Page 56 of Chance
He knew his size down to the millimeter.
Evy waved her phone at me.“On three, we show each other their replies.”
“Fine.”
“One.Two.Three…”
Epilogue
Chance
I hearda shout from somewhere in the house and gave up any hope of having a peaceful Sunday sleep-in.Groaning, I rolled out of bed, expertly avoiding the scattered toys on the floor.Who said Tonka trucks were only for boys?My girl loved her excavation toys that she used to demolish the block buildings I painstakingly helped her create every evening before bathtime.
After a detour to the bathroom, I walked into the kitchen minutes later to find the place a disaster.Dishes in the sink, half-full plates on the table.Toys everywhere.The smell of bacon still filled the air, and I found a plate with a few slices waiting for me.Grabbing a cup of coffee, I stepped out into the backyard.
“Daddy!”Eden screamed from up in her tree house with her cousin Addison, her blond pigtails bouncing.“Can we go to Unca Tanner’s?”
“What’s so special about Uncle Tanner’s?”I grouched, giving my second-favorite human a pout.“I never get any Eden time anymore.”
“Daddy, I played with you last night,” my kid told me patiently.“We can play when I get home.If you say we can go.”
“Can we, Unca Chance?”Addison put her hands together, giving me those damn big eyes.“Please, please, pretty please.”
“Fine.”I gave in.As expected.They only asked because I’d come outside.If I hadn’t, they would have run across the huge yard that separated our house from Tanner and Jos’s place.
When Reid first told me his idea of building one giant, open house beside his parents, I wasn’t sure if I liked the plan.But Evie had cried happy tears, and I couldn’t say no.It wasn’t my cousin’s worst idea.Our house was built in a way that we had our own space, but Evie and her sister never had to be apart.It wasn’t much different from when we lived in our apartments.
Sammy had taken over the design of the house, turning it into the kind of space that let my woman breathe.Her constant need for doors to be open wasn’t something that was likely ever to go away, not entirely.But it didn’t have to be an issue for her in our space.With the many retractable walls, almost every room could become open-air.Most nights, I fell asleep to the breeze lightly brushing over my back as I cuddled Evie.
Thank fuck for fireplaces.
And solar panels so our electric bill didn’t need to be mortgaged.
Taking my coffee into the office, I found Evie sitting at her desk, making a quick note on the latest building she was considering turning into apartments for the trafficked survivors Vaughn sent her way.She’d already supplied two, but they were currently filled to their limits.
“Hey, fleabag,” Evy greeted, slouching down on the couch, turning the page of her book.Sunday was twin day.No matter what.Even if that meant one of them sat on the couch watching TV or reading romantasy books about dragons and witches and elementals or whatever.
“Babe!”Evie waved me over.“Can you go with me to inspect this building this week?I think it’s what we’re looking for, but the seller is being sketchy about when the wiring was last updated.”
Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in her sweet scent, I scanned the details.“I can already tell you that place isn’t up to code, peaches.”
“Dang it!”
“That one is a better fit.”I pointed to another listing.
“But it doesn’t have enough units.”She bit her lip, her eyes glazing with tears.
“There are never going to be enough, baby,” I told her, knowing it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.Crouching down, I took her hand, kissing her wedding ring.“But it’s something.And something isn’t nothing.”
Her wet gaze jumped to mine.“Yeah, it would definitely be something.”
“Incoming,” Reid called from his end of the house.“Your dad is coming up the drive.”
“Got it!”I yelled back.Giving my wife a quick kiss, I took my coffee and walked back outside, across our yard and into Tanner’s.Right in time for my dad to help my mom out of his truck.
“I brought cookies!”Mom called, which unleashed the girls.They came screaming out of the house, Jos right behind them, wiping her hands on a hand towel.
“We’re icing cupcakes with Unca Tanner,” Eden told her grandmother.
