Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 822(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 822(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
He stands up straight again, rolling his shoulders back. “All right. Fine. Let’s make a deal.”
I cross my arms, squaring my shoulders. “Okay. What?”
“You call your mom back, see what she wants, and in return I’ll go to Fox River to talk to Flex.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Seriously? You’re going to go back?”
“Yeah, but you’re coming with me.”
I swallow hard. “For Flex, you’re going to go back? Just to talk to him?”
“That’s not the main reason I’m going back.” He shifts on his feet. “I finally sold Grandma Marie’s house. The neighborhood was slightly upgraded. No more crackheads and dealers living there. Surprisingly, they all got run or bought out. The house was passed down to me from her will, but I never sold it. I couldn’t. Too many cherished memories.” He scratches his eyebrow. “But I realize I just wasn’t ready to let it go. I have a few more things to get from the house and then it’s all theirs. I’ve upgraded it and everything.”
“Really?”
He nods. “The memories will always be there. I realize it’s time to let it go. It’s what she would have wanted. She never really liked the place anyway.” He looks down as I drop my hands.
“Well, that’s great, Drake. I’m glad you made that move. I know it was a hard decision.”
“It was. But I’m cool with it. You can only hold onto something for so long, you know?”
“Right.”
“While we’re there, you should talk to your mom too. Call first, see what she wants. If she is trying to see you, we’ll go.”
“But what if she isn’t calling for that?”
He shrugs, pressing his lips together. “Then you won’t have to go see her. We can forget about her. I just want you to give her a chance. I know you, Jenny. If something happens to her, you’ll regret not trying to make things right later on.” He grips my shoulders. “We’re on a path to make things better—not only between us, but everyone else around us. It’s going to be tough facing Flex again after so many years, but I’ve been ready to face him … I just don’t want to. On this path, I don’t want any regrets or surprises. I want to make sure everything is okay. All right?”
I nod rapidly. “Okay. Fine.”
He smiles and then plants a kiss on my cheek. “We’ll be okay. I promise.”
“Just promise me one thing…”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t get into a big, crazy brawl with Flex, okay? I won’t be able to break that fight up.”
He busts out laughing. “Oh, trust me. I won’t need to touch him. He is damaged enough. There’s nothing more I can do to break that crazy man. Me leaving Fox River was all it took to end him.”
* * *
The crowd was starting to build at the Stratosphere. More and more people were coming up and Drake was getting asked for more and more autographs.
He didn’t mind it at first. In fact, for the first hour or so he was signing things left and right. But then a line began to form and he had to dismiss himself.
His fans are truly dedicated. I could hear them calling their friends to let them know he was there. I sort of feel bad that he couldn’t get to everyone, but then again, we would have been there all day and night if he had.
When Preach and Rex (the security guard whose name I’ve just learned) escorted us out, the line went all the way downstairs. The area was flooded with bodies. It was insane.
“You don’t feel bad when you can’t get to all of them?” I asked when we got in the truck. “Like, what if one of them is, like, the biggest fan on earth and all they wanted was you to sign something but you couldn’t?”
“I feel bad sometimes, yeah. But I signed a ton of autographs after the fight. Hell, I’ve been signing things ever since I landed.” He laughed and then leaned in to stroke my cheek. “Don’t worry, Jenny. The thing I’ve learned about fans is they don’t take much to heart. They are so enamored that it astounds me. I can’t believe they actually like me this much.”
“That’s because you are yourself when you get in that cage. They know what you are capable of.”
“Maybe.” He lifted a shoulder, lightly shrugging. “But I appreciate them. No doubt about that.”
“Good.”
We are back at the hotel now, after catching an early dinner. The sun is at its horizon and I stare out of the window, watching cars zoom by. Drake steps up to my side, looking out with me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks softly.
“Fox River,” I confess.
“What about it?”
“How much I hated it.” I laugh dryly. “The only good thing to come out of it is you and Kylie… and the twins.”