Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
He swallows and darts his eyes to my plate, silently indicating I should continue eating. “We all have bad days, angel. You’re allowed them.”
I eat a cooked carrot and shake my head. “Normal people, yes. Me, no. I can’t afford bad days. They all need to count. Every day has to be a good one.”
“This isn’t Instagram,” he says grumpily. “You can’t just show people all the good and expect that to accurately portray your life.”
“No, I agree. I’m not hiding anymore. But I’m also not going to fall into the pit of despair. Mom would want me to take my life by the horns and ride with everything I’ve got.”
He lifts a brow, smirking. “Of all the analogies, you choose the dirtiest one.”
A laugh bubbles up my throat. “You’re just horny if bull riding gets you hot.”
“You get me hot,” he says, flashing me a flirty grin.
My heart does a flop in my chest and my skin heats. Daniel is good for me. He helps me forget all the wrongs because he’s so damn right.
“Dad said nothing about the porch,” I tease, stabbing at another carrot and licking it.
His green eyes burn hot. “You’re not riding me on your father’s porch.”
I give him a faux pout, batting my lashes. “I guess I’ll have to settle for sucking your dick instead.”
He leans forward, gently gripping my neck. I’m pulled right into a possessive kiss that makes my stomach tighten with anticipation. “Naughty angel.”
“You like it.”
“No,” he growls. “I love it. A little too much, in fact. I’m going to have to walk through your house with a damn hard-on.”
“Which I could take care of on the porch,” I remind him.
“How about you kiss me like you mean it and then I’ll take you to my house tomorrow night, cook you dinner, and then take care of you on my bed.”
“So I’m dessert, huh?”
“It’s only fair since I’m a…what did you call it? That’s right. I’m a snack.”
I bark out a laugh. “Damn right. A yummy little snack.”
His dark brow hikes up. “Little, huh?”
“I mean, I could disprove this myth…on the porch.”
“Bad girl,” he growls.
He likes it when I’m bad.
Daniel
Three weeks later…
“You look nervous,” I say as I guide Lauren into my house.
She frowns. “I’m officially meeting your daughter for the first time as your girlfriend. What if she kicks my ass?”
The idea of Jenna kicking anyone’s ass is cute. She’s tiny and has a fierce scowl, but she wouldn’t hurt a fly.
“This is a happy home,” I tease. “No ass whippings.” Then I lean in while grabbing her ass. “Unless you’re into it later.”
She snorts. “Oh, I’ll be into it.”
Things feel lighter than they have been, which is nice. Teddy tolerates me and Landon actually likes me. Her family isn’t the problem, though. It’s her. Well, her body specifically. She went to her specialist, Dr. Benton, and what we feared is true. Her right kidney is overrun by cysts, many of them on the brink of rupturing. At this point, she doesn’t need dialysis, but it’s coming. Frequent kidney infections and continual pain in her abdomen is the norm for her. All we can do is treat the symptoms and try to prevent things from worsening.
Sometimes, it’s so fucking hard to be her boyfriend when I crave to doctor the hell out of her. I just want her—need her—to be okay. Dr. Benton said that often, people with ADPKD, will end up needing a transplant. Scary as hell because it makes me think about losing her, which is unimaginable. After he dropped that bomb, I took her home and held her while she cried.
She hasn’t cried much since.
That’s one beautiful thing about Lauren…she may feel defeated, but she never gives up.
Lauren is a fighter.
“Yum,” Lauren says as we enter my kitchen where Enzo is already hard at work over the stove. Enzo, an Italian social worker and my daughter’s husband, stirs something in a pot.
“My mother’s chicken parmesan recipe,” he says over his shoulder. “It’s been modified a bit.” Spaghetti squash rather than regular noodles, no added salt, and sugar-free sauce. We discussed what he was going to cook prior to her coming over so I could make sure she could eat it.
I give him a thankful nod of my head. Because of Lauren’s condition, she’s to decrease her salt and protein intake. With those notes, Enzo has taken it upon himself to cook the family something that will be good for her as well. Most guys wouldn’t like that their son-in-law lives with them, but our situation is different. And temporary.
“Where are my girls?” I ask as I usher Lauren to a bar stool.
“Jenna and Cora went out back to see if there were any cherry tomatoes growing on the vines for the salad.” He places a lid on the pot and then strides over to Lauren. “Enzo. Nice to meet you.”