Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Finally, he looked back at me and said, “Let’s put it this way. Because of you, a deal that would have made me a hundred or so grand richer has now made me almost four hundred grand richer. You deserve to spend a chunk of that windfall, don’t you think?”
Well, when he put it that way, I did feel a lot less guilty about it.
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
“Okay. Here,” he said, taking the pen, and jotting his number down on it.
“Oh, uh, I don’t have a phone,” I said.
I’d gotten so accustomed to that over the past two years. It was hard to believe I used to be so attached to mine.
“I have that covered,” he said. “Give me one second,” he added, then made his way out of the room.
“Can we clean up, buddy?” I asked when Judah abandoned the toys, and came over to me. “Like the little kitten book?” I added, knowing he loved that one where the kittens learned to clean up all their toys after they got so piled up that there was no room to even play anymore.
Judah pouted but went over to his cups, getting lost in them again, and forgetting all about cleaning up.
Aurelio came back, ripping open a box, pulling out the contents, checking the interior of said box, then handing it to Judah, who took it eagerly, using it to start stacking with.
“Alright, phone is covered,” he said, placing the phone down on the table next to a card with what seemed like a lot of minutes on it. “You just have to add the minutes,” he added, reaching for his own phone, and jotting down my new phone number.
It was a burner phone, of course.
Warren and his men used and tossed them all the time.
But this was a nice one. Looking similar to the expensive-seeming phone Aurelio was holding. Access to the internet and everything I might need to try to figure out my next moves.
A lifeline to the whole world, that was what a phone was.
“So once you set it up, snap a picture of your list, and send it to me. I will get it all handled before I come home. I have a…meeting today. But it won’t be more than an hour, and I can focus on getting you guys what you need.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a little dazed.
“The house is full of supplies. Use however much you need. There are four guest rooms upstairs. Pick whichever one or two you guys want. Each should have all the usual basic care shi—stuff stocked to get you through until I get back. You with me?” he asked as I sat there just staring at the phone.
I don’t know where the urge came from.
But the next thing I knew, I was leaping out of my chair, painful feet be damned, and throwing my arms around this man.
“Thank you,” I half-sobbed into his suit jacket as his arms, a bit unsure at first, went around me, then started to squeeze. Like he knew how close I was to falling apart, and how much I needed him to hold me together.
“Everything’s going to be alright, angel,” he told me, squeezing me tighter still. “You did the right thing,” he added, and, God, I needed to hear those words. “And we’re gonna figure all this out.”
Still sniffling, I pulled back.
A little embarrassed, it took me a second to glance up at him. To find him already watching me with those warm brown eyes.
“I can’t imagine how scary this is for you,” he went on. “But you are a hell of a mom, Claire.”
Good Lord.
The man was intent on making me cry, it seemed.
Admittedly, yeah, my emotions were all over the place. But still.
It was like he knew how badly I needed to hear those words, how much Warren had emotionally beaten me down over the years, had made me constantly question myself and my mothering.
“Thank you,” I said. His phone started to buzz in his pocket again. “You need to go,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said as we finally broke apart.
I didn’t expect the disappointment as we moved away from each other, how much I wanted to walk right back into his arms.
It was good he was leaving.
Clearly, I needed to pull myself together a little bit.
“Send me the list, okay?” he asked, heading toward the gate. “Do you want me to set the security system, or would you prefer I didn’t?” he asked.
Like he knew it might feel like another prison if he did.
But if this was a prison, it was one I wouldn’t mind being trapped in.
“Set it,” I said, thinking the added layer of protection would give me some peace of mind. I had no intentions of going anywhere anyway.
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few hours,” he told me before heading out.