Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“How are you?” Myth asked.
The kettle hadn’t long boiled and she poured them a drink. She didn’t want to sit.
“I don’t know. Last night … I don’t even know what happened. One moment we were having fun, and the next, the truth.”
“You never told anyone?”
“Dirty knew. He … before the shooting, I told him, and he asked if it was his.” She frowned. “As he admitted last night, when we were together, I was a virgin, and I don’t cheat. I was only his.” She pressed her lips together. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I had a party to organize and I was about to tell Gabrielle, and she wanted get more decorations, and then the shooting. I lost the baby. Kim knew the truth. She figured it out with the help of the hospital bill. There was no reason to tell anyone.”
“That is what you’ve been carrying?” Myth asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“This is why you can’t forgive Dirty?”
“He didn’t want to have a child and he didn’t even believe the child I was carrying was his.” She laughed. “Wow, I cannot believe I’m even talking about this. I promised I wouldn’t say anything. No one was supposed to know.”
“That is not the kind of stuff you keep locked up. You should have said something.”
“What good would it have done?” Petal asked. “I was barely pregnant. Gabrielle died. I lost my baby, but I was fine. Daemon went on a rampage. My best friend went to go and kill him. It wasn’t as important.”
“Petal, you’re important. You know this.”
She shook her head. “I … I didn’t know what to say to Rosalie, or to you. I just wanted to forget it.”
“I’m not hurt, Petal. This is painful. I wish I could have been there for you. I mean, I know we’re only just friends, but you’re a good friend.”
“Myth, you barely know me.”
“But you get me. I don’t have anyone I can just sit and chill with, without it meaning anything. The guys want to fuck women, or talk about fucking women, or talk club. The women want to be fucked. They want to be with me, wear my patch. You’re the only woman that just wants to be my friend.”
“Sorry?”
He laughed. “You don’t have to be sorry.”
Petal smiled.
“I like being your friend.”
“I like it too,” Petal said. “It’s kind of unusual as I’ve never had a male friend before. It has always been me and Rosalie against the world, but this is nice. I like being around you. You helped me forget.”
“That’s not going to change,” Myth said.
“You know, Dirty said something to me a few months back, pretty much implying that no one could be my friend because there is always an agenda.”
“I’m not here for the club, Petal. We get along. It shouldn’t work but it does.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” she said, laughing.
At the sound of her door ringing, she looked over at Myth. “Do you know who that is?”
“Not a clue. I better head back to the clubhouse.” He got to his feet and held his arms open. “Hug?”
She rolled her eyes but stepped into his arms. It may have only been a few months, but they had gotten close. He was her friend. They were not as tight as she and Rosalie, but it was there. She knew their friendship was growing, and she also knew that was all it would be, all either of them wanted.
There was a knock at the door, and she pulled away.
“Someone is being pretty persistent.”
Petal laughed and she walked with him to the front door. She opened it, expecting to find either Kim or Rosalie. Her mother was on the doorstep.
“Mom,” she said.
“Petal, honey, I didn’t come at a bad time, did I?” her mother asked.
Petal glanced toward Myth and she was a little speechless. Her mother had never visited her.
“Uh, no, Myth was just leaving. Myth, this is my mom, Mom, this is Myth.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Petal’s Mom,” Myth said.
“Please call me Petal,” her mother said.
“Petal?”
Yep, her father was called George, which was also her brother’s name, and of course, her name was Petal, after her mother.
She smiled at Myth. The two shook hands, and Myth put a comforting hand on her shoulder and then stepped out of the way.
Petal watched him go and turned toward her mother.
It took her a second to realize she needed to invite her in. “Come in,” she said.
Her mother had chuckled. “Is that your boyfriend?”
“Myth? No, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s my friend.” She closed the door and turned toward her mother.
This was odd. Her mother was dressed in a pair of jeans and a large oversized coat, which she took off. Petal didn’t know what to say. She was used to seeing her mother in pajamas.
“Is everything okay? Do you need help?” Petal asked.