Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
And from the looks of it, things weren’t going so well.
Savage was standing just inches from Londyn’s dad, his jaw clenched and shoulders tense, and he looked like he was about to punch the guy in the throat. The vein in his neck pulsed as he shouted, “You stole five years from me! There’s no getting that back.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing!”
“How could keeping my son away from me be the right thing?” Their eyes locked for a moment before he said, “Oh, yeah. That’s right. Because I’m a dangerous criminal, and your daughter and grandson should steer clear of me. Isn’t that right?”
“We’re going in circles here.”
The tension between them were running high and only grew more intense as I listened to Savage shout, “Because you’ve yet to admit that you were wrong!”
“I was wrong, and I’m sorry. How many times do I have to say it?”
“Until you actually mean it!” Savage snapped. “And then, only then, you say it to your daughter.”
“She won’t talk to me. I’ve tried calling, and I’ve even sent flowers, but she won’t let me in.”
“Because she trusted you, and you lied to her over and over again.”
“I know neither of you get why I did what I did, but you just wait and see how you feel when you have a little girl of your own. You hold her, love her, and do everything you can to protect her. Then, and only then, will you truly understand why I did what I did.”
Londyn was standing at the window, her eyes filled with concern, as she watched their exchange. I thought Londyn’s father was starting to make some leeway until Savage said, “Daughter or not, I don’t think I’ll ever get it.”
“So, we’re never going to get past this?”
“I can’t answer that.” Savage glanced over at Londyn and sighed. “That’ll be up to her.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
“You back off and give her some time to sort this thing out on her own.”
“But it’s been months... I miss her. I miss Dalton, too.”
“I don’t know what to tell ya. There’s no easy fix for what you did, so you’re just gonna have to be patient and pray that she comes around.”
He nodded, then said, “I appreciate you talking to me today, even if it didn’t change anything.”
“Maybe it did. Only time will tell.”
Londyn’s father looked over to the window and gazed longingly at his daughter. He gave her a quick wave, then turned and headed for his truck. Before he got in, he turned back to Savage and said, “I’m not giving up on her.”
Without giving Savage a chance to respond, he got in his truck and pulled out of the drive. In all the excitement, I hadn’t noticed that Torch had come up until he said, “Holy shit, brother.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Savage shook his head with a sigh. “I had no idea that he was coming by here.”
Torch sounded concerned as he said, “I didn’t realize that you guys were still on the outs.”
“It hasn’t been good.” Savage motioned his head towards the house. “Especially for Londyn. She’s all torn up about it, and it doesn’t help matters that Dalton keeps asking about seeing his grandfather. She keeps putting him off, but that’s only going to last for so long.”
“That’s gotta be tough, especially for the kid,” I interjected. “But time has a way of sorting things out.”
“I hope you’re right.” Savage started up the front step as he said, “Come on. I need help moving some stuff for Londyn.”
“I thought you two were done with all that.”
“I did, too.” Savage glanced over his shoulder. “But I’ve learned that when the wife wants to move the furniture, you move the furniture.”
“Understood.” Torch and I followed Savage into the kitchen, and I made a beeline for the coffee pot. “If we’re moving stuff, I’m gonna need coffee and lots of it.”
“You got it.” Londyn walked over and grabbed me a cup from the cabinet. “I appreciate you guys coming over to help with this.”
“No problem.”
After pouring me some coffee, Londyn grabbed a piece of paper from the counter and took it over to Savage. “Here’s what I was thinking.”
“Oh.” Savage’s eyes grew wide. “So, we’re moving everything around.”
“Trust me. It’ll look great and give us so much more light.”
“If you say so.” He motioned his head toward the living room. “Come on, boys. Let’s get this shit done.”
Once we were in the living room, Savage showed us where Londyn wanted everything, and we started moving stuff around. It didn’t take long for chaos to ensue. Savage looked around and scratched his head as he said, "She said this would give us better light, but I’m not seeing it.”
“You gotta trust the process, brother.”
We continued moving stuff around, narrowly avoiding one collision after the next, but we managed to get everything where Londyn wanted it. I looked around the room as I told Savage, "I hate to break it to you, brother, but it’s not any lighter now than it was before.”