Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“How much?” he asks the big question.
“It doesn’t matter.” I finally look up at him. “It’s fine now. We’re doing okay.”
“How much, Addison?” he repeats, and this time his teeth are clenched.
“It’s not much,” I try to lie, but then his words play back in my head, I can find out anything. “It’s a little over three hundred thousand.”
stefano
I listen to her as she says how much she owes. I hear the sadness in her tone and I also see she is trying to keep it all together. I can’t even fathom how she did it for four years all by herself. All of this happens and all I want to do is throw something against the wall and kick my own ass for not being there. I lean forward off the couch to the notepad in the middle of the coffee table. Picking it up, I spot the check under it I started to write before she even told me the total. I grab it and then look over at her. “I’m giving you this,” I tell her and she looks at me confused, “and if you don’t take it, I’m going to have it deposited in your account.”
I hold out the check for her and all she does is look down at my hand, the top of the check with her name on it, and also for the amount of four hundred thousand dollars. “I can’t take that,” she squawks, and her eyes go big as she hides her hands behind her back.
“Fine,” I say, putting down the check by her coffee cup. “I’ll pay all your bills. Either way, you will be getting that money.”
“I don’t need it,” she says to me, and I side-eye her with a glare.
“I don’t care,” I tell her. “After everything…” I try to calm down my heartbeat and the way I just want to lash out at everyone, me included. Her family, her fucking family is going to pay for what they did to her, for leaving her without anything. Who does that? Who? “Everything you went through, it’s never going to be enough.”
I fold my hands together but all I want to do is lean in and kiss her again. “Why are you being like this?” she asks, frustrated when she finally realizes she is not going to win. There are things she will win, but it’s not this.
“Because it was my job to take care of you two.” I look into her eyes, hoping she sees how much her story killed me to listen to. “And I failed.” The lump forms in my throat. “Miserably.”
Her hand flies out from behind her, landing on my forearm. “You didn’t fail anything.” Her voice starts out low but then rises by the time she says the rest. “You didn’t even know."
“But now I do.” I lean in a touch. “I know now, and I promise you that you will never, ever have to worry about that again.” I move even closer to her so I can taste her lips on mine. Her tongue comes out to lick her bottom lip, and I want to trace her tongue. My cock goes so hard it hurts. “Never again.” I’m about to kiss her when we both hear footsteps coming our way.
Addison jumps back from touching me and nearly flies off the couch. “Are we going to eat?” Avery asks, walking into the living room. “My stomach rumbled.”
“Yes,” I confirm, getting up, hoping my dick isn’t popping out in my shorts and she points it out. “Let’s see if the bacon is ready, and then we can get some pancakes going.” I clap my hands as I walk around the couch, as far away from Addison as I can, because getting closer to her will make my cock jump out even more.
“You have a big—” Avery says, and the blood immediately drains from my whole body, thinking she is going to say penis. I don’t even know why my head went there but it did. “Kitchen.”
I literally let out a sigh of relief. “You think so? Well, then, you should see Glammy and Grand-père’s,” I inform her as we walk to the island. “It’s really big.” Her eyes go huge. “I got you a stool,” I tell her, walking over to the wooden thing my mother told me to buy her so she could stand next to me safely. Apparently, all my cousins have it, who knew. “Okay, let’s make pancakes.” I grab the bowl. “Momma.” I look up at Addison. “We are going to make breakfast for you.”
“I can help.” She is about to take a step to us and I hold up my hand and shake my head.
“You will not. You sit down, drink your coffee, and relax.”
“Yeah, Momma,” Avery repeats, “relax.” She then looks at me. “Do you have chocolate chips?” She tries to whisper to me but her voice is nothing like a whisper.