Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
“Yeah, he left me with a parting gift. He’s back in New Orleans. For good. I’m so freaking excited. We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat yesterday. Neither of us had dry eyes, me less than Boston, but you get it. I blurted out that I was pregnant after I fainted. I’m good now, though. Eggs make me hug certain apparatuses, like we did after day drinking, which sucks. Still worth it, though. I’m telling you, then Mom next, and you two are always welcome down here, but not to kick anyone’s ass. Unless you count my dad’s. In that case, I kind of wish Kavanaugh were still a lawyer and he could fuck with him, wear Dad down enough that he’d go away forever.” I go into the fiasco of yesterday morning, telling her about how I found Boston there on the street, feeling like my world exploded when in all reality, it was dumb luck and a case of Noah Boudreaux being scum of the earth. I know you’re supposed to love your family unconditionally; nope, that is no longer an option. Eden takes a sip of her coffee. How she can drink as much caffeine as she does and not have a heart attack, I’ll never understand. Ugh, speaking of which. Boston chastised me about the intake of that, too. I promptly ignored him, too busy worrying about my stomach than the coffee I usually gravitate toward.
“Wow, and you thought my relationship was a whirlwind. I’m pretty sure you skipped past what people would call the norm and are going to have an instant family.” Kavanaugh sneaks into the screen, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
“Hey, Amelie,” he says.
“Hiya, Kavanaugh,” I respond. It’s an unspoken rule he’s Samuel only to Eden and a handful of others.
“I’m going to grab lunch. Be back soon,” he tells Eden.
“Alright, thank you.” She watches him head out the door, waiting until the door is shut before saying, “Okay, where were we? I swear that man will one day impregnate me by a look alone.” We both giggle. I’m honestly surprised that she isn’t pregnant right along with me.
“Well, if that were the case, I’d have been pregnant by Boston the day we met. My goodness, is that man fine.” We continue our back-and-forth banter. When she asks if she’ll be Aunty Eden as well as the godmother, I roll my eyes at the dumb question. Of course, she will. I have a feeling our child is going to be spoiled with a lot of love, even if my father isn’t around. There’s plenty of others in our corner, between Eden, Kavanaugh, Boston’s brothers, and my mom. I may not know Boston as well as I’d have liked before becoming pregnant, but one thing is for sure: he’d never be the man his father or my father turned out to be.
“Alright, chickee, I’ve got to grab a quick bite to eat and get back to work. I promise I’ll FaceTime you tomorrow.” My turkey sandwich, chips, and fruit sit in front of me. Instead of orange juice, today it’s water.
“Okay, Samuel will be back soon. Love you, Amelie.”
“Love you, too.” We hang up, and my hand already reaches for my sandwich. I’m starving for my first meal of the day.
SIXTEEN
Boston
“And this building is actually being sold by the owner?” I ask my realtor. Unlike Amelie and Isabelle, Margaret Smith isn’t a native. Like me, she’s a transplant from another area. A few hours into our appointment and four buildings later, this one finally has potential. The first one was more rubble and less concrete, and we didn’t even take a step into the last one before I told her it wasn’t happening. No way am I going to sink my money into something with potentially little to no profit when other variables are in the mix, outgrowing one site and needing a bigger business front, or should the reverse happen, the business sink like a ship out at sea with two hurricanes hovering around them. I’m not expecting that to happen. Four Brothers has yet to fail at any of our endeavors. I’ll be damned if we do now.
“It is. And by the way, Noah Boudreaux was reported to the police.” I’m not holding my breath. It’s a known fact in any area of the world, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. A slap on the wrist is more than likely the size of it, which sucks for Amelie and her mother. Four Brothers’ attorney and friend, Sylvester Sterling, will be making an appearance once there’s finally a damn lock on the right place.
“That’s good.” I shrug my shoulders. The only person that shit hurt is the one who has my gut tied in knots, a domino effect because what hurts her mother, hurts Amelie. “This place isn’t bad,” I murmur, taking a look at the shell of four concrete walls. The floor is much the same. The metal rafters are in good shape. The size will work, too, with plenty of room to set up multiple office spaces. And at least down in this area, the parking garage is only across the street.