Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
An uneasy feeling crossed me. My brows knitted.
If I remembered correctly... “That house was on the market six months ago.”
Don’t you fucking tell me.
Nuh uh. Don’t do it.
Those soft brown eyes met mine. He uttered, “Five months ago,” and I just knew.
Oh, you motherfucker.
Would the blows ever stop coming?
He’d been here for months. Months.
My mind could barely function on the fact, and my heart rate spiked.
The deception ran deep, too deep to follow, for I’d surely fall to my death trying to chart its path.
Twitch held our son to him, and it was a good thing because I was ready for round two. The shithead smiled at me, making a show of roaming my body with those perpetually hooded eyes. “You look good, baby.”
Fuck you were the words I thought.
What I actually said was, “We need to go.”
“Can I see Daddy after school?” A.J. asked politely, then added, “Please?” for good measure.
Stepping forward, I held out my arms, and A.J. came willingly to me, but during the handover, Twitch’s hand touched mine, leaving a trail of solid heat along my fingertips. And I loathed that a simple touch was all it took to set my body on fire. When he was secure in my hold, I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” He frowned, and just as he went to argue, I shot him a firm look. “Not tonight.”
Twitch observed, searching his son’s face, jaw set at the disappointment he saw there. “Next time, bud. Besides, you know where I live.” Then he looked at me, directly at me, and when he spoke, I heard the threat in them. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Nope.
I did not like that.
There was definitely a warning laced in that last statement and, regrettably, Twitch never did play fair. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know me anymore. And the lengths I would go to keep my cub safe were infinite, even from his father.
Especially from his father.
Avoiding Twitch was easier than I thought. It had been days since I allowed A.J. time with his dad, and after that first morning, Twitch hadn’t come out to see his son off to school.
I thought it was smart of him to give me a wide berth after the week’s occurrences. I went about my days as I would have the previous week, but I was on autopilot, barely thinking on the goings on around me, and when Nikki called for the hundredth time, I answered.
“Hey,” I spoke quietly.
She immediately burst into tears. “I didn’t know, I swear.”
Her cries called to mine, but I refused to let them be freed, especially at the office. “I know.”
“Then why aren’t you talking to me?” She sniffled. “You think you’re the only confused one, Lex?” A high-pitched squeak left her before she wept openly. “I’m losing my fucking mind here.”
Oh, sweet girl. My heart hurt for her. “You haven’t spoken to Happy?”
“Are you kidding me?” she sniveled. “Fuck, no,” she uttered as firmly as she could. “Fuck him.” Okay, that time her voice broke, and when she went on, I could barely understand her from the blubbing. “I hate him.”
I smiled softly. “No, you don’t.”
At that, the dam broke. Nikki howled out a broken, “No, I don’t.” She continued to sob, and she croaked, “I want to though.” A whimper sounded. “Why don’t I?”
I leaned back in my desk chair. “Because you know as well as I do that whatever this is isn’t on Happy. It’s on Twitch.” I was mad at Happy. I was so fucking mad, but I knew Twitch, and knowing him meant knowing he would have done whatever he meant to do with or without his friends’ help. But that didn’t mean I was ready to talk to Happy. So perhaps I had my own selfish reasons for suggesting what I did. “I think you should call him, honey.” Because the thought of both Twitch and Happy living across the street from me made me feel backed into a damn corner.
“You do?” she breathed, and in that moment, I knew it was what she needed to hear, what she prayed to hear from me. If I’d told her I’d never wanted to hear his name spoken, Nikki would delete Happy’s number and pretend the last five years of her life never happened. I, however, was not so cruel. This was my issue to deal with, not hers.
“I do, babe.” And I meant that. “I mean, I wouldn’t make it easy on him.” When she let out a soggy laugh, I smiled. That smile fell as an awkward silence ensued. “Talk to him, Nikki. It’s okay. I want you to.”
My best friend was silent a long moment, but when she spoke I felt those words deep in my soul. “I love you, Lexi.”
“I love you too, Nik Nak.” I blew out a long breath, putting a hand to my forehead as my eyes closed. “And as soon as I know what the hell is going on, we’ll talk, okay?” Before I hung up, I asked, “How’s Dave?” At her scoff, my face bunched. “That good, huh?”