Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Maybe we should try the junkyard,” I offer with a laugh.
“I heard that,” Two bellows from the living room.
Leo, Two’s other dad, stands from the sofa and offers me a pleasant smile. “I told him we could get him a brand-new Range Rover with all the bells and whistles. He said it’s a soccer mom car.” Leo scoffs. “It’s a freaking Range Rover. Kids these days. I swear.”
We all snigger, but Two just grumpily shakes his head. I walk over to where he’s camped out on the couch, bright orange cast propped up on the coffee table, with his laptop on his thighs.
“You’ll find something,” I say as I stand near him. “Until then, I’ll drive you around. We both know I’m the better driver.”
Two grunts, grabbing my hand and tugging me onto the couch beside him. “You hit me with your car, babe. You suck.”
Before I can argue, he gives me a quick peck on the lips. Leo giggles—actually giggles—which makes me start giggling too. Okay, so maybe this meeting won’t be as awkward as I thought.
“Excuse our son’s lack of manners,” Leo says as he sits back down on Two’s other side. “We found him in a barn when he was just a toddler.”
I snort out a laugh.
“Don’t encourage him,” Two grumbles. “Dad thinks he’s hilarious.”
“I am hilarious,” Leo argues. Then he reaches over Two to grab my hand. “Gemma, hon, these are gorgeous.”
I blush at the compliment. I’d been trying to cheer my slightly depressed boyfriend up and did another design of Hemingford Hall nail art. I’d even made a copy of one of the handwritten love letters and used it as a background pattern on several of the nails. Vintage and meaningful, just like Two loves.
“She does them herself,” Two says, stealing my hand from his father’s to admire my art. “They’re badass.”
I catch Leo’s gaze and he winks at me.
Grant sits in a recliner and clears his throat. “So, Gemma, how’s school going for you?”
Two sniggers and I scowl at him. He thinks small talk is pointless, but I grew up learning from the best. My parents are the king and queen of small talk in our community.
“I’m enjoying my classes,” I tell him, ignoring Two. “My favorite is the one with this clown.”
“He says you two are nearly finished with your big project,” Leo cuts in. “I’ve barely heard of Cedarwood anymore. It’s always Hemingford Hall this and Hemingford Hall that.”
Two looks over at me to share a secret smile. One thing’s for sure. What we do in the hidden room of Hemingford Hall remains a secret. It’s been too long since we’ve had sex and I can’t wait until he’s well enough for us to do it again.
“Hemingford Hall is a special place,” I admit with a grin. “I want to buy it.”
Two’s grin falls and Leo cocks his eyebrow up.
“What?” I rush out, shaking my head at Two. “I’ve fallen in love with it.”
“Your parents really are loaded,” Two mutters. I punch his arm and he yelps. “Ow. You seem to forget I’m injured.”
“Keep being a butt and I’ll injure you some more,” I sass back.
Grant chuckles and Leo grins.
“Oh, you’re going to fit right in with this family,” Leo says, nodding emphatically.
I wait for Two to grimace or for some sort of awkward feeling to ruin the moment, but they all look at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.
“Actually,” I explain to my boyfriend, “I was going to offer them cash.”
This has both Leo’s perfectly plucked eyebrows hiking up his forehead.
“It’ll wipe out my savings account,” I continue, “but I’ve done a lot of social media collaborations that have made me quite a bit of money over the past few years.”
“You think Paula and Gregory would actually sell it?” Two asks, frowning at me. “Paula seems to love it.”
“But she’s in over her head,” I say with a shrug. “Gregory clearly resents everything Hemingford Hall represents. I think for the right price, they’d move, especially considering they know us, trust us, and can count on us to restore it to its original beauty.”
“Us?” Two asks with a grin.
“I’m not doing all the work by myself,” I playfully huff back. “You won’t be injured forever. And last I checked, you’re still great at being bossy even if you can’t move around quickly.”
Leo snorts out a laugh. “I think he may actually be worse because he has us at his beck and call now.”
“Definitely worse,” Grant agrees with a chortle.
“I’m feeling outnumbered and picked on,” Two grumbles.
“He’s a Four,” I tell them. “They’re dramatic.”
Leo cackles at that. “Oh, honey, do I know that. And he’s told us all about the Enneagram types. I have learned more about my son from information on Fours on the internet in the past few weeks than I have the entire time he’s been our son.”