Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
A large arm wraps around me and lips press to my temple.
“You look beautiful this morning,” Lee whispers, and I lean into him.
“Will you just look at this?”
“Yeah, it looks like she’s home,” he mutters and a piece in my heart I never knew was missing suddenly fills.
“Yeah. She’s home,” I whisper. I can’t stop watching everyone, my heart finally feeling at peace and the guilt I was feeling over the years vanishing.
“Erica found me a place, wanna check it out with me?”
My eyes snap to his. “That realtor?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, she won’t be there. I think you scared her off.” He winks, and I cross my arms. The urge to fight her stronger today than yesterday. “Come check it out with me,” he urges. “We will take Penelope.”
My eyes suddenly widen. “I don’t have a car seat! Or clothes, or anything else she might need!” My hand rests on my forehead, my mind mentally making a list of what a four-year-old might need. Sippy cups, clothes, toys, does she need a car seat or a booster seat?
Zane steps from the crowd, handing my daughter back to me.
“Don’t worry, baby sis, we’ll get it all.”
My brows furrow with confusion. No, I can do this… somehow.
“N-No, I’ll get everything.” It’s my responsibility as a mother to be able to provide for her.
“The fuck you are. We didn’t get to be there for her birthday or Christmas, it’s our first chance to spoil her. We are doing this.” His voice bites through the air, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Hell ya!” my mom roars, her fist in the air.
“You guys, I can’t ask for you to do this.” Anxiety weighs on my shoulders, shaking my head at the thought of everyone buying Penelope things that I should be getting.
“You didn’t ask and I’m telling you, we’re doing this D.” Zane’s eyes narrow in on me, just as I take Penelope back into my arms.
Her sweet scent making me feel whole again and washing away the anxiety. This is her family, they want to love her and give her everything she might need or want. That’s what this place is about, being there for one another. I should know that more than anyone. Even when I fuck up and don’t deserve their love, this club is here to pick me up, dust my ass off and get me back on my feet.
“Okay, it’s not like I’m going to talk you guys out of it.” I smile, and Zane smirks in response.
Dad comes through the front doors of the club holding a gray car seat, and I instantly wonder where he got it from. Did he go out and buy it? How did he know what to get? Then again, he did have two kids of his own.
“The attorney left this one behind.” He sets it on the ground. It looks nice and clean, it even has a cup holder.
Piper squats down in front of it to inspect it.
“Ooh, that’s a nice one too!” She points to the name brand carved in the headrest. I shrug, not knowing anything about baby brand shit.
Lee picks it up with one hand, his strength making me bite my bottom lip with desire. It occurs to me him and I haven’t had a lot of alone time in the last twenty-four hours.
“I’ll hook it up in the truck, and we’ll go check out the place.”
“Perfect, that gives us time to go shopping!” Piper jumps up and down clapping her hands, her ol’ man Saint shaking his head standing behind her. If she gets ahold of his card, it’s going to be maxed out. I know Piper.
Thirty minutes later, Penelope is in the back seat of Lee’s truck and we’re on our way to the new place Lee’s going to live. It makes me think of the loft above the garage. Is it going to be big enough for me and Penelope? Maybe I shouldn’t get it, I should get a house where she can have her own room. I can still work out of the garage at the club like I had been doing.
Passing a couple small houses with small front yards with a single tree planted right in front of each one, Lee pulls up to the third one down the block.
I can’t help the look of surprise on my face. This looks more like a place for a small family, not a bachelor.
He doesn’t explain, he just gets out and opens the door to get Penelope out of her car seat. His giant fingers pinching and pulling at the harness.
“This thing is fucking hard!” he growls under his breath and Penelope just watches him with a smile on her face. It does look hard to unclasp, I wonder if Piper knows an easier way to get it off?
Finally getting her out of the car seat, I look the house over. It’s two stories, white and red brick, a big window to the left and a nice front door with glass.