Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Without another word, he took the boy by the elbow, who had sense enough not to fight the big man, and walked out with him.
“Cleaners are here to get the gas cleaned up,” someone said from the front door.
Booth.
I nodded at him and let Aspen go.
“Go talk to your brother,” I gestured. “I have to go talk to my girl.”
“Aspen!” A woman’s voice called. “Where are you?”
Aspen sighed.
“My mom’s here.”
I wanted to smile, but didn’t dare.
“Go take care of Downy and your mom.”
She nodded. “Save me in a few minutes, okay?”
I winked.
“I can do that.”
“Who is in charge here?” A man’s voice boomed.
That must be the father.
“That’s my dad,” she confirmed, before she kissed me on the cheek and slipped away to circumvent her parents coming inside.
I waited until she was out of sight, then went to find my daughter.
Chapter 21
Where the fuck are my cookies?
-Text from Aspen to Drew
Aspen
“Where’s your brother?” My mom asked thirty minutes later. “And when do I get to meet your new man?”
I pointed at Drew.
“He’s talking to our neighbor,” I gestured to the two men.
My mom smiled.
“He’s handsome,” she said. “Older, but handsome.”
I nodded.
Drew was beautiful.
Even now, his hair a mess and his eyes wild, he was a handsome devil.
“Did that man next to him get hurt today, too?” My mother questioned.
I looked back at Raphael, his arm now exposed to me, and I shook my head.
“I don’t know how he got hurt,” I told her truthfully, and likely never would. “But I will be sure to ask in a minute.”
Raphael was like a wraith, and I wasn’t really sure what his role was in anything that was related to me.
He was there, though, and I found that I liked it…even if he was quiet and reserved.
“And your brother?” Mom persisted. “What’s he so mad about?”
Brows furrowing, I followed my mother’s gaze to find Downy barreling towards us, gathering the attention of everyone he passed, even Drew.
“I can’t begin to tell you,” I informed her. “He wasn’t that mad when I sent him after my clothes.”
He hadn’t been, either.
In fact, he’d been almost…nice.
Which for him was incredibly impressive.
Then I got a good look of what was in Downy’s hand, and my stomach dropped.
Downy, eyes wide, came out of the house, a packet of papers in his hand, and his face white as if all color had leached out that he’d been able to get back once he’d found out I was alright.
“You…your…what the fuck is going on? What does this mean?” He asked, my mom and me looked at him.
My mom looked confused.
I, on the other hand, started to freak out.
“Downy,” I said, holding my hand up. “Sto…”
He turned and glared at my father.
“Get away from me,” he said.
My father’s eyes narrowed.
“You can’t tell me that. I’m her father. I deserve…” Downy interrupted him.
“You’re not her father now, are you?” He challenged.
My father’s mouth thinned, and he turned accusing eyes to my mom.
My mom, who’d already been pale, became even paler.
“Attie,” I whispered softly. “Why don’t you go over there and check on Mace?”
Attie’s eyes, which had been avidly watching both me and Downy, turned without another word as she hurried in Mace’s direction.
Once she’d reached him safely, I turned back to my mom, brother, and father.
“Guys,” I started. “This isn’t the time, nor place, for this.”
Downy shot me a furious glare.
“Shut it,” he said.
I sighed and held up my hands, knowing better than to mess with my brother when he was angry.
And boy was he angry!
In fact, he wasn’t just angry. Oh no, he was livid.
All of those emotions swirled together to create the mask of fuming fury on my brother’s face.
My eyes narrowed at my brother, and I opened my mouth to rip him a new one when his wife came running up out of nowhere, her arms going around Downy’s chest.
What was this? A fucking family reunion?
“Don’t think we won’t talk about this,” Downy said through clenched teeth, his eyes going down to his wife’s hands that were wrapped around his chest, then back up to my mother.
My mother nodded very slowly, her eyes wide and wary as she looked back to her husband.
“I think that’s best,” she whispered.
Something inside me loosened, and I backed away.
“I’m going to talk to Drew,” I squeaked.
Not one of them acknowledged me, their eyes still locked in a strange sort of intense stare down that I was ready to move away from.
Which I did seconds later, turning and hurrying in the direction of Drew and Raphael.
The two of them were standing loosely, but the moment Drew saw me coming he opened up his arms, holding his hand out to me as he continued to speak.
“Wasn’t about me at all, but about Attie,” Drew was saying to Raphael. “That would’ve been helpful to know.”
I bit my lip and looked over to where Attie and Mace were currently laughing in the back of the ambulance.