Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“We were scheduled to go deep sea fishing.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure if that was the boat we would’ve been on…”
The man grinned.
Lock’s arm tightened around my neck.
“Saylor,” he rumbled. “This is Logan and Katy. Katy, this is Saylor.”
I waved seeing as Lock didn’t let me go to move further into their direction.
“Nice to meet you,” Logan said, his eyes going to Lock then back to me. “Y’all are new?”
I felt my cheeks heat.
“Actually, this is the girl that got me into the motorcycle patrol unit in the first place,” Lock drawled.
“Wait, I thought you were in the unit purposefully,” Logan said. “What the fuck?”
“Umm, definitely not purposefully,” Lock disagreed. “At least, not at first, anyway.”
The rest of his explanation was interrupted when a loud, booming voice interjected into our conversation.
“Nut-puncher!” another newcomer said.
I looked over to find a dark-headed man, one that I now knew well, leading a cousin of mine over.
“Oakley!”
This time I did pull away from Lock, throwing myself at Oakley.
Oakley giggled in my arms.
“You’re looking so good.” I squeezed.
It’d been so long since I’d seen her look so healthy.
A while ago she’d contracted an illness that had destroyed her kidneys. And the man standing beside her, Pace, had been the one to donate his kidney to ensure that Oakley would live.
And the rest, as you could say, was history.
Pace and Oakley’s love knew no bounds, and I couldn’t wait for them to get married in a few months.
“Everybody here?” a gruff sounding man asked as he sidled up to our group.
“Yes, sir,” Logan said sarcastically.
The man flipped him off, then turned to survey me and Oakley who were still hugging.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Since I was the newcomer, I assumed he was talking to me.
“Saylor.”
“Saylor?” he asked. “What kind of name is that?”
“A unique one,” I countered, letting Oakley go. “One that my mamma gave me.”
The man’s lips twitched.
“I’m assuming you belong to this one?” he asked, jerking his thumb at Lock who was standing where I’d left him with his arms crossed over his chest and a smile plastered on his face.
“That one is mine,” I agreed.
The man held out his hand. “Name’s Captain Morgan. You can call me Morgan.”
I took his proffered hand just as Logan said, “You never allow us to call you Morgan.”
“And until you no longer work for me, you won’t get that offer,” he countered.
Chapter 9
Taco Tuesdays send a terrible message. People should feel free to express themselves any which way they want. If they want to eat a taco on a Friday, then they should damn well be able to eat a taco on a fucking Friday.
-Saylor’s secret thoughts
Saylor
I smiled at the woman and her husband.
They looked so happy I was jealous.
“Is this your first time here?” I asked, trying to make small talk while I got the room set up and the machine up and running.
“No,” the mom-to-be smiled. “Jarvis and I came for our first ultrasound at eighteen weeks. We’re so, so excited right now to see his little chubby cheeks. We went last week to our OB appointment, and they did a quick scan to check overall weight and stuff, but it’s nowhere near as exciting to see when they try to rush you out the door.”
I grinned.
She was right, though.
Being rushed wasn’t something a mom-to-be wanted when she was getting a look at her baby.
“Completely understandable,” I agreed. “You ready to get started?”
She nodded enthusiastically and her husband came up to her side and took her hand.
“Is this your first?” I asked as I started spreading the jelly on her belly with the wand.
“No,” she said. “This is our third. We have a two-year-old and a one-year-old at home.”
I shook my head in wonder. “Oh wow! That’s a whole lot of kids under three!”
She grinned. “We’re crazy, we know. But we wanted them all close in age…”
She kept talking, but something disturbing had caught my eye as I’d started.
I moved the wand around again, and again. Only to come up with the same results.
Something heavy and sickening filled my stomach, and I had no clue what to do.
“The machine is acting up,” I said, voice shaking slightly. “I’ll be right back.”
The mom-to-be smiled at me, and I hurried out of the room, going to find Memphis.
I found her in the front office talking to her son.
I wanted to cry.
“Memphis,” I croaked.
She turned, and so did Lock, both of them focusing on me.
Lock took a step forward, but I started talking in hushed whispers before he could touch me.
If he touched me, I’d cry.
I’d lose it.
“What is it, honey?” Memphis asked.
I swallowed hard.
“I can’t find a heartbeat,” I said softly.
Memphis looked at me like she wanted to cry right along with me.
“Oh, honey,” she said, stepping forward. “This exact same thing happened to me, too. I know it’s hard but…”