Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
I scrunched up my nose. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but there’s no way I have room for anything right now. I’m gonna need at least an hour to digest before I eat any dessert.”
“In that case.” A hand touched my shoulder. “Hold my baby.”
A baby was thrust into my arms. One who was sleeping and protested only slightly at the exchange.
“Who am I holding?” I asked.
“That’s Mellisandre, Ellodie and my youngest,” Quaid said. “She’s out like a light.”
“I can tell.” I rubbed my chin on the baby’s head. “She smells really good.”
“She helped me bake dessert,” Ellodie admitted. “I think she wore more than she got in the bowl.”
I smiled and closed my eyes, remembering only now that I’d forgotten my glasses in my rush to leave.
“I can’t wait for you to give me grandbabies,” my mother’s voice was soft.
I huffed out a laugh. “Let me tell everyone at work that I’m marrying Garrett, then you can get your grandbabies.”
“What?” I heard yelled.
The baby in my arms jumped at the multiple “whats” shouted from the table surrounding me.
I patted the baby’s bottom, then started to sing a lullaby in Spanish.
“Oh,” Athena cooed from across the table. “Can you teach our kids that lullaby? It sounds beautiful.”
“It’s actually not all that sweet. It talks about spiders and sleeping. But it sounds beautiful, doesn’t it?” I said between breaths.
“Honestly, if you could just start teaching them all Spanish when you’re here, you’ll give them a leg up in life,” Quaid advised. “I hate having to call in backup when I can’t figure out what someone is saying.”
“You should take Spanish,” I suggested. “It’s a great language to know in your line of work.”
“I know,” Quaid grumbled. “I just need about eight more hours in the day.”
“Same,” I said. “At least I’m being compensated nicely for all the overtime I’m doing.”
“Dad!” Quinn bellowed. “I want a raise.”
Was this family ever quiet?
I loved it, though.
Not that I didn’t love growing up with only my parents—because they made being a single child special—but…
“You and me both, buddy. But I’m fighting with the board to not defund us right now. Asking for a raise is out of the question,” Germaine shot back.
Hours went by as we talked, laughed, played games, and held babies.
By the end of the night, I was on the couch with multiple passed-out kids, with Addison next to me whispering in my ear as she helped me play the card game that the adults were playing.
“This one,” she suggested.
“What’s it say?” I asked her.
“It says ‘Moana’s moaning,’” she whispered.
I winced.
The kid was young. I knew that. Surely she didn’t understand the innuendo she’d just made.
“Read me the card again?” my mom asked.
“Things that help Mickey relax,” Quaid read.
I groaned. “Hey, do you think you can go grab me a bottle of water?”
“Sure,” she chirped and was gone, barely making a ripple in the pile of kids as she went.
I wasn’t quite sure how I’d ended up with them all, but I seriously had no less than six on the couch with me.
Not to mention I had Mellisandre still in my arms, as well as Cordelia, Quinn, and Shayne’s youngest, on the boppy by my hip.
I was fairly sure that Lola was draped across my legs, but at this point, there were so many random feet and hands that I wasn’t sure who was where.
“Oh, this one is a good one.” My mom giggled.
She passed the card up to the front, and I held my hand up.
It was plucked out of the air a few seconds later, by who, I didn’t know.
Garrett was across the room, I knew, next to my parents.
He’d tried to get next to me but the kids had descended, and he’d had to find another seat.
I was over the moon, though.
I loved that they all accepted me.
“You know,” I heard my soon-to-be mother-in-law say. “I was the favorite, but I think I was demoted.”
“Sorry, Mom.” Garrett chuckled. “You’re just not as cool as Bindi. Plus, she actually needs their help. The kids are all over that.”
“I think I’m ready for bed after this one.” Quincy yawned theatrically.
“Same,” Shayne grumbled. “I think I might be in a turkey coma.”
“I haven’t eaten this much in an entire year,” Pepper declared.
“Who hasn’t given me their card?”
“Me,” my mom said. “I can’t decide what to choose.”
There was some shuffling, which I assumed was my mom giving up her card, and then Quaid clearing his throat.
“Okay, the card read ‘Things that help Mickey relax,’” Quaid said. “The first card says ‘Minnie’s laugh.’ The second says, ‘Moana’s moaning.’” Quaid’s voice went strangled. “The third says, ‘Tigger’s bouncing….’”
He read the rest of them off, and by the time that he was done, everyone was laughing.
“I’m going with Moana’s moaning.” Quaid chose his winner.
“Oh, that one was mine and Bindi’s!” Addison chirped as she reappeared with a water and placed it against my hand.