nodded.
Gemma ran to her mother and gripped her in a hug. Nadia squeezed her daughter tightly. They didn’t need to speak words. This was enough. When Gemma let go, she gave her mom the brightest smile Nadia had seen in months.
When all was said and done, with all the cookies gone, Kiran, Nadia, and the girls stood outside at dusk. Kiran handed Nadia the battery-operated power box that would turn on their lights. She shook her head.
“You do it.”
Kiran appraised her for a moment and then looked away. “Girls?” He cleared his throat. “Are you ready?”
Gemma and Lynnea hollered “Yes!” and threw their arms up in the air. Kiran pressed the button, turning on the lights and the ghoulish animatronics Rafe loved so much. Spooky music played, and some terrifying scarecrow tried to entice children to come see him.
“He had the wickedest sense of humor,” Kiran mumbled low enough for only Nadia to hear.
“He really did.”
“I miss him so much, Kiran, but this”—she pointed to the house—“you really brought him back in spirit for us. Thank you.”
Kiran put his arm around Nadia and kissed her temple. She froze. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything or seem to care. “It was my pleasure. I’m not on cleanup duty, though. That’s all you.”
For the second time that day, she laughed. And she really liked how it sounded.
“Girls, shower time.” The girls thanked Kiran for putting up their decorations and then ran into the house. Nadia didn’t want Kiran to leave yet and motioned toward the stairs. He followed and sat down next to her. It was unseasonably warm for late October, which was a rarity, but it also meant they’d probably have freezing temps for Halloween.
“These past few weeks—”
Kiran held his hand up. “Are you going to ask me to stop coming around?”
Nadia shook her head. “No, I was going to thank you. You’ve really helped me come out of this funk. I miss him, Kiran. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop, but with you around, the girls are laughing, and they smile. I smile. You’re good for us.”
“There really isn’t anywhere I’d rather be. I look forward to Saturdays.”
She smiled again. “You like doing chores.”
“I like spending time with you. If it means I get to do chores, then yes.”
“Would you like to have dinner with us on Sundays as well?”
“I’d like that very much, Nadia.”
Nadia had no idea what to do next. She wanted him to know she liked having him around, more than she probably should. She slid a little closer to him, until their bodies touched, and she didn’t dare look at him out of fear he might see something in her that she wasn’t ready to admit.
When she heard Gemma call her name, she turned toward the house. “I should go. Unless you’d like to wait for a glass of wine or something.”
“Or something,” he said. “I’ll be waiting, Nadia.”
NINETEEN
GRAYSON
Grayson trailed his fingers down Reid’s left arm until he reached her left hand. He lifted it up and admired the ring he had placed on her third finger almost two months ago. Sunlight shone through the partially opened blinds in Reid’s room. Her ring sparkled and created a kaleidoscope of lights on her wall. Every time he caught her admiring the ring, he felt proud.
Everything felt right between them. And he was grateful for this second chance at life. It allowed him to do the one thing he had put off forever ago—fall in love—and he was so in love with Reid. He regretted not telling her years ago.