Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Bishop’s guys were at the house putting the ceiling fan up and the outlet covers on when I left,” I said, watching Rumi as he waved to the prospect at the front gate.
“They’ll be done before we get home?” he asked, pulling out onto the road.
“That’s what they said.”
“Good. When Bishop recommended havin’ them do the remodel as side work, I didn’t realize it as goin’ to take them so fuckin’ long to finish. We’re cuttin’ it close.”
“It was cheaper though,” I pointed out.
“We can afford it,” Rumi said dryly. “Sugar mama.”
I laughed. “It still feels weird not to struggle,” I admitted.
“Get used to it.” He grinned. “Who knew doin’ shit to people’s faces was so lucrative?”
“How do you still not know what I do?” I asked, reaching out to poke his cheek. “You know your skin has never looked better.”
“I just like it when you’re massagin’ my face. Feels good.”
“You’re welcome, guinea pig,” I joked as we pulled into the school. “I better get him. They won’t be as mad.”
“Bullshit,” Rumi muttered as I hopped out of the car and hurried toward the school.
The office ladies at Bird’s school knew us well. When I wasn’t busy with work, I made a point to be at every assembly and field day, volunteering with the other moms. I never wanted Bird to feel like he was missing out because he was being raised by his sister, and we worked hard to make his life as normal as possible. He’d had enough upheaval to last a lifetime.
“Hey, Nova,” Ms. Mann said through the intercom, unlocking the door. “Bird’s ready.”
“Seriously,” Bird asked as he met me at the door. “Again?”
“You’re the only kid I know that doesn’t want to get picked up early from school,” I teased. I wrapped my arm around his waist and bumped his hip with mine. I couldn’t reach to put my arm around his shoulders anymore, he was taller than I was.
“I was doin’ chemistry,” he grumbled.
“Hallie is in chemistry, isn’t she?”
“Shh!” He glanced behind us to make sure no one was watching.
“You’re so cute.”
“You’re so annoyin’,” he said, pulling away from me. That’s when he saw Rumi sitting in the car. “What’s goin’ on?”
I grinned happily, my smile so wide that my cheeks hurt.
“Today?” he asked, his mouth dropping open. “We’re gettin’ Nana today?”
“In about thirty minutes,” I confirmed, making his face crumble.
“Are you sure?” he whispered, his eyes filling with tears.
“I’m sure.” We hadn’t said anything to Bird when we’d found out that Nana was finally being released. We’d heard horror stories from other families about release dates being moved and I wasn’t about to get his hopes up just to have them dashed again.
“Let’s go,” Rumi called, leaning down to look at us through the window. “We sure as shit don’t want to be late.”
Bird and I scrambled into the car, and I listened to him rambling on and on about all the things that Nana would be able to be a part of once she was home. I didn’t think that anyone could be more excited than me to see our Nana breathing free air again, but Bird was a close second.
By the time we got to the prison and pulled into the lot, I was shaking.
It had been a long three years. Nana had been right when she’d predicted she’d have to do time. She hadn’t wanted Bird or me at court the day she was sentenced. She thought it would be too hard on us, but Dragon and Brenna and a few of the old-timers had gone to show their support.
The club had spent an entire day emptying our trailer, bringing all of our stuff to the club so we could sort through it in peace. We’d had a garage sale for the things we had no emotional attachment to and sold the trailer and Nana’s car like she’d asked us, but I’d kept Pop’s bike. Rumi had gotten choked up when he walked into the garage and found Pop’s Fat Boy parked next to his old piece of crap, a bow on top of it. I thought Pop would’ve liked that, but Rumi told me later that night that he’d give the bike to Bird if he ever showed an interest in riding.
After Ava signed the papers, she’d disappeared again. We hadn’t heard from her.
We never got an answer to what caused Pop’s complete personality change. To the government, he was just another man who’d abused his family until things ended violently. We knew it was more complex than that. He’d been sick somehow, dementia maybe. It took a long time for me to come to terms with the fact that we’d never know for sure what the cause had been. I struggled to reconcile that the man who’d protected me for my entire life had also been the biggest threat. Therapy helped.