Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“Excuse me,” I say, fighting the urge to stab her in the eye with my fork.
I disappear down the hall and into Jagger’s room, just needing a moment. I walk into the bathroom and turn the water on, splashing my face. That woman doesn’t like me, but I can’t figure out why. Maybe she’s just overprotective of her family, and I need to give her some more time. Either way, I’m not going to make a scene. I can handle her little insults. For now. I take a few calming breaths and walk back out, only to pause midway down the hall when I hear her voice flowing in my direction.
“She’s not good for you, Johnny,” Mary says, her voice hushed. “I don’t know what it is, but there is something about her.”
“You don’t know her,” Jagger murmurs, his voice rough. “You haven’t even given her a damned chance.”
“I saw the scars, and she lied to me about them. I’m not stupid. I’ve seen girls like her. They’re dangerous. A girl like that will only drag you down. I love you enough to see it. She’s no good for someone like you. Your life has been hard enough, you don’t need someone like that adding to it. You need someone bright and loving, to bring you back to life. Walk away, it’ll be the best for both of you.”
“Enough,” Jagger growls, his voice low. “I don’t want to fight with you, but if you say another degrading word about her, I’ll ask you to leave.”
He’s defending me; he shouldn’t have to, but he is.
Tears burn under my eyelids.
This isn’t the kind of position I want to put him in. Having to choose between his family and me.
“I care about you, that’s why I’m saying it!” Mary argues.
“You two need to stop,” Maggie adds, her voice hurried. “We’re here to have dinner. We can discuss this another day.”
Mary ignores that. “Sharleen was the right type of girl for you. She was lovely, bright, and bubbly. Johnny, your life was getting better, you and Sharleen were trying for a baby and everything was coming good. I know you lost her, but I saw a side to you I liked when you were with her, and I don’t see that side now. You’re living dangerously again.”
“That isn’t because of Willow,” he snaps.
“Isn’t it?”
I’m crushed, truly crushed. I need to get the hell out of here. I rush out of the room and down the hall past them. I take my coat as I’m running out the front door. Jagger calls out my name but I get the hell out of there before he has the chance to stop me. Her words, her insults, they’re crushing. But are they true? Am I bad for him? Am I ruining his chance at getting a good life?
I don’t know.
I rush across the road, heading toward the local park, and I just reach the sidewalk when I slam into a hard frame. It seems like he comes out of nowhere, but as I steady myself, I see I ran right past a truck idling on the road, parked up right over from the apartment complex.
“Whoa there, little lady,” the voice says as he steadies me.
I look up at him to apologize for slamming into him. I can see him quite well under the light shining down from the sidewalk lamps. As I take him in, my eyes widen, and my mouth opens slightly. Those eyes, they’re so incredibly familiar. I’ve seen those eyes before. I’ve looked at them almost every day.
Sky blue, crystal clear, and beautiful.
They’re Jagger’s eyes, only they’re not on Jagger. I study the man’s face, taking in his chiseled jaw, his long, thick dark hair that’s pulled into a pony tail, and his full lips. This man is Jagger’s father, without fail. I have never seen two men so alike before, the only difference is their age. The man holding me has an older face, but aside from that, he looks just like the man I love.
My heart quickens, and I take a step back, wondering what the hell he is doing sitting outside Jagger’s apartment. Jagger has told me about his father, and from what I know he isn’t a nice man. Not in any sense. Another step back, and I nearly trip on the sidewalk. He steadies me again, his fingers tightening on my arm as he keeps me on my feet. He’s studying my face closely, and his features are soft and unfrightening, which scares me more.
The stories I’ve heard have him as anything but kind.
“Calm down, Willow. I’m not here to hurt you.”
“How do you know my name?” I ask, jerking my arm free again and taking two steps away from this man.
“Everyone knows who you are.”
I scan his massive six foot frame. The man is huge, bulkier than Jagger. He would stop most women in their tracks with a build like that. He’s very attractive; I can see where Jagger got his breathtaking looks. But there is still something about him, something dangerous. Perhaps it’s because he is acting so nice, and that almost makes it worse.