“Hello,” I say into the phone.
“Hey, cuz,” Tasha sings. “We’re having a party. You and Trevor should join us. It’s going to be fun. No kids, adults only. I know, I know, where the heck are we going to hide all these brats?”
I laugh at her words. There are a lot of children over there. The Billings did an amazing job converting those acres into a guest ranch.
Hospitality is a good business for them. Tasha and the others have made themselves right at home. I think Pook would have loved doing something like that.
“Your words not mine,” I say to Tasha.
“You were thinking it. Don’t lie. Anyway, we have enough nannies and singles to cover for the night.
“Besides, all their little butts should be in bed by then. So what do you say? Can I count on seeing you and Trevor?”
“I’d love to, but I’ll have to ask him when he gets home. Can I text you to let you know?”
“Sure. Wear something sexy. The Blacks are up to something and we’re ready to flip the script on whatever it is.”
“Oh, now I’m excited. Hopefully, I’ll see you later.”
“See you later.”
She ends the call, and I look over at the kids. Snacks has her hands on her hips as she scolds her brothers. I smile and shake my head.
I wonder how they will feel when Trev and I start to have more children. So much will change in their lives. I look forward to having this banter and laughter filling the house.
Leaving them to their game, I go to the bedroom to get dressed. Maybe if Trevor sees me dressed up, he’ll want to go. The Black brothers are fun.
I’m sure whatever they have up their sleeves will be entertaining. People don’t realize how lonely being famous can be. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve gotten to spend with the others at the ranch.
I love that they’ve come here for a retreat like one big family. The fact that they’ve pulled me in means so much to me. Elise and Maggie have been my rocks, but it’s nice to build new friendships.
I sing to myself as I move through the closet looking for something to wear. Maggie has been filling this huge walk-in up little by little.
I find a cute black halter dress that’s pretty sexy. Moving to my shoes, I grab a pair of yellow heels. Moving to the mirror, I stand and hold the outfit up in front of me.
“Oh wow, that’s sexy and the shoes are bold,” Jess’s voice fills the space.
I turn to find her watching me with her head tilted to the side. I turn to her, still holding the outfit up. I look down at the dress, then back at her.
“Not too much?”
“Not at all. Daddy’s going to lose his mind. Y’all going on a date?”
“I hope so,” I reply.
“You want some help with your makeup? I don’t think Maggie will be back anytime soon. I’m not her, but I’m getting better.”
“Sure, let me shower and change.”
“Okay, I’ll just get everything ready.”
I nod and head into the bathroom to shower and get ready. Once I’m dressed, Jess does my makeup. She does a really nice job.
“This look awesome,” I say and pull her into a hug after she’s done.
“You’re already so pretty. It’s not hard to work with what you’ve got.”
“Come on. Let’s go eat some of those cookies Snacks made.”
We return to the living room and find the others now watching a movie. We join them with our cookies. Soon we’re laughing and poking fun at the movie.
If they weren’t here, I’d be watching the clock nervously. However, I’m so caught up having fun with them, I don’t notice when Trev enters the house, until I feel his heated stare on me.
Trevor
I park my truck and drag my tired body out to go into the house. I jumped in to help out today. The job has fallen behind, and I wanted to do all I could to get it back on track.
It’s days like this that I feel my age. These bones aren’t what they used to be. If I got into a wreck like the one when I was twenty-one, I wouldn’t recover like I did back then. I know I wouldn’t.
I’m ready for a shower and the bed as I move into the house. Laughter and chatting are the first things to greet me as I get closer to the living room. I stop and lean against the wall as I watch my woman and my children.
They look like a picture-perfect family. This is what I’ve always wanted to come home to. The laughter, the happiness—this is a happy family full of love.
Lynn stands to move next to Snacks as they laugh and taunt Scoot. My groin tightens as I take her in. She looks like a fucking knock out.