Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
She and Garrett would be perfect together.
No joke.
“I’ll pass,” she said. “But thanks for thinking of me.”
I also noticed she hadn’t given me her first name.
She shouldered past me with her large bag.
The brother, whom I assumed was Dima, stepped out of her way, allowing her to pass.
Once we were alone, he ended his phone call and stared at me. “My sister is currently about to be arrested if you don’t get out there and help.”
Any hint of Russian was gone, replaced with a man who sounded so solidly American I never would’ve assumed he knew a second language, let alone one he spoke with perfect clarity.
I ignored my curiosity and headed out of the room, finding Maven screaming her head off outside, windmilling her arms and legs as she tried in vain to get to her ‘brother’ who was sitting on the dirt next to one of the squad cars.
My brother, Garrett, held onto Maven easily—it wasn’t hard to do when she was so small and cute.
Boss watched from his perch next to my mother, tongue lolling.
What was a surprise was to find the paramedic staring avidly at Garrett.
My lips quirked as I made my way into the fray, stopping in front of Maven.
“You thought it was okay to shoot him in the face?” Maven screeched. “I’ll fucking k…”
I covered her mouth before she could finish the death threat in front of a yard full of law enforcement.
She glared hard at me, then melted against my brother once she saw who it was.
“Calm down, baby,” I said. “Let’s go to the hospital so I can get this checked out.”
Her eyes filled with angry tears, but she nodded.
Garrett let her go, and I caught her hand loosely in mine and led her to my truck that was surprisingly not blocked in the driveway.
I’d just gotten her to the passenger door, and let her hand go to grab the door handle, when she darted out and ran full force toward Scott.
I cursed and started to follow her, but she turned out to be surprisingly quick despite her small stature.
Before I could say a word—and before the cops next to Scott could react—she reared back and kicked Scott straight in the balls.
Then she calmly turned and walked away, much to everyone’s stunned astonishment.
“That’s definitely our sister,” one of the Semyonov sisters whispered.
“If there were any doubts about who she belongs to,” Shasha said sardonically, “then there isn’t anymore.”
“That’s my girl,” Jessa mused from her perch in one of the cop cars. “Let’s go get a hotel.”
“You can stay with us,” my mother offered. “We have plenty of room.”
I didn’t hear the rest of it.
Not when Maven was back saying, “Let’s go.”
My lips twitched. “Yes, ma’am.”
Your driving skills have me looking both ways at green lights.
—Text from Athena to Maven
MAVEN
“Women will never know the horrified feeling of when your dick accidentally touches the toilet bowl,” Garrett said, sounding grossed out.
I snorted, but it was sweet and sassy Ellodie who said, “Men will never know the feeling of a fart that rolls up the front and into your vagina, which you then have to walk funny and squeeze your vaginal muscles to get out.”
There was a long moment of silence and then, “You’re joking.”
That was Gable.
“Not even a little bit, baby Carter,” Ellodie countered.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not the baby. Garrett is.” He pointed at Shayne, as if she was going to tell him a different story. “Is that true?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, mortification rising up her neck and taking over her entire face.
It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
And she seriously did some cute things.
“I mean, yeah.” She glanced at me, then quickly looked away.
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my lips.
This family.
I loved them with everything I had.
When I’d needed a family, the Carters were there.
And even though I now had my own family—my family that was at this very party—I couldn’t help but feel more of a pull toward the Carters than my own family.
Though, maybe a lot of that kinship would come with time.
I’d only known about them for a week now.
It was now seven whole days since I’d found out about them, and they looked no closer to leaving now than they did a few days ago.
In fact, from what I understood from Jessa—who was currently in the pool floating around with a squirt gun in her hand aiming it at all the little Carter kids—they were in the process of buying a house here.
“Is it true, sis?” Gable asked Ande.
“You know it’s true, you moron,” Ande said. “Why are we even talking about this?”
Everyone pointed at Ellodie.
“Hey!” she cried out. “I was just being honest! You act like you’re all screwed if your penis touches the bowl! But there are worse things! Like falling in the toilet!”