Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect.
As I sat there watching the sunlight dancing across the water, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. Malcomb’s home was a gorgeous four-bedroom house that was surrounded by forest and had an amazing view of the ocean. There wasn’t another house around for miles, and it was the perfect place to raise a family. While the idea of moving here gave me a bit of a thrill, it also terrified me.
I already had my heart broken once, and I wasn’t sure I could survive going through it again. And it wasn’t just my heart I had to consider. Dalton was my world. From the time I found out I was pregnant, I’d been watching over him, protecting him, and making sacrifices so he would have everything he could possibly need. I wanted to believe that Malcomb would make the same kind of sacrifices, but there was no way to be sure—especially when so much had changed.
It was a thought that had me distracted, and I hadn’t noticed that Malcomb had come up behind me until I heard him say, “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Why?”
“Just seem quiet. That’s all.”
I glanced over at him with a smile. “There something wrong with being quiet?”
“Not at all. I’m just not used to it.”
“Well, trust me when I say quiet can be good. Very good, in fact.” I giggled as I told him, “I have a four-year-old, remember?”
“We have a four-year-old, and I’m looking forward to the loud and the quiet. Whatever comes our way.” He lowered his mouth to my neck, lightly trailing kisses below my ear. “You know what else I’m looking forward to?”
“I have a pretty good idea.” I giggled as I inched away from him. “And that sounds great and all, but I was thinking we might get out and do something today.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you would come up with something.”
“Yeah, I can come up with something, but first...”
Malcomb reached for me, pulling me towards him, and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was soft and tender and filled with promise. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer until there was no space left between us. Being with him felt like home, and my entire body melted into his.
A low moan escaped through my parted lips as he kissed me deeper, and suddenly, everything changed. We both became frantic and full of need. Just as we were getting carried away, Malcomb suddenly broke the kiss. “Get dressed and meet me out back.”
“And Dalton?”
“He might need to stay inside for this one.” He noticed my hesitation and added, “We won’t be long. Maybe he can watch a movie or play one of his games?”
“We’ll be close, right?”
“Yep. Just out back.”
“Okay. I’ll get him sorted.”
I went back inside and went to Dalton’s room, and to my surprise, he was still sleeping soundly. I used the opportunity to tiptoe down to Malcomb’s room and change out of my gown and into a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, and I was about to put on a little makeup when I heard Dalton ask, “Where’s Mal-come?”
“He’s outside.” I walked over and knelt in front of him. “How’d you sleep?”
“O-kay.” He rubbed his eyes, then said, “I’m hun-gry.”
“Okay, sweetie. Let’s go to the kitchen and find you a bite to eat.”
He nodded, then followed me down the hall. When we made it to the kitchen, Dalton climbed up on one of the stools and watched as I made him a bowl of cereal. Once I had it ready, I asked, “Do you want to eat it here or over by the TV?”
“In ‘dare wit’ TV.”
“Okay.”
I led him into the living room, and he sat on his knees in front of the coffee table—something he’d done many times before. I turned on the TV and put it on one of his favorite shows, then leaned down and said, “Malcomb wants me to come outside and do something with him for a few minutes.”
“What ya gonna do?”
“I don’t know. He hasn’t told me.”
“I wanna go.”
Before I could respond, a man’s voice echoed through the room, “Holy shit. It’s true. Savage really does have a fucking kid.”
“Whoa. Language, please.”
I whipped around, and my mouth dropped when I found Thomas standing there. The last time I’d seen him, he was just a kid—tall and thin with acne and bad hair. But over the past five years, he’d grown into a man. He was broad-shouldered and handsome as could be. It took me a second, but I finally managed to respond, “Thomas? Is that really you?”
“The one and only, but folks call me Torch now.”
“Torch? That’s an interesting road name.”
“What can I say? I’m an interesting guy.”