The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) đ
- Author: Katherine Logan
Book online «The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) đ». Author Katherine Logan
Austin clapped. âGood job, buddy.â
âWe havenât told anybody our secret that we FaceTime with you every day,â Blane said. âJL complains that you wonât talk to anybody, but we know thatâs not true. âCause you talk to us.â
âIâll always talk to you. Youâre my guys. But when did you start calling her JL? Sheâs our mom.â
âBecause you call her JL, and youâve known her for a long time. If itâs good enough for you, itâs good enough for us,â Lance said. âWhen people ask about my mom, I tell them I donât have one. I have a JL.â
âI bet she loves that,â Austin said.
âNo, she hates it,â Blane said.
The other kids had left the gym, so Austin had his brothers to himself, and for the next hour, he worked with them on their shooting and dribbling skills. And it was a pure pleasure because not only were they both naturally athletic, they were also above average in height.
And right then, Austin pledged to stay involved in their lives. He had so much to teach them, and he refused to let his skills and passion for the game lessen in any way. If he couldnât playâand he wasnât ready to concede thatâheâd help his brothers become the best ballplayers they could be.
At eleven oâclock, Austin said he had to go to a meeting, and he would catch up with them later. The boys hugged him goodbye and ran off to do whatever little boys eight and eleven did with their excess energy.
Austin took a quick shower and grabbed a protein drink from the break room before looking for Ensley. He figured sheâd probably gone back to their suite, but he found her, limp and sweaty, resting on a mat in the yoga studio.
He sat on the floor beside her, leaned against the mirrored wall, and stretched out his legs. âSo, howâd it go?â
âIâve sweated all the toxins out of my body, and my arms are killing me. The last thing we did before my massage and sauna were ten minutes of kettlebells.â
âI didnât think you were going to lift.â
âI didnât, either, but you know Ted. I think he was trying to show me how much work I need to do if I wanted to swing that battle-ax. But man, both Ted and Laurence are worth their weight in gold. Theyâre amazing. They knew exactly how hard to push, what to look for, and ways to relieve the stress on my hip. I got a lecture about wearing high heels and had to promise not to wear them for a while.â She sighed. âSo I guess Iâll be stuck hanging out with your navel for a while.â
Austin chuckled. âSounds like you enjoyed working with them?â
âI wouldnât go that far. Ted lost favorability points when he recommended I schedule a titanium hip replacement in three months.â
âWhy three?â
âBecause, he said, âyou need plenty of time to recover before you go through the stress of planning a wedding.â I told him our wedding would be a small family affair in Charlotteâs backyard.â
Austin burst out laughing. âAsk JL and Penny how that worked for them.â
âWhat does that mean?â
âMeredith can be overwhelming at times.â
âYou donât have to tell me that. She kidnapped me, remember? But a wedding isnât in the mix for right now. We have too much to do. Right?â
âIâll get married whenever you want, and if youâd like to know what I think of your surgery, Iâd say schedule it as soon as possible.â
âWhy? Do you know how long Iâll have to rehab?â
âSix weeks post-op, youâll be able to participate in all regular activities, and itâll take three months to regain the strength and endurance you have now.â
âSomebody has done their research.â
He grinned. âA lazy manâs research. I asked Charlotte. And besides, Iâve been putting off surgery on my leg. We can get cut on at the same time and rehab together.â
âOh, doesnât that sound romantic?â
âIt could be,â he said, smiling.
âI donât like that idea. I wouldnât be able to take care of you.â
âTrust me. You wouldnât want to. Ask Remy. I can be an asshole.â
âSounds like weâll have to rehab in different places. I donât take my frustration out on others. I just beat myself up. But what bugged me about the conversation was that I felt Charlotte or Meredith had influenced Ted to tell me I need surgery soon. But I could be wrong.â
âTedâs pretty independent. He wouldnât have told you something based on someone elseâs opinion, even Charlotteâs. Thatâs why Elliott has kept him employed for almost thirty years. Heâs like JLâone of the few people who can get in Elliottâs face and speak truth to power. You can do that, too.â
âAnd the rest of you canât?â
âItâs not that we canât. Itâs that we choose not to. JL and Ted, and to some extent Kenzie and Charlotte, are our designated apple-cart-upsetters. As long as they continue to challenge Elliott, the family stays on an even keel.â
âJC thought he couldnât challenge his dad,â Ensley said. âThatâs why he didnât tell him about finding my brooch.â
âThatâs not why he didnât tell him. JC thought the knowledge would endanger the family. He didnât want anyone hurt because of what heâd done in Asia.â
âWhatâd he do?â she asked.
âIâm not sure. When Elliott wants to tell us, he will.â
âSo does that make me an apple-cart-upsetter?â
ââFraid so. And when Elliott adopts you, youâll have even more privileges.â
âHeâs not legally adopting me.â
âYes, he is. Itâs a gesture of his commitment to the pledge he made to Erik. Kevin and Kenzie are revising his estate plan to include you.â
âShit! Iâm twenty-eight years old. He should have asked meâand besides, I donât want his money.â
âItâs not like heâs going to stand on a street corner and tell the world he adopted you. If you want anyone to know, you can tell them. Otherwise, itâll just be a paper deal. But honestly, itâs not just his money, but his protection.â
âLike a mafia don?â
Austin
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