Page 89 of While We Waited

Owen barks out a laugh. “Too late.”

I lean down to whisper to Nova. “Told you my brothers would cause more trouble than Chloe.”

“Hey!” Chloe shouts. “No fair. I’m not a troublemaker anymore.”

Lucas barks out a laugh. “No, my wildcat is perfectly tame now. She didn’t phone the police while I was on duty and claim her sheep were loose.”

“There was a sheep loose.”

“Because you let it loose.”

Chloe shrugs. “How else was I going to get you to come home early?” She places her hands over her stepdaughter’s ears. “I bought lingerie and Natalia had a meeting at school.”

Natalia shoves Chloe’s hands away. “Gross, Mom. I don’t need to know about your s-e-x life.”

Brooks raises his arm in the air. “I want to hear.”

I slap his shoulder. “Behave.”

“But it’s more fun to not behave.” He waggles his eyebrows.

Mom giggles. “And here I was worried about everyone getting along.”

Lily marches to her and threads her arm through hers. “Let me help you get dinner ready. I can give you some tips on surviving the teenage years when your teenagers are sex-crazed.”

“Hey!” Paisley shouts after them. “I wasn’t sex-crazed.”

“And I didn’t walk in on you watching porn either,” Lily says.

“Porn is perfectly normal.”

“It was an orgy. I had to give you the talk about polyamorous relationships.”

“I want the talk on polyamorous relationships,” Brooks says.

“Me, too,” Owen agrees.

“Definitely,” Sawyer adds.

Logan sighs. “My brothers are all heathens.”

“I didn’t get the talk on polyamorous relationships,” Sophia claims.

“Because you’ve been in love with your brother’s best friend since puberty,” her mom says.

Sophia frowns. “I have no comeback. It’s true.”

Flynn scowls. “You don’t have to look sad about it.”

They begin to bicker and I grasp Nova’s wrist before dragging her down the hallway to my old bedroom.

“Are you happy?” I ask.

Her smile nearly blinds me. “This is the best day ever. Thank you for arranging this.”

I kiss her nose. “I’ll arrange anything you need or want.”

“Gag!” Owen shouts through the door. “I thought you were having sex.”

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