Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
She missed them.
Glancing over at Lash, she saw he was sound asleep. She didn’t have the heart to wake him. He’d be pissed if he knew she couldn’t sleep. He always wanted to be there for her.
He worked so damn hard to make the club right and to keep all the guys in check. She hated the idea of feeling like a burden to him.
Easing out of the bed, she took her time. After sliding her feet into her novelty slippers with cute little Christmas trees on them, she left the bedroom quietly, so as not to disturb him.
What she needed was her hot chocolate. A nice hot mug of the stuff.
Making her way downstairs, she came to a stop when she saw Anthony sitting at the kitchen counter. She smiled as she entered the room. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“No. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No. Of course not.”
Anthony sat in one of the pajama sets she had purchased for him last year. They looked a little tight across the chest, but they just about fit him. “I’ll have to get your size to get another pair.”
“They’re comfy.”
Angel knew her son wasn’t much of a talker, but he did always make the effort with her, which she appreciated. Over the years, she had heard people referring to her son as the oddball, the weirdo, the serial killer waiting to happen. Whenever she heard them, she would give them a piece of her mind.
Anthony wasn’t weird. He just didn’t like to talk or share much of his feelings. She knew deep down inside that he was a good person. It was in his eyes. Anthony was many things: loyal, loving, and an amazing man combined. She wasn’t a fool though. She knew there was a darkness within him. A rage that he kept in check. Just like his father.
Lash would often have long, quiet spells. She knew what he was capable of. How he’d been strong enough to snap a man’s neck with his bare hands, and he’d done it, several times.
“Would you like some hot chocolate?”
“Is Dad up?” Anthony asked.
“No.”
“He’s not going to like you being up on your own.”
Angel rolled her eyes. “I’m not alone, am I? I have my son with me.” She moved about the kitchen, grabbing some milk once again. “Do you want a drink?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a drink.”
She got to work on her hot chocolate, leaving the silence to mingle between them.
To her, it wasn’t uncomfortable. She had learned, with Anthony, to give him space. When he was ready, he’d talk.
“You’re not going to try to convince me to stay home?” Anthony asked.
Angel turned toward him.
“We both know that Dad told you what I had planned. You two tell each other everything.”
“I know what you’re talking about, but no, I’m not going to try to convince you of something like that.” She shrugged. “It’s your life, honey, and there is only so much that I can do.”
She finished stirring the pot of milk. The chocolate had already been added, as had the vanilla. She didn’t mind the taste of it, and so she got to pouring. With how late it was, she didn’t bother with the cream or marshmallows. She didn’t actually like marshmallows, but seeing as her family did, she just ate them.
As she took a seat beside him, Anthony sighed. “I think it’s for the best.”
“What is going on with you and Daisy?”
“I-I don’t know. We’re, I don’t really know what we’re doing at the moment, or why it’s so hard.”
Blowing across her cup, she listened to Anthony. “Is this because Tabitha has moved away?”
“I know Daisy misses her, but I think she’s planning on moving to Piston County.”
“Oh,” Angel said. This was news to her. “Has she told Whizz and Lacey?”
“No, she hasn’t even committed or said anything that suggests that’s what she is going to do. I don’t know what she has planned.” Anthony lifted his mug and took a long sip.
It was still piping hot, but that didn’t seem to bother him.
“Do you think you could talk to her?” he asked.
Angel looked at him, a little startled. “Anthony, you know I can’t convince her to stay if that’s not what she wants.”
“She won’t be happy there,” Anthony said. “She loves Tabitha and misses her, but I know Piston County isn’t for her.”
Angel reached over and put her hands on top of his. “Then you’ve got to be the one to talk to her. Tell her how you feel. Convince her.” Daisy and Anthony’s relationship was complicated, at least it was to her. She never knew what to say to him.
She had seen his infatuation when they were kids, and it had only gotten stronger as they grew up.
“I should talk to Tabitha.” He finished drinking his hot chocolate. “Thanks, Mom.”
Angel frowned, not exactly sure if she helped or not.