Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“I couldn’t believe someone wanted me. It seemed surreal that my own parents, my own blood, cared nothing for me or my brother, but someone I didn’t know wanted me. Wanted to take care of me. It was a no-brainer. I agreed to being fostered.” I smile a watery smile. “You wouldn’t believe it, but my new foster mom was the old lady that called the cops on me.” Turning to him, I laugh through my tears. “And she was a crazy woman in the best way. We ate pancakes for dinner. Had dessert for breakfast. She sent me back to school and helped me with my homework. We spent most of our nights watching lame TV or blasting music ‘til the early hours. She spent every day making sure I was cared for, cared about, and loved.”
“She was my mom. I had a mother before her, but she was the one who I loved and followed to Australia because the thought of living without her made me ill.” Wiping my nose with my sleeve, I shake my head. “She died a few years ago. Cancer. And I could’ve gone to work anywhere, but the thought of leaving Sydney makes me feel like I’m abandoning her. I can’t leave. I’ll live in Sydney ‘til the day I die.”
“Sounds like you had an adventure.”
I smile. “Yeah. I consider myself lucky. I got my happily ever after. Most don’t.” He doesn’t say a thing, and I’m officially over this conversation and the emotions being brought out of me. Turning to face him, I ask, “Hungry?”
He grins. “Starved.”
And we’re back to Lexi and Tony.
Just another night.
Cooking up a storm for my man.
Who knew Lexi could cook? From the contents of her refrigerator, you’d think she was such a bad cook that she could set fire to cereal.
After an incredible dinner of made-from-scratch lasagna with béchamel sauce and homemade pasta, I’m done. I’m so full after my third helping, that I won’t be surprised if I fall asleep in my chair. Happy decided to eat with us, but Ling declined. Smart girl. Happy sings Lexi’s praises with every fucking bite. “Damn, girl. You can cook for me anytime. And I mean anytime.”
Lexi smiles sweetly at him.
What a suck-ass.
Just as I open my mouth to tell him to shut his trap, my cell rings. Without looking at the display, I answer, “It’s after hours. You got business to discuss, you need to call tomorrow.”
Moving my finger to the end call button, I hear a familiar laugh. My finger stills. “Fuck off!” A smile spreads across my face. “Nox?”
Nox chuckles, “Oh no. This is a business call. I’ll have to call you tomorrow.”
It’s been a long time. “Damn, man. How long has it been?”
I can almost hear his brows rise in thought as he responds, “Uh. A few years. I think. It’s hard to keep track.”
Lexi looks confused, but smiles with me at my happy expression. Happy shrugs in question and I mouth, ‘Nox’. Happy smiles and gives me a thumbs up while shoving another forkful of food into his mouth.
I sigh, “Too long, man. Way too long. What do you need?”
He stalls, “Nothin’ much. Just checking in. I hadn’t heard from you since you asked me to track down that girl. Just wanted to see if you reconnected.”
My face voids. Standing, I wink at Lexi and mouth, ‘important’ before taking off upstairs to my office. Once I close the office door behind me, I tell him honestly. “I did reconnect. She’s actually my girl now.”
Silence, then a restrained, “Glad it worked out.”
Sitting in my desk chair, my brow furrows at his tone, “What’s the problem here?”
Nox sighs, “Just…don’t get pissed, okay? But Julius called and…” Motherfuck! “And he might’ve mentioned that this girl was in danger.”
“From me, right?”
Pause. “Yeah, man. So you could say I’m a little worried about her, seeing as you’ve claimed her.”
My blood pressure soars through the roof. I grit my teeth and count to ten.
Breathing deeply, I assure him, “Regardless of what Julius thinks, she’s my girl. And I’d kill for her.”
Nox sighs, “Julius doesn’t see it that way.”
I spit, “Julius needs to mind his own fucking business!”
Silence.
“Nox, don’t fuck this up for me. I’m in a good place. For the first time in…ever.”
Nox snorts in disbelief. “Your dumbass went and fell in love with her.” A statement.
“I’ve always loved her, in a really fucked up way. You know that saying there’s a thin line between love and hate? I hated her. But that line teetered when I met the real her, compared to my mind’s version of her.” Nox is a good guy, and one of the rare people I work with that I trust. I need him to know this. “Listen, bro. I’ll be honest here. I wanted to hurt her. I was going to hurt her.” His intake of breath lets me know he’s pissed at me. I continue quickly, “But you gotta understand that my obsession with her started a long time ago, when I was a kid, and the mind distorts things. Especially when you’re high most of your teenage years.” I say quietly, “She’s nothing of what I made her out to be.”