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)
“I know,” I admitted on a wry smile. “I already warned him.”
“Yeah, you did.” His expression turned smug. “My woman’s got my back. ‘Cause she’s solid.” He lifted a hand, tightening it into a fist. “A motherfucking diamond.”
I rolled my eyes, but his words caused me to blush so freaking bright it looked like I’d viciously scrubbed my face with sandpaper. “Go away.”
Mercifully, he did, but as I was lucky in that way, the night would prove I was rather unlucky in others. Namely that Dave situation.
It was just before five when the comrades started to file into my home, and while Molly greeted them at the door, I said my hellos from the kitchen as I made the salads that would accompany the ridiculous amount of meat purchased to feed the men in attendance tonight, because, like my son, they were all carnivores.
When Ana and Julius walked into the house, I stopped tossing the greens and hugged them both. “Hey, I’ve missed you guys.”
From down the hall, Twitch emerged from A.J.’s room, and upon seeing his old friend, he crept up behind the mocha-skinned Adonis and caught him unawares, both arms tightening around him like bands. He held Julius firmly, and when Julius spoke through gritted teeth, “Let me go, you fucker,” Twitch lifted him off the ground an inch and shook him twice, causing Julius to choke out, “I swear to God, brother.”
That was when Twitch released him, grinning snarkily. “Good to know you still remember me, brother.”
The way he said brother was like the man was anything but, and both Ana and I looked at each other uneasily.
Julius spun on him. “You wanna run that by me again?” His expression furious, he looked around for A.J. then leaned in and spoke quietly. “I’m not the one who left, motherfucker. You are.” The fury he wore was real. “Not a fuckin’ day went by that I didn’t think of you, of how I let you down, and you were out there livin’ your life, saying fuck the rest of us?” He shook his head. “Nah, man. Don’t come at me with that bullshit.”
When Twitch stepped forward to stand next to his brother and extended a hand toward Ana, he said, “Look at her.” Julius did, and Twitch went on, “That woman changed your life, didn’t she, bruh? Changed it like you had no fuckin’ idea she would. She became your all, your everything, and you tellin’ me you wouldn’t have done the same shit I did to keep my angel safe?” Twitch lowered his hand and looked Julius in the eyes. “I know you would. Fuck, I know you did. Went and massacred thirty men without blinking a fuckin’ eye for that little sparrow.” He looked to Ana. “All for her.” He peered back at his brother. “So tell me you’re pissed at me. Tell me I fucked up. But don’t even think about tellin’ me you don’t feel me doin’ what I needed to do to keep my family off limits because I know you feel that shit in your very soul, my brother.”
The silence was thick enough to cut through.
Julius looked down at his feet a long while before Twitch nudged his arm. “C’mon. You need a beer.”
Ana and I watched Twitch walk away, leaving the back door open. It took a few moments, but Julius trailed behind him, and after they were gone, my eyes widened at the little woman by my side. I spoke quietly. “Oh my God, I thought they were going to fight again.”
Ana made a face, nodding rapidly in agreement.
A second went by and I smiled, then whispered, “But it’s nice they’re talking.”
Ana nodded, smiling softly.
Nikki and Dave arrived next, and just as we all greeted each other, Happy arrived.
Nikki lunged for the bald-headed Persian god, wrapping her arms around him, and as he stumbled back, he laughed. “Whoa there, baby.” Happy smiled down at her before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips, and Nikki smiled into it, as in love as she had been six years ago when they’d met. The words he spoke were stickily sweet. “I missed you.” But when Happy released Nikki and hugged both Ana and me, he moved past Dave with a quiet, “Hey,” and nothing more, before heading into the back yard.
Dave looked completely devastated.
And I wanted to shake him then. I wanted to tell him that true love was not always sunshine and roses. That sometimes love stank to high heaven. But when you found love, even one as messed up as theirs was, you held onto it with both hands because the highs outweighed the lows a hundred to one.
Alas, I did not.
Instead, I put a hand to his arm and squeezed, throwing him a sympathetic smile.
The men surrounded the grill, and even my little monster was called into the fray of testosterone and masculinity, handed a pair of long tongs by his father and given the job of manning the sausages. And it was adorable. But, as little boys do, he got bored quickly enough and went to play ball with Molly on the grass.