Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Why did people care about anything at all that had to do with my personal life?
My phone rang just as an ambulance passed me, flying its way to the hospital with lights and sirens.
I hadn’t even had time to get more than two tires off the road before it was past.
I pressed answer on my phone and put it back into the cup holder.
“Hello?” I answered distractedly as I continued back on my way.
“Daddy?”
I got my first smile for the first time in a couple of hours.
“Hey, baby. What were you doing today that you didn’t answer?” I asked.
Briley sighed. “There are a lot of kids here. Sometimes, they’re so loud that I can’t hear my phone.”
I grinned. “I think there are six.”
“Six is a lot,” she said. “When you get married to Ari, I want to have a baby brother. And notice I said ‘a’ and not ‘multiple.’”
My heart landed in my throat.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked in a strangled voice.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m sorry she had to go home early. You and I should go to her circus with her during the off season. Then, when you’re traveling, I can stay with her. I’ve already worked it all out. I found a really awesome motorcoach, too.”
I felt my heart swell.
“How do you know it’s that serious, baby?” I asked.
She snorted. “Dad, you would’ve never spent a month with her, or tried to, if she wasn’t someone important to you.”
She had a very valid point.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “How would you feel about me asking her to marry me?”
She paused as she thought about that for a second before saying, “I think she’d say no if you asked her right now. It’s too soon. It isn’t, but she’ll think that, because a lot of women think you need to put a lot of time into a relationship to know if you like them or not. But if you give her another two months or so, I’ll bet she’ll say yes then.”
There was my intuitive daughter.
The red and white circus tents started to come into view, and my nerves started to get the better of me.
“Anyway,” she said. “I have to go. We’re going out on the boat today. Trance and Viddy just got a brand new sparkly purple one that apparently makes waves and allows you to surf behind it. I’m not too sure about the water here.”
Getting a surprised chuckle out of me, we said our goodbyes just as I pulled up into the circus.
When I got there, it was to find all of the Singh family in a tight huddle around the picnic tables except for the one I was looking for.
Gazes swung to me when I arrived.
All eyes looked rather accepting and welcoming of my presence except for one, and that was the one with the face similar to my Ari’s.
So much like her, yet nothing alike at the same time.
“Where’s Ari?” I asked.
It was the sourpuss that answered with, “Why do you care?”
“Swear to fuckin’ god, Hades. I will fuckin’ launch you across this goddamn camp if you don’t start acting right,” Keene growled.
Whoa.
“I don’t know why you’re acting like this.” Hades rolled her eyes.
“You don’t know why I’m acting like this?” he asked, looking at his sister as if he didn’t even know her. “You tell your twin, the one person that can stand the sight of you no matter what, that you faked a photo of her boyfriend and some random chick together kissing, let her think that he’s cheating on her, and then watch her fuckin’ fall and possibly break her neck…and you can’t figure out why I’m acting like this?”
Break her neck.
What?!
“Tell me what’s going on,” I ordered, standing to my full height.
Keene looked over at me, then broke it down completely, starting with this morning when she walked into the breakfast area.
I immediately turned around and headed for the truck.
“They won’t let you in!” Hades called out smugly.
I turned and looked at her over my shoulder before saying, “You do know who I am, right?”
Fuckin’ watch me.
I’d just about made it to the rental truck when I was stopped by the tiger.
I wasn’t sure which one name wise, but it was the white one who looked like she was interested in eating me.
“Hello, buddy.” I held out my hand to it.
It licked my hand and, surprisingly, her tongue was extremely rough.
Before I could move around her, though, she walked past me with a rub of her body along my pants, and then moved into the shadows.
The drive to the hospital was uneventful.
When I arrived, though, that was a completely different story.
It was a madhouse, and I could now see why the medics wouldn’t allow any of them to come.
Pushing through the doors, I looked around to see if I could spot anyone that looked like they were in a position of authority.