Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Lucas moves to hold the door open as Keir follows behind, knowing full well I’m not about to do as he says right now.
“She needs a doctor. Now.”
“Fuck.” He walks up and puts out his arms.
“Give her to me, and I’ll take her. You and Lucas go to Adora.”
I pass our mother to him, and we make our way back to the car while Keir places Mom gently in the car, and Piper climbs in to go with him.
“So, looks like we are off to kill your wife’s husband. And in case you were confused, that’s not you.”
“You should have gone with Keir.”
“I don’t do well in hospitals.” He smiles. “Something about all that sterile stuff makes me cutty.”
“You make me cutty.”
“See, we have so much in common. This is a bromance I never expected to happen. Two bros off to kill another bro, who just so happens to have fucked your wife.” I groan at his words. “But you know… not your real wife, your fake wife.”
“Lucas.”
“Yeah?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Okay, on one condition.”
“What?”
We get into the car.
“I get to perform your wedding ceremony.”
“Fuck no.”
“Okay, well… did you ever hear the nursery rhyme, “Ring Around the Rosie”?” he asks, and that’s just about all I can handle.
“Fuck, whatever.”
“Cool! I’ll get my minister license, and you two can fuck and get married again. Maybe this time, your wife won’t look like she needs to puke when you’re near her.”
“She didn’t want to—” Then I remember, yes, she did.
“Yeah, this time, she will want those dirty hands all over her body.”
“For God’s sake, Lucas, shut up!”
TWENTY-SEVEN
ADORA
After I stitched him up, we went out and pretended to be nice to each other. The nanny, Magina, has hardly said a word, except when spoken to by Scott.
He has her under his thumb, just the way he likes them. I guess that’s what pissed him off about me. Not being able to have me like that.
That was never going to happen.
I often wonder if my circumstances were different, would I have been like that? I don’t know hers well enough to judge her, but that doesn’t mean I want her around my son if she can be ruled as easily as that.
“Give your mother a kiss and go to bed.”
Jerome is sitting next to me at the table. When I look down at Scott’s phone on the kitchen table between us, I see his screen saver is a picture of me lying on the bed.
“Do you like it?” he asks, noticing I’ve seen it. “I sent it to your side piece. What do you think he will think of another man sending him a photo of you?”
Magina stands, and I feel her looking between us.
“Take him to his room and leave,” I tell her.
She nods, and Jerome kisses me before he goes to his room. He's none the wiser, and I’m as thankful for that as I am terrified.
“It’s good to be alone again, isn’t it, sweetheart?”
No, no, it’s not. But I don’t want my son here either.
“You made this situation worse than it needed to be,” he says. Reaching for the wine he poured himself, he also takes a lot of pain medication.
“You did that all on your own,” I inform him.
“How about you have a glass of wine with me?” He gets up, goes to my cupboard like he owns the place, and pours me a generous glass. I hear the door close and see Magina walking out of Jerome’s room. “Sit. You can have one too,” Scott tells her. She sits beside me, and Scott walks back with two glasses of wine, handing one to each of us before he sits back down.
“Why did you choose this shithole anyway?” He looks around with disdain before his eyes fall on me. “You were brought up better than this. This place is…” he pauses, and I couldn’t give a shit how he’s going to finish that sentence, “… beneath you.”
“Is Bianca okay?” I ask.
“The mother?”
I nod, my fingers tightening on my glass.
“She’ll live.”
“I can’t say the same for you,” I say under my breath. He hears me and chuckles as he looks to Magina, who hasn’t touched her wine.
“Drink.” She does, and he looks at me. “Drink.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Drink!” He growls before he slams his hands on the table. I lift the glass, not wanting him to wake Jerome. “Was that so hard?” I say nothing. “The old bat, though, she is a tough cookie. I guess you have to be, raising boys. It’s why I knew you would be a good mother to our son… you’re also a tough cookie.” I take another sip of the wine as he talks. Magina does the same.
He studies us closely. “You two are so different. You would be perfect if you listened like Magina does. Is it really that hard for you to listen?”