Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Speaking of, don’t make any plans Sunday. We’re going to see Ya-Ya and Baboosh if they’ll be home.” Rory walks around the kitchen peninsula to squeeze Nix. He kisses the top of her head, whispering something I can’t hear. Then she moves toward me to give me a hug.
“You got it, Mamacita.” Rory’s in her second year of Spanish, and it’s translating into our home life wherever she sees fit. She’s older beyond her years, even before things went sideways. Rory is doing everything in her power to get ahead in any and all of her schoolwork. She’s even talking about taking online classes between her eighth and ninth grade year during her summer break. All so she can achieve her dream of becoming a pediatric cardiologist, a goal she’s been set on because of Ophelia, who is not only Nix’s sister but also my best friend, even if she is living that jet-set life of hers. Anyways, when Rory was little, Ophelia and she would watch all the fiction and non-fiction shows pertaining to life in the medical field. The Drakos family became mine, as well as David’s parents, though it was strained back then; it's nothing compared to what it is now. So, I decided to quit going to the local high school once I started showing my pregnancy bump, enrolled in college to finish out my last year and receive my diploma. Of course, life liked to derail me a bit. Morning sickness that lasted all day made it impossible to finish in the timeframe I wanted to. After Rory came along, Ophelia and Nix’s parents would watch my little girl, I’d go to school, and when I came home, those two would be snuggled on the couch watching television. It didn’t stop there. When I was working, that’s where you’d find the two of them. Ophelia was never too busy for her girls; she still isn’t.
“I’ll take you girls. I’m going there anyways. May as well take one vehicle instead of two,” Nix says. “Now, who’s helping with the vegetables and tzatziki?” I wrinkle my nose, knowing their affinity for grilled onions, something I don’t like, along with mushrooms. Those two items they can have.
“I will,” Emmy says,
“Not me. Can you make a pot of coffee? I have a lot of homework.” I roll my eyes. I never make her a pot of coffee when she pulls ‘all-nighters’. Her version of those is passing out by ten o’clock.
“I do not, probably because I’m the smarter one and don’t try to kill myself with schoolwork,” Emmy says. Little turkey that she is, while she may not be taking her classes early like Rory, she’s still in hard classes.
“Ugh, speaking of. Nix, can you help me after dinner?” Rory asks. She places her backpack on the chair at the kitchen table and unzips it, pulling out her school laptop, a book, and notebook, as well as her pencil pouch.
“Math again?” He looks at Rory then Emmy, giving them his full attention. Not for the first time in my life do I feel like I chose the wrong man along the way. David had his faults; we all do, but maybe I kept my rose-colored glasses on a little too much for a little too long. I didn’t think anything of working two jobs while he attended the academy to make sure our bills were paid. As long as we had a roof over our head, food in our bellies, and we could pay some money to Ya-Ya for watching Rory, I was happy. It was our little family of three until we added Emmy into the mix. David had been on the force for a year by that time. I went down to working part-time and worked around his shifts, and when the house we’re in now came on the market, I knew it would be ours, no matter how much David wanted to live closer to his parents. The Drakos were my family back then, and they still are now. I wanted to have them near, plus it’s not like we could afford a house in his parents’ neighborhood at the time, and definitely not now in the shape I’m in.
“It’s stupid, Nix. It’s like my teacher thinks we’re mathematicians and can learn college geometry without her, you know, actually teaching us in a way we can understand, which would be more than nice.” Nix being Nix listens to her, a smile tugging at his lips. I notice that he’s letting his beard grow in more, and a new tattoo has been added to his sleeve. Yeah, I am noticing entirely too much about Phoenix Drakos, including his muscular build, tight ass, and even firmer thighs that are encased in worn-in denim.
“Sweetheart, I hate to tell you this, but the career you’re choosin’, there’s gonna be a shit ton of math involved.” Nix’s choice of words doesn’t bother me, probably because when I’m pissed, I cuss like a sailor. David was even worse than me, so while it might not be what their grandparents would like on both sides, Nix’s and David’s, it is what it is.