Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Hey, what do you care right? He’ll take care of our girl, keep your kid safe. He’ll be honest as the day is long, and Tess can have the home in the suburbs you say she wants. All’s well that ends well, right, boy?”
“He’s not right for Tess,” I tell him, not even bothering to act uninterested. Marcum would see through that shit anyway.
“He doesn’t seem to agree. Been over at her house four times in the last two weeks.”
“What the fuck for?”
“Says he’s making sure her and the baby are okay and don’t need anything.”
“The fuck he is. He’s after, Tess.”
“Probably, she’s a damn fine woman. And you, like usual, ignored me when I told you to lock her. So, thanks to you being stupid, she’s free.”
“You and the boys need to have a talk with the asshole. He needs to stay away from Tess.”
“Why, boy? Isn’t this what you wanted? A nice, stable, honest man for our girl?”
“Fuck, I don’t know what I wanted. I just didn’t want her pining away for something that wasn’t going to happen, Marcum.”
The old man exhales and then slides up, so he’s leaning his upper body on the table.
“It may not be overnight, but it’s going to happen, boy. You need to get your head out of your ass and give my girl some hope.”
“Your girl?”
“She’s the smartest thing you’ve ever done in your life, Maxwell. The club has claimed her; we’re keeping her and little Maddie.”
“Maddie?”
“She named the baby, Madison. Little Maddie is damn cute. Looks so much like her mom it’s unreal.”
“She had the baby? She wasn’t due till next week,” I say, feeling like I’m coming apart at the seams. My baby…she’s here…and I haven’t got to touch her or see her. Fuck. My hands shake as I reach for the photo that Marcum pushes across the table to me.
Tess. My precious Tess is holding a child. She looks so tired and worn out, but she’s smiling down at this small bundle in her hands like she’s holding the world…and she is; this small, wrinkled, beautiful baby girl, staring back at me. She’s got a head full of dark black hair, and it’s sticking up in places, Tess’s hand is lovingly placed on the top trying to calm it down. These midnight-dark eyes stare back at me, and her small little lips have a half smile on them. She’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. That’s not what makes me feel like someone is squeezing my heart and killing me though. No, that’s baby Maddie’s smile. It’s so much like Tess’s it takes my breath away.
My finger touches the glossy photo as if somehow it can absorb through and touch the real thing. Emotions are pushing through me at the speed of light. So many different ones swirling in all directions and all I can think is; this is my family. My woman and this child…this child that is a part of me. A part of me and the woman I love, this child is …everything.
“She’s special, boy. Do you see her? Really see her? She’s the reason you need to get your head out of your ass.”
I can’t drag my eyes from the photo. I don’t even try.
“I can’t magically just get out of here, Marcum. God, don’t you know if I could I’d be right by Tess’s side? Fuck!” I can’t hold it in anymore. Emotions are so thick, so raw and real that I can’t hold them inside any longer. The picture shakes in my hand. My baby. My daughter! Does she wonder why her dad isn’t there? Does she even know that she’s supposed to have a father there? Protecting her? Holding her? Talking to her? Rocking her to sleep? My daughter! Tears gather in my eyes. I can’t help it. I want to be with her. I want to be with her and Tess. The fact that I’m not, that I can’t be, is destroying me.
“I didn’t say you could. But, you can damned well get your act together and start helping me, to get you the fuck out of here.”
“I’m locked up behind bars, Marcum. What the hell do you think I can do from in here? That fucking Jenna has it so everything that happens to me is monitored. Your bigwig connections are worthless. They’re all fucking afraid to touch my case, so they don’t get accused of being in bed with crooks on the five o’clock news!”
“I’m handling that. I didn’t say it would happen overnight, but, son, it will happen. In the meantime, you need to quit pushing Tess away, before you lose every shot of having your family together when you walk out of here. You have the world right there. You don’t just fucking hand that away to another man. Especially some uptight cop. If that fucker raises my granddaughter I’ll personally cut your dick off, boy. Do you hear me?”