Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 27314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“Not quite, princess.” Reaching up, I take off the blindfold and stand back, letting her take it all in.
“Holy. Shit!” She shouts the last word excitedly and puts her hands over her mouth.
After Thanksgiving I bought Mary the house she’d been coveting since the day it went on the market. I’ve spent the past eight months having it completely renovated to look like all her Pinterest board posts. I did a lot of work myself with the help of my brothers-in-law and dads. We all worked long hours, but everybody knew this was for Mary and the first grandbaby, so nobody complained. They all pitched in, and even the moms got to help decorate.
Mary is a simple woman who doesn’t ask for a lot. So when I saw she had a dream of what our perfect home should be, I gave it to her. I want to make her every dream come true because she deserves it. There’s no one on this planet who is more beautiful and more devoted. She’s my everything.
“How? When?”
She turns to me with tears running down her face, and I scoop her up in my arms, carrying her through the house. I show her all the little features she wanted and all the furniture she picked out without ever having to move it. I show her the baby’s room, which is complete and just waiting on the little one to fill it. She sees the whole house while I carry her like a bride, and I love the feeling of her and our baby in my arms.
When we finish with the tour inside, I take her out back to where everyone is waiting. They’re all on the back patio and yell, “Surprise!” when we walk out. I still don’t put her down, opting to go sit on one of the outdoor chairs by the pool, and hold her close to me. Everyone comes over and loves on us, and I can see how truly happy Mary is.
After a little while when some of the excitement has wound down, she turns to me and rests her palm on my cheek.
“Can we stay here tonight, Anthony?”
“This is our home, Mary. We are going to stay here for the rest of our lives.”
“Thank you for making my dreams come true.” She leans in and touches her forehead to mine.
“Thank you for being my best friend, my wife, and the mother of our babies.”
“Babies?” Cherry says as she walks over to us slowly. “Did you say babies?” my mother-in-law shrieks, the echo bouncing around the backyard. The family rushes over to us and all burst into loud noises, most of which I can’t make out.
“So much for keeping that secret,” Mary says, rolling her eyes.
“They were bound to find out soon enough,” I laugh as Mary is engulfed in hugs and kisses, with everyone talking about two babies to love. “I guess I can bring all the extra baby stuff I bought down from the attic. They thought I was just being cautious when I was buying two of everything.”
After Samuel gives her one last hug, I pull her to me again and resume rubbing her back. She sighs against me and leans over to kiss my neck. “How long before we can get them all out of here? I’m ready to break in that new bed.”
Picking Mary up in my lap, I turn towards the house and go to walk inside. Turning back to the crowd, I yell, “Party’s over, get out.”
Mary laughs and waves as I take her inside to our bedroom. I kick the door shut behind us and lock it, taking her to the bed and laying her down.
“Let’s see if those hidden mattress cuffs you pinned are any good.”
Her face turns as red as her hair as I lean down and start kissing her body. Her giggles turn to moans as I make love to my wife, my soul mate, my world.
Part Two
Samuel and Nika
Chapter 1
Nika
“Blin,” I mutter to myself while changing clothes in the casino bathroom. I had no idea how fast I’d burn through my money, and I need more. Or else I’ll have to go back home, which is something I refuse to do. I thought Vegas would be an easy town to blend in. And while it is, it just costs out the ass.
Shoving my street clothes into my big purse, I adjust the short dress, then slide on the ridiculous high heels. It’s time to move on, and I need money to do that. These last two weeks have been crazy but exhilarating. And honestly a little lonelier than I thought they’d be. I had to get out from under my father, and running was the only way. If I didn’t keep on the move, he’d find me and drag me back home. Not home. Prison.
Maybe ‘prison’ is a harsh word for it. I don't hate my father. I love him, but he's suffocating me. I'm not like my mother, who is content just staying at home. Maybe she’s that way because she has my dad. I have them, too, but it's different. They were each other’s soul mate. They have the kind of love I would never have myself if my father had anything to say about it. He kept my mother and me both under lock and key, saying he was just keeping us safe. That he’d killed many in his life and he didn’t want something to happen to us.
He littered the house with security and bodyguards so I was never alone. Odd how I’m now in one of the busiest cities in the world and I feel more alone than ever. Is that what I wanted? No. I wanted what my parents have but for myself. I also want to be free of the fortress walls my father has erected. I’ve never seen any of the danger he’s always talking about, but he trained me for it.
Most kids played board games and drew in their coloring books, and while I did sometimes, more often than not my father was teaching me how to fight, steal, and go unnoticed. I used the very things he taught me to escape from home, and now I'm going to use them to make a little money.