Free My Mail Order Wife (The Value of a Man Book 1) by Olivia Gaines Page B

considered herself lucky to find the thank you cards with the embossed raised letter C on them on sale.  It was time to open gift boxes.
    First things first, she gave Douglas a light snack and put him down for a quick nap.  He, of course, had to change into the Superman PJ’s before he lay down.  This was after he selected what he was going to wear when he woke up. At this rate, TaeTay was sure by the end of the week, he would have worn everything in the closet and drawers.  She grabbed the basket load of dirty clothes and took them to the basement. After she thought about it, she went up to Thurston’s room to collect his laundry, and while she was there, made quick work of making the bed, putting fresh towels in his bathroom, and tidying up a bit. Tomorrow she would dust and run a dry mop over the hardwoods.
    Her stomach was grumbling so loudly she was sure the mailman heard it when he walked up to the front door.  There was a stack of cards addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Cromwell.  Food, then tackle this .  For some reason, a BLT sounded fantastic, along with a hot cup of coffee. While she ate, she set up her tablet and found several free Wi-Fi hot spots, which she used to check Pinterest for recipes for leftover crudités.  Hmmm, large garden salad, with some mushroom roasted chicken with a side of rice .
    Dinner planned, she headed to the dining room and began to open presents.  She was careful to double-check each gift against the sign-in register so she would know who had come to the wedding and who had sent a gift. Two hours later, everything was open and Douglas was awake and wearing black jeans and a black and white striped shirt, professing he was about to die from hunger. 
    Looking at the gifts, TaeTay thought about Thurston.  He had not even tried to kiss her before he left.  That was not going to do. She found her purse and located her luscious pink lip tint, applied it thickly, and snapped a selfie of herself puckering up.  She sent it to him with a note, “You forgot your kiss this morning. Here ya go.”
    For some odd reason, she began a mental debate with herself about whether to put the gifts away or wait to let her husband see them when he got home. 
    My husband .
    She was feeling good.  A lovely salad bowl with some matching pretty plates was a part of the bounty they received as gifts, and she planned to put them to good use over dinner.  A dinner that she needed to start so it would be ready when her husband came home in less than an hour.
    My husband .

    Thurston had been watching the clock all day, just waiting for six o’clock.  He was anxious to get home to his family. Maybe I should have taken some time off to get them settled in, maybe shopped with her for the pieces she needed for the house.  His phone chirped.  TaeTay had sent him a message. 
    It was a kiss. 
    He hadn’t kissed her this morning because he was afraid that if he had, he would not have made it to the office.
    The way she handled his parents and even his brother…was nothing short of amazing.  TataLavisha was a remarkable woman and she was his wife. “Debra,” he called to his assistant,  “I am heading home.”

Chapter 16. Here comes the rain …
     
    The first drizzles of rain started as he left his office and headed toward the subway line.  He hadn’t brought his umbrella and only hoped he wouldn’t get drenched by the time he walked the three blocks home.  Thurston looked down at his feet.  He wished he had worn a more comfortable shoe, but he had been so thrown by Douglas not wanting him to leave him this morning. That was a truly awesome kid. He knew he would be lying if he didn’t admit to getting choked up when Douglas called him Daddy. It felt so natural with the boy. It felt natural with TaeTay as well.  The two of them made him relevant .
    Luckily, he made it home in time, getting only moderately damp from the rain. He opened the front door to hear the jangling of a bell.  “What in the