Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Yep. Guess I’m getting black flowers.” I shrug.
“Be different—get pink flowers,” he suggests, and I bite my bottom lip in thought.
Turning toward me, he rests his warm palm on the right side of my face and the other on my ass, pulling me closer.
“When I look at you, I think pink and delicate, not morbid and dark.”
“Delicate?” I nearly scoff. Do I really come off that way?
A roar and squealing tires can be heard from down the road, and I close my eyes, inhaling a staggered breath. Cam.
I’d given up on him hours ago.
Driving way too fast, he slams on his brakes, parks right behind Heston’s truck, and turns the engine off. The entire block is now deathly quiet. The birds aren’t even chirping, scared away by all the noise he made. He climbs out of the truck, slamming the door behind him. Swiping the aviators from his face, he looks around the cul-de-sac as if he’s never seen a neighborhood before. He’s big and tall, a red shirt tucked in, with blue jeans and a belt buckle. Heavy footsteps stomp up the driveaway, and my eyes lock with Cam’s, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Hello, Cam.” I can’t mask the unpleasant feeling of seeing him in my tone.
“Why hasn’t Paige answered my calls? And who the fuck is driving that? I know it ain’t yours. You got a man up in that house with my daughter?” He points to Heston’s truck, rage slithering into his tone. I’d think it was jealousy, but it’s not; it’s simply Cam wanting to control me. It kills him that he can’t tell me who I can hang out with now that we’re not together, but it doesn’t stop him from trying.
I cross my arms, not ready to talk to him about Heston, when he can’t even handle a conversation about his daughter.
“Paige got in trouble this week and didn’t have her phone, that’s why she didn’t answer. You could have texted me.” Heston walks up behind me, a stern look on his face while glancing over my shoulder at my ex.
“Trouble? What kind of trouble? Why didn’t you call me?” Cam’s eyes don’t leave Heston’s, even while talking to me. His sharp brows dip, in an attempt to look intimidating.
“She and the neighbor decided it was a good idea to get drunk.”
His focus snaps back to me, his stare hard.
“What? Paige doesn’t drink.” His beady eyes squinting as he insinuates I have it all wrong.
“Well, she did. She’s growing up and going to want to try things, Cam.” I swear he thinks Paige is still six. That’s the age she was before he started drinking heavily, and everything since has been an abyss into the bottom of an empty bottle.
“Don’t act like I don’t know that she’s growing up!” he sneers, and I’m furious that he is trying to play attentive parent today. The man is only around when it suits him, not Paige.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were sober today,” I jab, and his upper lip twitches with anger.
“Where the hell were you while she was doing this, Rain?” His eyes flick back to Heston. “Were you with this guy? Huh?” His face turns red, and with his shoulders tight and a snarl on his face, he tries to step around me.
“That’s none of your business.” Panic fills my chest. I shove my hands into his chest to push him away, but he just walks through me like I’m of no obstacle.
Heston straightens to his full height, his left brow raised as he watches my ex-husband become the Hulk.
“You fucking my wife? You trying to play Daddy to my little girl?” He jabs his finger toward Heston, and I rush to step between them.
“That’s enough!” I shout. Cam shoves me to the side, throwing me off balance. I stumble to the ground, my head jerking up at the sound of crunching bones. Cam’s hands shoot to his face as he howls, blood pouring from his nose. Heston steps away, his fist unclenching as he reaches down to help me up. Before I can get to my feet, Cam tackles Heston to the floor, tearing him away from me. Stumbling to my feet heavy grunts, and spewing hate pursue between the two men. Brushing the hair from my face, I see Heston with his arm wrapped around Cam’s thick neck, using his free fist to punch him in the ribs. Cam wheezes and knees Heston right in the chin, his skin instantly splits and bright blood dribbles down his face. He reaches up and touches the cut, looking at the blood with wild eyes, his face slowly rises, and I know he’s going to retaliate. An ominous whisper fills the air, a shadow taking over Heston’s handsome face, and I can’t help but be taken aback by it. It’s chilling and nothing like him. He roars like a monster, making me jump where I stand, and tackles Cam to the ground like a linebacker. Now on top of Cam, he uses both of his hands to grab and squeeze him by the throat. The sweat on my body suddenly grows cold when Cam’s feet begin to kick out, as if he really can’t breathe.