Free Alone Time: Visits to Petal, Book 1 by Lauren Dane

Chapter One
    Shane pulled into his parents’ driveway and in the backseat, applause broke out.
    “Way to make your daddy feel appreciated.”
    Edward, better known in the family as Ward, laughed like that was the most hilarious thing he’d ever heard. Then again, the boy was three so it wasn’t as if he had a lot of experience.
    Shane got out and began to unbuckle his son from the car seat. But as he knew would happen, his mother burst from the front door, waving and calling to her grandson.
    “There’s Grammy’s boy. Come on over here and give me a great big hug, baby.” She knelt and held her arms out, and Ward scrambled from his father’s hold to run into that hug.
    “I know I’m not as good as Grammy, but give Poppa some sugar anyway.” Edward Chase had ambled over and Ward threw his arms around his grandfather’s knees.
    Polly stood, smiling at her oldest son. “Come on in. You didn’t need to bring over a darned thing. You know all my grandbabies have plenty here.” Polly held Ward’s hand as they took the big front steps slowly.
    This was true of course. His parents had taken two of the bedrooms and made them into rooms for their increasing number of grandchildren. He and Cassie had one, Tate and Matt had two, Liv and Marc also had two, and Kyle and Maggie were working on baby number four.
    Funny how much had changed in the last seven years or so. He’d gone from a jaded, bitter man to a husband. To a father. Love had changed his entire universe. Not just the love he’d found with Cassie, but the love each of his brothers had found with their wives as well. His life was awash with nieces and nephews, with birthdays, and now that Nicholas, Maggie and Kyle’s oldest, had started little kickers, soccer games on the weekends.
    It was a good life. The life he knew down to his toes that he was supposed to be leading. And he was grateful.
    Tonight though, he and his brothers had dates with their wives for a big open-air barbecue and dance down at the Grange Hall. And his parents’ house would be filled with the next generation of Chases.
    Yes, a date with his gorgeous wife, followed by some loud, blow-the-doors-off sex when they escaped early and in the morning too if he continued to be lucky.
    Ward saw his cousins and nearly sprinted into the large living room his mother had turned into a wonderland for the ten-and-under set. Edward, chuckling, watched the retreat of his wife, and they both smiled at the sound of Polly Chase announcing cookies and milk while she read them all a story.
    “Does your momma good to have all her grandbabies here. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I happen to be the luckiest grandpa around. That and your momma is sexy when she’s babying all those Chases.”
    “You sure you two can handle the full brunt of Chase kids at the same time?”
    “I survived you and your brothers, didn’t I? If I can get through your teenage years, I can survive a night with a bunch of Chases in footie pajamas giggling and carrying on. Two of us and eight of them. That’s four half pints each. Your aunt may be coming over later, you know how she and your momma get with all these babies. Go on.” His father took Ward’s little overnight bag. “Enjoy the alone time with Cassie. I told your brothers all the exact same thing when they dropped babies off here.”
    Shane went in and was immediately swamped by tiny hugs and lots of calls of his name. Nicholas somberly assured him he was helping Grammy with the babies so they’d be fine. That and his mother had the magic touch with people large and small.
    This was his life and damn it was good. This new generation of Chases his brothers had made with their wives would make their mark in the world. He liked that very much.
     
    Cassie tucked a dahlia in her hair and took one last look at herself in the full-length mirror on the bedroom door. It’d been months since she’d been able to break away with Shane for a date. As much as she loved