Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
And no matter what, both her sons weren’t, either. They were both loved and wanted. Even when they were talking back and being difficult and she threatened to put them both up for adoption.
“Gimme his name. Gonna have one of Diesel’s Shadows run him. Don’t want you hangin’ ‘round someone you don’t know fuck about.”
“Maybe I do know ‘fuck’ about him. Anyway, I know who he is, and I know where he works. I don’t need you being Sherlock Homie.”
His head jerked back. “Think you’re fuckin’ funny. I take your goddamn safety serious. After that last one…”
She sighed. “Jesus. We all make mistakes, right? You’ve certainly made your share of them.”
A muscle ticked in her father’s cheek.
“Boys, your Grumpa is waiting!” she yelled. Where the hell were they? She was afraid if it took too long to get her father out of her house, Nox would leave.
“He ain’t gonna fuckin’ be here when I bring them back on Sunday, right?”
She wasn’t going to explain yet again about the damn container. Magnum obviously didn’t believe that excuse. Again, the man wasn’t dumb.
“I didn’t realize I had to get approval from my father for my sleepovers.” When she saw Magnum gearing up to roar about what she just said, she quickly raised her palm to stop him. “He won’t be here on Sunday. He’s still grieving.”
“Maybe the fucker’s here for you to comfort him, if you get what I’m sayin’.”
“Could be.”
Her father shot her a look.
“But that doesn’t need to take all weekend.” She smothered her grin. She loved to get her father going. Mostly because it was so easy to do.
“Grumps, did you bring your sled?” Keenan yelled as he ran down the hallway, his over-stuffed backpack gaping wide open and banging against his leg. The kid liked to overpack.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I wanted to bring my games—”
“No.”
“But—”
“Said no. Mean no. No back talk.”
Her son’s face fell. “But Grumps…”
Magnum raised his eyebrows at her seven-year-old son.
That was all it took.
Keenan’s mouth twisted.
Liyah advised him, “Close your backpack so your stuff isn’t spilling out all over the road. Be more responsible about your things.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I ain’t turnin’ the fuck around to get it. You lose it, you lose.”
“You hear that?” Liyah asked. “Your loss will be some other boy’s gain.”
While Keenan secured his backpack, her fifteen-year-old meandered down the hall like he had nowhere to go.
“Let’s fuckin’ go, boy!” Magnum yelled at him. “Actin’ like you got your whole damn life ahead of you.”
“That’s because I do, Grumps,” Devyn answered with a roll of his eyes. “Can I bring—”
“No. Got my sled. No room.”
“You bring your bike on purpose,” Keenan whined.
“Yep,” Magnum agreed. “Let’s go. Unlike you two, don’t got my whole goddamn life ahead of me. Time’s a tickin’.”
“Where are your helmets?” Liyah asked them. “You’re not going anywhere without them.”
“Garage,” Devyn grumbled.
“Go get them and meet us outside,” she told them.
With a grumble, both boys headed into the garage as she and Magnum went back outside. She stuck like glue to her dad so he wouldn’t harass Nox, who, amazingly enough, still waited.
Even so, she did not miss the stink-eye that Magnum shot Nox’s way. Before she could tell her father to behave, the boys came barreling out of the house.
“I’m riding shotgun!” Keenan yelled and ran over to the sidecar, now wearing both his backpack and his helmet with the face shield up.
“No, you ain’t. You’re ridin’ behind me. Your brother’s in the sidecar. Ain’t ridin’ nut to butt with someone over the age of ten.”
“Dad!” she scolded.
“What happens when I’m over ten?” Keenan asked.
“Givin’ you back to the stork,” her father answered.
“I didn’t come from a stork!” her youngest son yelled. “I came from Mom’s pussy!”
“Keenan!” For fuck’s sake, the whole neighborhood just heard that.
“That’s what Grumps said about Grandma Cait. He said Asia and Caleb came out of her pussy.”
Her head spun toward her father. “You did not.”
Devyn was practically folded in half, laughing his ass off. He wasn’t the only one amused.
“Not what I said,” Magnum told her, failing at keeping a straight face.
“Yes you did, you said—”
“Keenan!” Liyah scolded. “Stop right now or you’ll be grounded for a week. What did I tell you about repeating everything Grumps says?”
“Damn, kid, what’d I tell you ‘bout bein’ a snitch?”
“That— Wait… Who’s that, Mom?” her youngest whispered loudly, finally spotting Nox where he leaned back against the monster oak tree in her front yard. He had one boot propped on the tree trunk and his baseball cap pulled low to hide his eyes as he waited.
He might act like he wasn’t paying attention, but she was damn sure he did not miss any of the family chaos or what Keenan belted out at a volume level of one hundred.
She wouldn’t blame the man if he sprinted across the yard, hopped on his bike and split the same way he did at the coffee shop.