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)
His voice was soft and low as he whispered, “Maggie.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’d prefer that you didn’t. I just wanted you to know that I’m happy.”
“There it is.” A smile swept across his handsome face. “I’m wearing on ya.”
“And here I thought I was the one wearing on you.”
“Oh, you are, baby. Without a doubt.”
I curled into him a little closer, then closed my eyes and listened to the soothing sound of his breathing. I tried to fight it, but I was wiped and drifted off to sleep. I woke up the next morning in an empty bed with a note from Ronin on my pillow.
Good morning, beautiful.
The kids and I are down by the water.
There’s coffee and toast in the kitchen.
He was right.
He was wearing on me—in all the right ways.
Rooster
“So, what about you and Mom?”
“What do you mean?”
Nathan grimaced as he asked, "You like her, huh?"
"Your mom is an amazing lady.”
“That’s a yes.” Samantha smiled wide as she chimed in, "It’s pretty obvious. He smiles whenever he looks at her."
“Is that right?”
“See?” She giggled. “He’s smiling right now, and we’re just talking about her.”
“Like I said, your mom is an amazing lady.” Nathan and Sam trailed beside me, their feet leaving imprints in the damp sand as we made our way down the coastline. “And I really like spending time with her.”
“You guys gonna get married?”
I could see that he was concerned, so I did my best not to take the question lightly. “I’ve got no idea what the future holds, but yeah, I could see myself hitched to your mom. That’s if she’d have me.”
“Would you guys live here?”
“I would hope we all would.” I stopped and turned to face him. “Your mom made it clear that you three were a package deal, and I was good with that. I still am, but I’m not looking to do anything until everyone’s ready, including your mother.”
“Does that mean I can have the room I’m staying in now?”
“If that’s the one you want.”
“Me, too?” Sam asked excitedly.
“Sure thing, kiddo.” I didn’t want us to get ahead of ourselves, so I added, “Consider those rooms yours any time you come.”
“Awesome.”
We continued walking and talking, and just before we headed back inside, Nathan stepped over to me with another one of his looks. “Mom said we’re going to your clubhouse tomorrow.”
“That’s the plan.”
“What’s it gonna be like?” Samantha asked. “Is it just a bunch of hairy guys and their bikes?”
“Hairy guys?”
“Well, yeah.” She motioned her hand towards my beard. “I mean, look at you. You’re pretty hairy.”
“Yeah, she’s got a point.”
“I got a beard, kid. That doesn’t make me hairy.”
“Don’t most bikers have beards?”
“Some do.” It was clear that neither of them knew anything about bikers, so I told them, “No two bikers are the same. The same goes for the clubs.”
“Some bad.”
“That’s right. Everybody is different, so you gotta find which one is best for you.”
“Did you do that with yours?”
“I did, and I learned real fast that it's best not to judge a book by its cover.”
Samantha’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Some of the biggest, scariest looking dudes are some of the best guys you’ll ever meet. You just gotta take time to get to know ‘em.” I gave Nathan a playful nudge. “That goes for the ladies, too. Just because they’re all dolled up doesn’t mean they’re one of the good ones.”
“I wish my dad knew that.” Nathan rolled his eyes. “Crissy is pretty, but that’s about it.”
They went on to tell me all about Crissy and how she was their father’s fiancé, and neither of them was a fan. I was glad that they felt like they could talk to me about it, but the last thing I wanted to do was add fuel to their fire. So, I did the only thing I could. I kept my trap shut and kept my two cents to myself.
When we got back to the house, we found Maggie had woken up, so the kids helped me grill up some hot dogs for lunch, and we all ate while we watched the big game in the living room. We’d just started to clean up when I got a message from Wrath telling me that I was needed at the clubhouse. As much as I hated to leave Maggie and the kids, I had no choice. Thankfully, Maggie was understanding and had no problem with me going.
By the time I got to the clubhouse, Torch, Q, and Wrath were waiting for me in the bar. I could tell by the look on their faces that they were about to hit me with something I didn’t want to hear. “What’s going on?”
“We got the new dishwasher, and when we installed it, the power went nuts. Lights were flickering, and the whole left wing went dark.”