Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Right, so would you like some coffee?” I ask, keeping my voice peppy and polite.
“Sure, babe. Don’t give me any of that black shit. I like a lot of sugar, sugar.” He smiles again, his amber eyes twinkling.
“Okay,” I mutter. “Roux, want to come with me?”
Jace gives me a knowing smirk as he leans back on the sofa and threads his fingers behind his head, making his biceps bulge. “I promise not to listen in on you two talking about me.”
I hurry into the kitchen, needing to be out of that man’s vicinity. Roux waddles in shortly after, chewing on her bottom lip.
“This is weird, isn’t it?” she asks.
I start a pot of coffee and nod. “Completely.”
“He’s not going to hurt you,” she assures me. “I promise.”
My smile is weak. I don’t know that I actually believe her words, but I want to. For her. This is her dad and she seems happy to have him here. Like my own father, he doesn’t look a day over forty. Dad keeps fit from the building’s gym and good diet, but Jace is cut in a way only prison can do to a man. The same way Jordy is.
“You’re just out visiting?” I ask lightly.
“Actually, your dad asked us to meet him here. Samantha is Dad’s lawyer. She wants to have a meeting. Garrett offered for them to come here.”
Penny stumbles into the kitchen, her blond hair messy and in her face. She’s wearing a huge hoodie that looks like she stole from our brother and Nike sweats. I open my mouth to warn her about Jace, but she’s still groggy from sleep. She grabs a banana and heads into the living room, plopping down on the sofa.
I quickly make a cup of coffee for Jace, making sure to sweeten it up as requested. When Roux and I walk back into the living room, Jace is watching Penny with amusement as she eats her banana like she was raised in a barn.
“Why is there a convict sitting on Dad’s sofa?” Penny asks, her mouth full of banana. “Is Dad taking on more pet projects?” She swallows and arches a brow at him. “You’re not like going to be our stepdaddy now, are you?”
“Penny!” I shriek, scowling at her. “Stop talking.”
“What?” Penny grumbles. “He’s not drooling all over the way your tits are hanging out of that tank you should have retired last year, so he must be gay. Is that even genetic? You’re totally Roan’s bad dad, right? It’s the eyes. Also, that stupid hair.”
Jace starts laughing, a deep chuckle at first, and then he’s laughing so hard he’s tearing up. I set his coffee down and pin her with an angry glare.
“Penny,” I hiss. “Go to your room.”
Penny laughs. “Oh, you were serious. In that case, no. I’ll stay right here. Someone has to make sure Dad’s boyfriend gets the third degree. Gotta make sure he’s not gonna break his heart.”
“Dad’s not gay!” I snap. “And I’m sure Jace doesn’t appreciate the third degree. Leave him alone.”
“Man,” Jace says once he’s composed himself. “Did I miss girls or what? Fuckin’ entertaining as hell. Penny, eh? You got a mouth on you.”
“She has no filter,” Roux says. “It gets her in trouble sometimes.”
Penny rolls her eyes. “For the record, it hasn’t gotten me in trouble yet.”
I’m about to remind her that she ran her mouth the other day at school and got in trouble, but the front door opens, interrupting me. Dad strides in with his gorgeous lawyer in tow. It’s barely ten in the morning and she looks like Courtroom Barbie in her sexy suit and perfect hair.
Gag.
Samantha is beautiful and fierce, and helped me when I needed it most, but something about her makes me cringe.
“Hey, kids,” Dad greets, looking handsome and put together in a Polo shirt and slacks in comparison to Jace, who’s scary in his tight white T-shirt and holey jeans. “I see you’ve met Mr. Hirsch.”
Jace shakes his head as he stands. “No one’s called me mister in a while. You must be my son-in-law’s dad. The one who had a problem with his boy being gay.”
Jace faces off with my dad and for one tense moment, I’m afraid Jace will take a swing at him. Dad lifts his chin and steps closer, offering his hand to Jace.
“I’ve atoned for my sins against my son. Have you with yours?”
Jace winces at his words. “Still working on it, man.”
Samantha pushes them apart. “Now that the pissing match is over, let’s get right to it because I have a date later. I want to get this squared away.”
“A date?” Jace says, laughing. “With who?”
“It doesn’t matter. We need to—” she starts but is cut off by Jace.
“With Boardroom Bill here?” Jace’s taunting smirk is just like Roan’s.
“I’m not answering that question,” Samantha sasses, smacking his arm. “Stop being a child and focus for five seconds. You need a place to stay. Roan has made it abundantly clear you’re not welcome there. Jordy and Roux can’t house you either because their space isn’t big enough. Therefore, I’ve discussed it with Garrett and—”