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Chapter 21

Warrick

The next morning, as I’m sitting at my desk going over the paperwork that Silas left for me, there is a knock at my door. A quick inhale lets me know that it’s Gail.What is this woman up to now?I already have the paint colors, fabrics, light fixture, and all the things picked out, thanks to the help of Hazel. She ended up staying for several hours as we combed through shopping sites looking for the perfect pieces.

“Come in, Gail,” I say without lifting my head from the paperwork.

“Perfect, I was hoping you were in here and I didn’t need to hunt you down.” She comes over to my desk and gently sets herself down in the chair in front of it.

Glancing up, I find her smiling warmly with what looks like another list in her hands. “What’s on the list?”

She passes the list over to me as I skim down it. “After you left yesterday, I found Aspen’s wishlist of books she would like.”

I lift an eyebrow at her.As if she just happened to find it.

“Yes, well, I searched on one of her favorite retailers and found them. Wasn’t that hard, really.”

Flipping the page over to the next, I see she didn’t just give me titles, but printed them out showing the front cover of the books, the titles, and the author’s names. Everything I would need to grab these books. As I skim through the list, I remember seeing some of these titles at her own bookstore. “Some of these are in her own store. Why wouldn’t she just grab a copy?”

Gail shrugs her shoulders.

“Seems that it would be an easy way to grab them, don’t you think?”

“Besides the fact that I’m not allowed in there? It would be too obvious I was up to something if I showed up buying all the books off her wishlist.”

Gail gives me one of her mischievous looks before she says, “Seems a great time to bring another friend into the loop, don’t you think?”

“Who?”

“Nova.”

Walking into Silas’s office, I find him buried in a stack of paperwork with his hair in a frazzled mess. “Hey, man, I’m goingto head over to get some lunch from You’re Bacon Me Crazy, do you need anything?”

He says nothing as he continues to scan the page he is working on.

“Silas.”

His eyes snap up to me and he shakes his head as if to bring himself back into this world. “Sorry, man, were you saying something?”

"Yeah, I was asking if you needed anything since I’m heading to get lunch.”

He checks his watch before letting out a string of expletives. “Actually, can you do me a favor and run a to-go plate to Nova? I don’t have the time to stop right now and she is struggling to get out of bed.”

Shit, maybe my idea won’t work then.“Uh, yeah, no problem. Want to text me her order so I get it right and we both don’t end up in the doghouse?”

“Yeah. Thanks, man.”

Heading out the door, I wonder if she will help me or if I will need to consider another option.

After picking up her order and mine, I head to the pack house, hoping that my idea will work. Otherwise, I will need a new one.

I find Nova laying on the couch watching some cheesy reality TV show in a cami that barely covers her swollen belly. She has built quite a little nest for herself out of pillows and blankets. A half-eaten pack of Oreos lays open on the coffee table in front of her with a melting iced coffee creating a water ring next to them. She barely moves when I come into the living room.

“Living our best life, are we?” I razz her as I walk around the couch.

“Fuck off, Warrick! I’m fat, swollen, and desperately need to pee right now, but the idea of moving to the bathroom exhausts me,” she grumbles as she rolls to try to sit up.

Throwing our food containers on to the coffee table, I rush over to help her sit up. Once she has adjusted her blankets and settled, I reach into the plastic to-go bag to grab her lunch. Passing the container to her with her fork, I move her drink to the side table closest to her.