Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
My fingers tightened around my phone as it rang. Mom and I hadn’t talked much since our argument. I just hadn’t known what to say to her. I was still angry and hurt that she’d lied to me, and I wasn’t ready to forgive her. I wasn’t sure I ever would be.
That didn’t mean I didn’t love her.
I did. I loved her very much, and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Holt assured me that they were okay, but that didn’t stop me from worrying. A wave of relief crashed over me when my mother’s voice finally came through the line. “Tallie?”
"Hey, Mom," I answered. "Are you guys okay?"
“Yes, sweetheart. We’re fine,” she assured me, though there was a weariness in her tone. “What about you and Ford?”
“We’re okay. We’re at Holt’s.” I kept it short and to the point. “Ford’s in the other room playing his game.”
“That’s good.” Mom’s voice tensed as she told me, “Holt’s friend told Rooks that the men in the Mercedes were back, and they think they were looking for us.”
“Yeah, they’re trying to find out who they are and what they want.”
“Are you sure they’re the ones who need to be doing all this?” Mom asked with a worried tone. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”
“The police knew, and they weren’t able to stop them from showing up at the hotel this morning.”
“Yes, this is true.”
“Holt won’t let anything happen to us.”
“He has a young man here. He’s been standing out front for hours, and he’s barely moved. And I’m pretty sure he’s armed,” she added quietly. “Your brother isn’t too happy about that.”
“I’m sure he isn’t, but you’re safer there than at the hotel,” I replied, trying to convince myself as much as her.
“I just don’t know, Tallie,” she said gently. “I don’t like being away from you.”
“I don’t like it either, but right now, we don’t have a choice.”
There was a beat of silence before she finally said, “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will,” I whispered. “I promise. Tell Rooks I’ll call him soon.”
“Okay. But be forewarned. He isn’t in a good mood.”
"Oh? And why’s that?”
“He and some guy got into an argument last night at the hotel bar.” I could hear the worry in Mom’s voice as she told me, “He gave him a black eye and a busted lip.”
“Oh, that’s not good. I’m sure he’s in a terrible mood, but don’t worry. I can handle him.”
“I know you can,” she giggled. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
We said our goodbyes, and I sat there for a long moment, just staring at the phone in my hand. Dad’s death had set so many changes into motion. I just hoped we had the strength to hold on until the dust settled.
I was exhausted, so I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. I just planned to rest for a bit and ended up dozing off. I woke up several hours later to Holt standing at the foot of my bed. I sat up with a jolt and gasped, “What time is it?”
“Just after six.”
“Ford.”
“He’s fine. He and Duggar went into town to grab us a couple of pizzas and some wings.”
“Oh, okay. Do you think it’s safe for Ford to be out?”
“He’s fine. He’s with Duggar. He won’t let anything happen to him.” His face was void of expression as he announced, “I was about to have a beer. You want one?”
I nodded, then stood and followed him into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. He popped the tops and offered one to me. “Did you find out anything about the men in the Mercedes?”
“We’re following up on some leads.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
“You haven’t told me about Paris.”
He clearly wanted to change the subject and what a subject it was.
Just the mention of Paris made my throat tighten. When I first arrived, I felt like I’d been thrown into a completely different world, and it filled me with mixed emotions. I was heartbroken over losing Holt and terrified about having a baby on my own, but my classes were captivating, and the people I met were incredible. I had no idea how to put it all into words, so I answered, “I don’t know what to say.”
“Was it worth it?”
“No,” I answered without hesitation. “Not even close. I saw incredible things, learning things I would’ve never learned anywhere else, but the cost was too high. I lost you, and Ford lost the chance to know his father.”
“He hasn’t lost his chance. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“We need to decide how we want to tell him.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“Do you think we can?” My voice cracked a little. “Or have I made too much of a mess of everything?”