Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Auden was more willing, though, and he described a beautiful, bold woman with a radiant smile. She hit those marks and more, but I wanted to see her smile more.
I didn’t know much about her, but I bet I could get her to smile. If she was going to stay with us, it would be my mission to make her time with us easier.
I could do breakfast in bed or give her a back massage. Hell, I could even run out at midnight to grab whatever she was craving.
There really wasn’t anything else like a beautiful woman’s smile. A distant ache echoed in my chest at the thought of a certain smile, but I shook the memory away as Aisling breathed in deeply.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” Aisling asked. “Just be honest with me. You guys obviously have a certain way of doing things that I don’t understand.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and nodded, knowing that she was overwhelmed and confused. The Iron Serpents were a tight-knit club, and my job as treasurer was to handle the finances, to make sure we had the money to live as we did. She didn’t understand how strictly run this club was, but she would have to learn it.
“What are your other options? That’s what my answer relies on,” I told her. If she had a stable life and plenty of help, maybe this deal wouldn’t work out for her.
We offered her all we could, which was total care and protection of her and the baby. Nothing would happen to them, and all expenses would be taken care of. I would make sure of that personally.
Aisling pressed her teeth into the side of her bottom lip as she lowered her eyes, looking conflicted.
“The future isn’t really clear for me right now,” she admitted as she fiddled with two bracelets made of white and light blue beads on her right wrist. “I’m looking for a place to live because I got booted out of my apartment. I guess my job pays fine if a few bucks above minimum wage is considered fine. I… I just have my best friend, but she has a family of her own to worry about. I don’t want to be some leech, you know?”
I nodded quietly as I listened to her, hearing the stress in her voice. It was like she was trapped in a corner, facing two daunting possibilities for her future. For her baby’s future. Even if this was all new to her, I suspected that she had already developed a deep bond with the child.
Honestly, that made me happy.
“Here’s what I know. We’re all going to do everything we can to take care of you while you’re pregnant. You won’t have to worry about a single thing, and that includes the dark side of our business. You won’t be involved. You’ll be safe at the clubhouse and provided everything that you and the baby need,” I explained as I looked over at her, our eyes meeting.
Aisling swallowed hard and let out a shaky exhale.
“I just… it’s so much, you know? I feel like I’m drowning,” she told me. “You ever feel like that?”
I lowered my eyes as my chest grew tight.
“Yeah, I felt like that when I lost my wife,” I admitted. I didn’t go around telling that to people that I just met, but I didn’t want her to feel alone in her grim feelings.
Aisling’s eyes widened.
“Lost her?” she asked.
I nodded as a bittersweet smile crossed my face.
“We were young when we got married. Really young. But we were in love, you know?” I replied, remembering how I used all of my savings to buy an engagement ring at nineteen years old for my high school sweetheart. Nothing else in the world mattered more than her. “But she got sick and passed away. It was so sudden that I barely had time to register it. I mean, we’d just got married.”
Aisling placed her hand on my arm as she moved closer to me.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “But I’m sure she knew how loved she was.”
Warmth burned in my chest as my smile brightened a little.
“I hope so,” I told her. “We were even talking about the kids we’d have in the future. I guess that’s why I want to be a dad so much. There’s nothing like family. The people you love.”
Aisling’s face softened.
“And the guys in the club are your family?” she asked.
“I’d do anything for them, and they’d do anything for me,” I said. “If you agree, you’re part of that. Pregnancy is hard, and you’ll need support. We’ll all be there for you. I’ll be there for you.”
Aisling’s eyes started to glisten a little.
“You’re not going to strip my baby away from me, right?” she asked.
I shook my head.