Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
She stared at me hard, then she said, “Leave it to Jamie to find a fancy, rich, city girl with a heart of gold.”
I leaned toward her and whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell anyone.”
She grinned. “Woman, if you think you’re pulling wool over anyone’s eyes, I’m sorry to inform you, you aren’t.”
I shrugged.
She kept grinning.
And we rocked in the cool Texas breeze watching the sun set.
I was dying to get Jamie to myself in order to talk to him about what Reid had told me.
I was also dying to get his take on Paloma and AJ’s differing responses to Jamie’s mention of those two hundred thousand dollars.
But I would be foiled in both of these, at least for a while, because Patricia had left Reid’s early so she could change her hotel to ours, and at Jamie’s request, I’d texted her to let her know we were arriving, so she could meet us at the bar.
I was also taking a backseat to Dru, who was leaning into her father and holding his hand as we walked into the lobby of our hotel in Dallas after returning from Reid’s, because Dru was new to this information about Jamie’s origins, not to mention, much of the larger story about AJ.
Dru needed to see to her dad.
And I needed to let her see to her dad.
Last, Jamie wanted more time with his sister, and what I had to say could wait so he could have what he wanted.
Therefore, I was walking arm and arm with Judge when we entered the hotel, Rix on my other side, when Rix muttered, “Well, fuck and shit.”
I looked to him to see his gaze aimed across the lobby and his expression was stricken.
But before I could turn that way, Judge said urgently, “Dad.”
My attention shot to where Judge was looking, and my stomach dropped to my feet.
Because…
Damn.
Reid was not wrong.
Jamie looked very like the tall, straight, broad-shouldered, handsome man who had just a hint of silver threading his dark hair, even if I knew he was in his 70s.
Jamie stopped dead, and Judge, Rix and I all hurried to his side.
There, we all stared at Morgan Rawlins.
But Morgan Rawlins only stared at Jamie.
A jolt scorched through my body when I heard, “See I don’t have to make the introductions. Thought this would be fun. And hot damn, I was right.”
We were so focused on Rawlins, we didn’t see AJ hovering behind him until he stepped out of the taller man’s shadow.
Judge moved, so Rix moved, and he did this to prevent Judge from doing what Judge was intent on doing.
Laying hands on his not-grandfather.
“Judge, please don’t,” Dru begged, hanging tight to her father.
“I got some kick left in me, boy, so let him loose,” AJ said to Rix.
Truly?
God, this pathetic, little man was also delusional.
“Not worth it, Judge,” Jamie said by way of a command.
Judge stopped pushing against Rix’s hold but fixated on his not-grandfather.
I got close to Jamie’s other side just as AJ turned his attention to him.
“Told you, boy, all your life.” AJ’s gaze shifted to me, he sneered, and then he concluded, “Women are nothin’ but whores.”
I heard Rix and Judge scuffling again, but I had to pay attention to catching hold of Jamie’s forearm in both of my hands so he wouldn’t act on that slur against his mother, which AJ had also used to slur me.
But Jamie didn’t move, nor did he speak.
He just regarded his not-father.
“Got nuthin’ to say about that saint you thought was your mama steppin’ out on her man?” AJ jeered.
“You know,” Patricia entered the conversation, coming around at our sides. “This is what women get that men don’t. Maybe it’s because you all try to make us feel irrelevant. Not that we take that on, just that we aren’t driven, at the end of our lives, to do pathetic shit to convince ourselves we still are. We just put our feet up and bake bread or take cruises or whatever strikes our fancy and enjoy it. I’ve been home barely a day, and it literally exhausts me, Pop, watching you work so hard to stay relevant.”
“Never knew when to stop runnin’ your fuckin’ mouth,” AJ bit at her.
“And that was a real problem for you, since you’re one of those who don’t think women are relevant, so anything coming out of my mouth was just an annoyance to you,” she retorted. “Probably hurt, too, when you paid attention and realized I wasn’t scared of you, I didn’t respect you, and I was embarrassed of you to boot.”
“Keep runnin’ your mouth, Pat,” AJ ground out his threat.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Patricia drawled.
“Patty,” Jamie grunted.
She looked to him, then seemed to become aware of the situation, so she looked to Morgan Rawlins.
And at this point, Morgan Rawlins made an approach.