Page 29 of Stone
As everyone cleared, Naomi motioned Taylor over. “How do you know Aunt Chloe has a secret business?” Naomi asked.
“She had stuff out in her kitchen when she watched us one time. I read it while we were hanging out,” Taylor revealed. Naomi pulled Taylor in for a hug.
“You are so smart. Love you,” she said.
“Love you too, Mom. Now I need to go make cookies,” Taylor chirped, running off.
Stone was grinning, listening to the girls talk about cookie baking and eavesdropping on their aunts’ discussion with their mom. They were so involved in chatting with each other thathe was positive they weren’t even paying attention to him and Naomi in the front seat.
“It seems like the discussion didn’t quite go as your sisters had planned,” Stone said softly.
Naomi chuckled, shaking her head.
“No, it did not. Between me standing up to them and the girls listening from the kitchen and interjecting if they didn’t approve of the questions, I’d say it didn’t go as anyone had planned,” Naomi agreed.
“I can see why they are concerned. I’ve been to prison,” he said.
Naomi reached over, holding onto his arm, “You went to prison for defending your sister and mom against a rapist and an abuser. They should have given you a medal,” Naomi insisted, her voice so earnest it warmed his heart.
A medal? Naomi saw him as a hero? He’d known with all the time to think in prison that he would do exactly what he’d done if he had to do it over again, but for her to see him as a hero gave him a different feeling.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“What are we going to do at the park?” Taylor piped up.
“Since your mom and I are in charge of the pickleball tournament, I thought we could try to play the game a little. With five of us, we’ll switch out. I also brought cornhole for us to play on teams,” Stone explained.
“We could have played cornhole at the compound. Did you want to get us away from our aunts? We love them, but they can be a lot sometimes. Kind of like the Franks cousins,” Regan said, rolling her eyes.
Stone chuckled. “Maybe,” he teased, the girls giggling.
He wanted Naomi to have everything she’d ever dreamed of. No limits—all her dreams achieved.
He parked, and the girls chattered, deciding it was pickleball first.
Beck borrowed Naomi’s phone to look up the pickleball rules. He’d noticed that although Beck was quiet, she soaked everything in. She did better if she knew exactly what was expected. He was guessing that was because she could abide by the rules. It was probably her way of dealing with Jared’s stringent household.
She explained the rules, and then everyone picked out rackets from the ones available after Stone unlocked the concession stand where the rackets were stored. The triplets all picked different colors. The more time he was around them, the more he realized how different they were.
He stood on the sidelines at first, helping with the rules, then Taylor wanted him to play. Naomi rotated out.
“I think we need some music for our game,” Naomi suggested, turning her phone up.
“Oh, I want theMoanasoundtrack!” Beck cheered.
Stone had no idea whatMoanawas, but the girls playing pickleball and singing along to the songs were so cute. He wasn’t sure how much pickleball was being played because every time the song saidYou’re Welcome, the girls would pause and sing it to each other.
“Stone, sing along!” Regan yelled.
“I don’t know the songs. What are they from?” he asked.
The girls stopped dancing and walked toward the net.
“You don’t know whatMoanais?” Taylor gasped, her eyes bugging out.
“Remember, prison?” he reminded her gently.
“They didn’t have movies in prison?” Beck wondered, her tone appalled, which Stone found adorable. If only no movies would have been the worst thing he’d dealt with.
