Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
His hand waved in the air as if to clear it and then said, “No. I mean tell me what happened.”
“I’d just gotten off work, and was in the parking lot playing with my next door neighbor’s daughter when he pulled up. He sent the girl on her way, and then told me I needed to get out. Gave me an address with the name of the garage on it. Told me I would know who I was looking for. Gave me two grand, a new ID, and told me to leave. I didn’t even get to pack any of my stuff. From the roughness of his voice, and the way his eyes never left the road, I knew he was serious. So I left. Didn’t have anything keeping me there anyway.” I shrugged.
“Fuck. Jack, I need you to get on the computer and see what you…” Sam was saying before I rudely interrupted him with the cackling of my laughter.
“You-you on a c-computer?” I laughed so hard I wanted to cry.
Jack smiled at me wryly. “Hey, I can hold my own!”
“Yeah, I’m sure you can. What you know I taught you! You didn’t even want to know anything when I was bugging you to learn all those years ago!” I said playfully.
Jack smiled sadly, and it was only then that I realized that I’d remembered teaching him. Returning the smile, I thought back to the night I started to teach him how to run your basic computer hack. He was such a fast learner, and in no time, he was moving on to the more advanced things that I could teach him. My teachings were cut short when he was deployed.
The details were so crystal clear in my memory, it felt like they’d never been gone in the first place.
“I must have missed something. Care to clue me in?” Sam asked crossly.
“Winter taught me everything I know. She’s your woman if you need some things checked out.” Jack said.
Sam nodded in understanding, and then stood as if to leave. “Can I speak with you for a minute outside?”
Jack stood, then shut the door quietly behind him as they went to the front porch. Nosy Nancy reared her head again; I went to the window and cracked it as quietly as I could without alerting them of my presence.
“Are you sure about this, Jack? Doesn’t this seem kind of miraculous that she’s back after seven fucking years? Fuck. How fucking convenient that my dad and half-brother show, and then they send your long lost wife here?” Sam snapped.
“Listen, if there is one thing I know, it’s that that woman in there is my wife. It may be highly coincidental, but I think the root of the problem here is that your brother and old man aren’t the evil assholes you thought them to be. Which, in turn, makes you fucking wrong. You’ve trusted my judgment for ten fucking years. Trust me now. Don’t fucking hurt her either, or I’m fucking gone.” Jack rumbled with a deadly tone.
Well the man sure knew the ‘F’ word well. He always had.
I closed the window as quietly as I opened it, and then went to the wall and looked at the photo. The photo itself was incased in a memory box made of wood. Underneath it, there were two rings. One tiny, and one massive. Opening the box, I lifted my hand to extract the smaller of the two rings, and read the inscription on the inside.
Forever my dream catcher
Lifting it to my upraised hand, I slipped it on my left ring finger.
It fit perfectly.
“Where it’s supposed to be.” Jack muttered from behind me.
“Yeah. Do you mind if I wear it?”
“I’d be upset if you didn’t. It’s where it belongs.” He admitted sadly.
Chapter 3
They say laughter is the best medicine. They lie. Its brownies.
-E-card
Jack
I stood to the side of the room watching Winter work her magic on the computer when Elliott sidled up next to me. He slung his arm around my shoulders and leaned into me heavily. I took his added weight with a grimace, but didn’t say anything further since I knew he was about to let me have it.
“So, Jackopa is your real name?” He asked causally.
I grunted in validation, but didn’t comment seeing as I didn’t want to answer the question I knew was coming in the first place. I’d been putting this off for ten years now, and it figures that the first time they meet my woman, the information is leaked.
“That’s a strong name. I think I’ll ask Blaine if we can use it for our next kid.” He snickered.
“You might reconsider. I got my ass kicked for three years in middle and junior high school for that name. It only stopped when I started fighting back. I don’t want any kid getting the same treatment I received.” I said in all seriousness.
An evil gleam entered his eye when he asked, “Is that why you never told us? Because you knew we could kick your ass?”
“I’m pretty sure I can take you,” Winter said distractedly from the computer. “However, I don’t want to hurt your wife’s feelings before I even meet her, and if you don’t stop making fun of him, I’ll do just that.”
Elliott gave my shoulders a squeeze before saying, “Thanks darlin’. I like knowing my boy here has a good woman at his side. You probably have bigger balls than he does. Jack is our laid back, let everything roll off your shoulders, good old boy. He’s the very last person to enter anything, but he sure will finish it.”
“His balls were just fine a few years ago. I’m sure they haven’t changed much since. Maybe they’re bigger, you never know.” She muttered as she tapped away at the keyboard.
Elliott snickered, and I watched the back of Winter’s head move back and forth. Her hair shimmered in the sun light that was streaming in through the windows. It was a dark shade of orangey red, and she had the temper to go along with it. She’d gained a few pounds, but in all the right places. She was tall for a woman, 5’7 or so.