Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
None with her mom.
There were a lot with her friends.
“You did well with this one,” she said. “Congrats.”
“Her aunt did well,” I grumbled. “I’ve had nothing but letters with her for eight years, and an hour every two weeks.”
We hit the end of Lolo’s Instagram, and she pulled the phone off of the table and put it in a little side pocket in her skin-tight skirt.
She went to step away, and I caught her hand, the chains clinking together as I did.
She looked down at me, startled.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
She didn’t immediately pull away, and I felt that in my soul.
She didn’t pull away.
Oh, how she’d fucked up.
She just had no clue why or how yet.
I let her go, and she stepped away, rubbing her hands nervously down the front of her skirt.
“If you ever need anything, let me know,” she said softly. “The information you gave me is invaluable.”
I had to clench my hands to keep from grabbing her all over again.
And when she left five minutes later, I was left watching her go, wondering if she could make it happen without getting caught.
I wouldn’t have my answer until months and months later.
CHAPTER 6
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but screenshots will last forever.
-Lolo to Wake
WAKE
Six months later
I walked out of the prison a free man.
There were three people there to greet me.
My sister, Danyetta, my brother, Keir, and my daughter, Lolo.
The moment Lolo saw me, she took a running head start and slammed into me so hard that I was forced to take a couple of steps back.
God, she’d done some growing since I’d last seen her.
She’d turned into a woman in the blink of an eye.
“Fuck me,” I grumbled as I crushed her to me.
She threw her head back and laughed, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
“I missed you, Dad,” she called.
I swallowed hard.
The last time I’d really hugged her, she’d called me ‘daddy.’ Now I was ‘dad.’
That sucked.
“I missed you, too, baby,” I said softly. “How are you?”
I set her down so I could look into her eyes.
The pictures that I’d seen thanks to the psychologist didn’t do Lolo justice.
I’d seen her once in person since then, and Lolo had been diagnosed with fuckin’ strep throat after she had returned home. So she hadn’t been all that normal looking with her puffy eyes, red cheeks, and rat’s nest of hair.
She looked a hell of a lot better this time than she had the last time.
“Better.” She smiled. “Really good now that you’re out.”
I reached forward and tugged her into another tight hug before letting her go and reaching for my sister.
“Dan.” I pulled my sister in. “God, you’re fuckin’ tiny again.”
My sister snorted. “I think you mean ‘you lost all the baby weight,’ bro.”
Whatever had happened, I didn’t know. But she’d gotten a lot smaller. Then again, eight years would do that. Well, six years in prison and practically two years going through the trial process.
“How’s the ‘baby?’” I teased.
“That ‘baby’ isn’t a ‘baby’ anymore. He’s almost eight now.” She sighed. “And gets along with your girl like oil and water.”
I looked at my girl who didn’t even bother hiding her shrug.
“Being a ‘nerd’ isn’t a bad thing, Lolo.” I rolled my eyes.
Lolo’s laughter had me feeling lightness in my heart for the first time in what felt like forever.
The last person I looked at was Keir.
I offered him my hand, and he took it, his eyes watchful.
Keir and I had never seen eye to eye.
When I married my ex-wife, he’d gone out of his way to avoid Amber. It’d only been when I’d divorced her, and spent a year in prison, that I realized exactly why he’d avoided Amber.
Because he loved her.
Now, Amber and Keir were married, and they had their own kids.
Lolo didn’t spend time with them, though.
Lolo, after the attack, had decided that she couldn’t be around her mother anymore. Sadly, Amber looked a lot like her brother, who’d traumatized her.
And, since she’d been in the care of a psychologist at the time, it had been suggested that Lolo go to stay with my sister.
And that’s the way it’d been for the longest time.
Still, to this day, Lolo had trouble being in the same room as her mom.
But, as of today, her father was home. And having her father out of prison meant that she could finally be with her parent.
If that was what she wanted, after all.
My sister and Lolo had formed a very strong bond over the years that they’d been living together. And Bowie and Lolo had formed a brotherly-sisterly bond as well.
I wouldn’t take her from that if she didn’t want to go.
“Good to see you,” Keir offered, very standoffish.
I would’ve laughed at his discomfort had my sister not pinched me.
“Come on,” she ordered. “I got your ol’ truck ready to go in my driveway. And we got the renters moved out of your place.”