Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“Told you. We have a bet on when the ADHD, emphasis on the H, is diagnosed,” Dev said to Cash, referring to their earlier brief crash course on Dev’s children’s habits he’d gotten on the drive over this morning. Dev had barely stopped shoveling the food in his mouth since they’d sat down, and added another bite, nodded, then covered his mouth and looked pointedly at Mae. An instruction of silence she seemed to understand. Mae covered her mouth too.
Another interesting thing Cash had noticed was that Dev’s mom had an influence on him. Dev was different inside this house. More relaxed, more civilized, less edgy. The curse words he used in every sentence he spoke were barely uttered since they’d been there.
“He has the biggest muscles out of all Daddy’s club brothers,” Mae burst out. Again, those adoring eyes lifted to Cash.
“He’s not club…” Abi said to Mae before stopping and asking, “Does he look like the rest of Dad’s brothers?”
The sounds of motorcycle pipes rumbling loudly stopped everyone from saying anything more. A tension infiltrated the room, infecting every person sitting at the table. Cash glanced at Shanna who sat directly across the table from him. She squared her shoulders, her spine stiffening. Even the chatterbox beside him stopped talking and moving.
As if the room was held suspended, they all waited for the source of the pipes to arrive. Dev’s fork had slowed its path to his mouth. Cash found himself pausing too.
“Where’s everybody at?” A loud, deep voice boomed from the kitchen. Anger laced each syllable. Seconds later, a door slammed shut with too much force.
He’d heard the voice through surveillance but nothing like the hard edge or booming sounds.
“We were almost done,” his mother whispered with a sigh to the table, reaching for her glass of chardonnay. “We’re in here, Edgar.”
Cash lifted his brows at the use of Fox’s given name. He looked at Dev who gave a noiseless laugh and shrugged. “She refuses to call him what everyone else does. It drives him crazy.”
“What the fuck?” Fox pronounced, coming inside the dining room. “You fuckin’ said be here at two. It’s one thirty.”
Nothing prepared Cash for the underwhelming visual. Fox. The man who made grown men cower was intimidating as hell, but Cash wasn’t sure why. He looked like a standard run-of-the-mill older man. A mechanic. His face was weathered and worn. His head shaved almost bald with long hairs popping out of places they shouldn’t.
His swollen pot belly indicated too much beer and not enough physical activity. He had aged tattoos on both exposed arms, and also on his neck, based on the cut of the faded T-shirt he wore. There were also assorted mismatched tattoos on his face. His biceps were large, and his hands showed a strength the rest of his body lacked. An unkempt beard and mustache shot wildly in every direction from underneath his nose down his chin.
He wore a belt holster, decorated with a one-percenter design. A Glock was secured inside. There were other notable weapon accessories attached to the belt—a couple of knife holsters, one housing a horizontal knife, the other holding something close to a bowie knife.
Generally, those weapons were worn for show, not force.
Probably at some point in his life, Fox had been considered attractive but not anymore. He didn’t fit this family. Dev had started eating again, reaching for a bowl of mashed potatoes. He wasn’t as completely unaffected as he tried to appear to be. Cash noticed the tension flexing in his neck and shoulders.
“Sit down. Stop trying to intimidate the room. We aren’t having it today,” Carly said as if he were Mae’s age and needed redirection.
Fox had a crazy-eyed stare as he went to the foot of the table. “You’re fuckin’ almost done. Goddamn. I fuckin’ put this food on the table and you start without me?”
“Edgar, the food was ready early and who knew if you were actually going to show.” Carly pointed toward Cash. “Dev’s brought a guest. Could you show some manners and respect? We left you a place.” She then pointed to the open place setting next to Shanna, close to where he stood.
Cash had to resist the urge to square his shoulders as not only Fox, but every eye in the room turned to him. If he picked up the swell of Dev’s chest, it didn’t speak of pride at his supposed boyfriend, more a show to suggest he wasn’t putting up with anything derogatory that might tumble from his father’s mouth.
“Cash, this is Edgar. Edgar, meet Cash.”
Cash nodded to Fox.
“I’m Fox,” Dev’s father said and poked a finger in his chest as if Cash might not get it. He took the seat next to Shanna but looked disgruntled as hell. “What’re you starin’ at?” Fox barked at Mae, grabbing a spoon from the cornbread dressing.