Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
The girl who hadn’t been sleepy was out in minutes. Uh huh.
I had no intentions on leaving her side, but then her father came to the door and silently beckoned me to come out.
I left my place on her bed, easing my arm from under her head so as not to jar her awake, and followed him out the door.
I left it cracked a little just in case she woke up and needed me, before turning to him.
With a chin lift I asked him wordlessly what was on his mind.
“What did you say to Paula in the hospital son? I need to know because she’s downstairs again and I still don’t know what the hell is going on, I need to know if I should be worried about my kid.”
“No, no one has to worry about Carrie; I’ve got her covered.....”
“Boy....”
“Captain, she’s mine.....”
“A few days ago you didn’t want to know her.”
“A few days ago I was pissed because your daughter and I were in a different place, I was as much to blame for what happened as she was, but that’s over, I’ll ask you to forget that little blip in judgment and instead remember the two of us the way we were before......”
“I can’t watch her go through this again Joshua.....”
“It’ll never happen, not by me, not by anyone, the same cold bastard that stood in front of you in my father’s study, that’s who’s telling you this; no one will ever hurt her again not if I can help it.”
“She’s not as tough as I thought, to let herself come to this......”
“She’s strong Captain, don’t doubt that, we just happen to be each other’s weakness, make no mistake, she’s bright and sweet and tough, tough because she had to be, now I have to find a way to show her she doesn’t need to be any more, that she has me, us, to fight certain battles for her.”
“I’m a little lost here son.....”
“Follow me.”
I turned and went down the stairs where Paula was holding court, I guess her little show wasn’t working too well if the sour look on mom’s face was anything to go by.
I wonder if she realized my family was positioned in formation around her to keep her from getting anywhere near those stairs to reach Carrie.
I know the battle stations well; it’s the Steele way to protect first always, one of their own.
I hadn’t planned on doing this now, thought I would have at least a few days, but Paula seemed impatient to get hers.
I caught the tail end of the convo and realized she was brown nosing mom and dad.
“I’ve heard about your family of course, you have relatives in Europe no, I think I might have met some cousins or something like that, and to think my little girl is dating one of you....”
“Excuse us....”
“I walked over to where she sat and just looked at her; she looked around at everything in the room but me.
“Let’s go Paula.”
The Captain came over, I looked at my family and communicated to them that we would be right back. mom went back to fixing up Captain’s living room while Matt was pawing through the pies and other baked goods the elderly ladies had brought by, Vanessa was reading a magazine and dad was looking like he wanted to follow.
I’d fill him in later; this wasn’t my story to share, not really.
“So Paula, I asked you at the hospital what Joshua meant by the things he said and what it was he said to you, but you brushed it off, well you’re here now so start talking.”
Captain set things off as soon as we reached the kitchen.
“I have no idea what either of you are talking about, you can obviously tell from this little episode that Carrie’s not well, who knows what lies she’s been cooking up all these years, I’ve read about this, people with these eating disorders tend to lie about everything.....”
Captain stepped between us before I could strangle the bitch.
“Say one more word against her and I promise, he won’t be able to stop me...you lying frozen hearted hyena...Carrie’s problems are mostly because of you, your brilliant mothering skills are mostly to blame for the way she behaves, she doesn’t see it that way, but it’s text book.”
I turned to the Captain then.
“You want to know what I said to her, I’ll tell you.....I told her I knew about the attempted rape, I didn’t find out about that little tidbit until the week she left, up until then I just thought your ex was a manipulative bitch who neglected her daughter so she could party and get fucked, the head games were enough, but to leave her at the mercy of your drunken boyfriends, that’s........ there are no words.”
“What, what’s he talking about Paula?”