Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Maybe he should pull the car over.
No. He really was okay.
“Dallas, are you there?”
“Yeah. I was assessing the truth of my yeah, and I’m truly good. My luck’s not particularly good though or maybe it is, I don’t know.” Dallas was rambling, so he just clamped his mouth shut to keep from doing a verbal dump on Greer.
“What happened?” Greer’s soft tone meant that Dallas sounded more manic than he realized.
He let out an exhale and turned on the next available side street, pulling his car over. He pressed on the brake and dropped his forehead to the steering wheel. “When I got there, my father must have seen me pull up. While I was talking to you, he came barreling out the door. He was angry, and my mom followed. She was upset. The local newspaper was in his hand. I guess the Boys & Girls Club did a special thank-you for the great year and…”
“Oh no,” Greer said, instantly.
“Yup.” The timing couldn’t have been any better. His gaze lifted out the window, taking stock of his surroundings. He saw the back side of his apartment building. He’d forgotten this back way and started down the residential street. “You were the highest bidder. They highlighted your donation with the shot of you whispering in my ear.”
“Your father got the paper this morning and exploded. Got it. You handled it very well, Dallas.”
“I don’t know if I did or not. I didn’t do anything to try to de-escalate the problem. I’m sure I added insult by inviting them to the wedding, but I don’t care.” Dallas pulled his car up to the security box and typed in their private code. The gate opened, letting him inside. “I should warn Ducky and Skye, but her car’s not here and Ducky’s been riding with her to the office. I’ll drive by there.”
“Where are you?” Greer asked.
“I picked up my old car. I haven’t told them about the new one. They’d think it was too much money,” he tried to explain, parking the car in the lot. He’d kept this car hoping Ducky might want to learn to drive.
“It’s your money.” Dallas almost mouthed Greer’s response, knowing what he’d say.
“I know.” The edge had worn off and Dallas found himself smiling as he left the car to switch to the Tesla. “Let me go by the office then I’m coming home. Donny’s gonna find out soon, and we don’t need a meltdown at the office.”
“If you want me to come get you, I can. I should have gone,” Greer said, guilt in his tone.
Dallas gave a bark of a laugh. “Definitely, shouldn’t have come.”
=♥=
After months on the decline, Greer’s pacing roared back with a vengeance.
Damn this over-the-top emotion coursing through every fiber of his being. Surely to God, this level of mania would ease over time. Maybe once he and Dallas had years under their belts, he might be able to handle Dallas’s abusive family. But that wasn’t today.
Right now, he wanted to bury those motherfuckers for their continued abuse.
Greer looked down at his wristwatch, keeping track of the time. He was antsy as hell.
The hard knock at his front door had Greer looking toward the entry, surprised to see he’d been walking the U-shape of his home. Damn, it was a shame he didn’t have X-ray vision so he could see through the walls between him and the front entry.
The dry cleaner. Right. He’d forgotten.
Greer grabbed their pre-decided wedding clothes and started for the front door as the forceful pounding started in earnest.
“Hang on,” he called out, his voice as hard as his thoughts.
As he reached for the doorknob, Donny’s angry voice echoed in the entryway. “I know you’re in there. Open the goddamn door.”
Greer’s hand fisted, he paused even as his brow arched at the solid wood separating him from Donny. He never backed away from anything. Those lessons had been hard earned a long time ago, but this was Dallas’s family.
What would his love want him to do? Probably not give the guy a right hook in lieu of a greeting. Everything slowed on the exhale as he forced himself to calm. It wasn’t easy, and he wasn’t sure he was successful as he straightened his spine and opened the door, tossing the suits aside.
“Where is he?” Donny demanded. His chest heaved, and he stood in fight stance with his hands fisted, a newspaper in one of them.
Oh hell. Greer could only shake his head and said the first thing that came to mind. “You need to calm the fuck down. Once your brother and I are married, I’m not going to allow you to continue to hurt him like this.”
“What the fuck are you gonna do?” Donny hurled, mockingly. Livid laughter laced each word. “Where’s my brother?”
“He’s not here…” Greer started, but Donny cut him off.