Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
“Babe—”
“The Farmer’s Market downtown is lush, but I think it’s closed by now,” I blathered on. “And I can check the AZ Republic’s event site to see if there’s a festival happening or something. We’re getting close to Oktoberfest, and the state fair is on.”
I stopped when I felt my body rocking because he was silently laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“Trying to sell me on Phoenix?”
Oh shit.
I totally was.
I gave him big eyes and belatedly kept my mouth shut.
I got another kiss and he again lifted his head.
“Too hot for my blood to walk outside. I’d do a movie but would prefer to watch that Monty Python flick with you here,” he said, but added, “Though, if there’s any of that shit you want to do, I’ll do it.”
“How about we watch a movie here, then go out and get something to eat later,” I proposed.
“Works for me. You want popcorn?”
He asked his question as my phone vibrated on the coffee table.
He reached a long arm to it, and we both saw Nic Calling on the screen.
He handed it to me, went in to kiss my neck, muttered, “I’ll get on the popcorn,” and then he got off me.
I sat up and took the call.
“Hey, Nic.”
“Oh, hon,” she said with feeling. “Your dad phoned me.”
Wow.
He did?
“Really?” I asked.
“He wanted me to know what happened between you and your mom.”
Holy crap.
“How did Larry take Dad calling?” I asked carefully.
Larry wasn’t the jealous possessive type, and still, Larry was kind of the jealous possessive type.
I mean, it didn’t work between Dad and Nicole, but she’d been really in love with him. No doubt Larry knew that, and any man who knew that wouldn’t be real hip on her ex calling out of the blue.
“At first, he wasn’t a fan, but as he heard what we were talking about, he got over it,” Nic said.
“Well, that’s good.”
“Do you need me to come over?” she offered.
She was so awesome.
“No, Nic. Thanks. Um…” I glanced to the kitchen to see Hugger plugging in my popcorn popper. “I kinda hooked up in a serious way with one of the bikers.”
Hugger’s head turned my way and he grinned.
I grinned back.
“Please tell me it was the big, bearded, teddy bear one,” she replied.
It was indeed, though I’d never in a million years refer to Hugger as a teddy bear.
Sure, if you didn’t know him, maybe.
But I’d seen him naked.
And I’d also seen the look on his face when Mom showed early on a Saturday morning.
He was more like a grizzly bear. He looked cute and you wanted to pet him, but if you messed with him, someone he cared about or who was under his protection, he’d maul you to a bloody pulp.
“Yes, Harlan. Hugger. It’s…”
Should I go out to the balcony?
No, it was all out there between Hugger and me.
“It’s something, Nic.”
“I love that for you, honey.”
That was Nicole, supportive all the way.
“Anyway, he was there, and he knows all that’s going down. I’m fine. Not fine fine, but I’ll live. In the end, I think it’ll be better. There isn’t a lie festering between us anymore. And I have Dad back.”
“Gotta say, I’m really glad you worked it out with your father.”
“Me too. So it’s all good, and Hugger and me are about to watch a movie.”
“Oh. Okay then. I’ll let you go.”
There was something in her voice I couldn’t place.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
There was a long hesitation.
I waited silently.
“I knew all about this, Di, and I didn’t tell you,” she eventually admitted.
My sweet Nicole.
“Dad made you promise,” I guessed.
“Yeah,” she confirmed.
“It wasn’t yours to tell, Nic,” I assured her.
“No,” she replied.
“Please don’t feel badly about it,” I begged. “It really wasn’t yours to tell. I mean, what were you supposed to do?”
“I guess…what I did.”
“Yes. What you did.”
“You should know how far your dad is going with all of this,” she began.
Oh boy.
I’d taken a lot that day, so I braced, because I sensed I was about to get more.
“He apologized to me,” she shared. “He told me he was very much in love with me, but so broken by what Maggie did, he didn’t trust it.”
I dropped my head in my hand, ravaged for the both of them, and moaned, “Oh, Nic.”
“I know,” she whispered. “It was devastating hearing it. How heartbroken he was.”
Gah!
“Yeah,” I forced out.
“It also felt nice, knowing what I felt was real, when I thought I’d read it so wrong.”
I felt Hugger’s big hand wrap around the back of my neck.
I lifted my head out of my hand, looked at him, and mouthed I’m all right.
He studied me a second, then nodded once and returned to the kitchen.
To Nic, I said, “I hope that helps.”
“I found Larry after Nolan and I were over. I did more than okay. Which makes me even happier you and Nolan worked things out so he isn’t so…alone.”