Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“And she’s been pregnant from the start. She knew, even from the beginning, but she didn’t tell me.” I can hear her conversation with Jamila all over again. The pain in her tone. The way she’d said she didn’t want her baby to be a Crowley.
Like my name is a slur.
She didn’t want her baby to be like me.
“Oh, dear,” Mom says and lets out a soft laugh. “That’s actually impressive, but I should’ve known. She wasn’t drinking.”
It clicks into place. Keely hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since we started all this, and I kept making excuses for her—she was tired, she wanted to stay sober, a thousand different reasons.
Except for the obvious one.
“I should’ve noticed sooner,” I say through my teeth. “But I was too fucking busy feeling happy for once.”
“Don’t get all self-pitying on me, darling.” Mom squeezes my shoulder. “This could be a good thing.”
“How?” I ask, glaring at her. “How is it a good thing that the woman I want to be with has been lying to me about our child?”
“She’s keeping it, for one.” Mom’s always so damn practical. “That’s a good sign. It means you have a chance to be in her life. You are the father, I assume?”
“That’s what she says.”
“You should get confirmation of that.”
“Mother,” I say with a snarl. “She hasn’t been with anyone else.”
“Are you sure? Don’t look at me like that, darling, I’m only being honest here.”
“I’m sure.” I grip the whiskey bottle tightly. “I’m more than sure.”
Mom shrugs as if that’s of no consequence. “Then give her some time to settle down. You both had a shock, darling, and if you go rampaging after her, you’ll ruin any chance you have at getting her back.”
I laugh bitterly. “She doesn’t want her child to be a Crowley. She said so, out loud. That’s why she’s been keeping it from me, because she finds our family so repulsive.”
“Interesting,” Mom says, more to herself. “There are women out there in this city that would give up a limb to be a Crowley. And yet the one woman you want doesn’t want anything to do with us. I should be insulted, but I understand. I even told her to get out while she could.”
“I’m aware of your little conversation with my wife.” I stare at her, fighting my temper.
“It wasn’t my finest moment, darling, I’ll admit it. But there’s some truth to what I told her. This life isn’t easy, and it’s certainly not easy to raise children in this family. She’s not wrong to want something else.”
“She’s wrong to want anything but me.”
Mother pats my arm. “That’s sweet, but you can’t really think that’s reasonable.”
“She all but said we’re a bunch of criminals and monsters. How can you ignore that?”
“We are, darling, and don’t you forget it.” She says it sharply and I stand up straight.
“That doesn’t excuse what she did.”
“I’m not excusing anything. I simply understand the decision she made and I’m trying to get you to see that the sky is not falling. You love her, don’t you?”
I take another drink. “I thought I did.”
“Again, don’t be melodramatic. You love her, don’t you?” She speaks firmly and my jaw ticks.
“Yes. I love her.”
“Good. Then stop drinking. Sober up. And figure out how you’ll get her back.”
“Mother, she doesn’t want anything to do with our family. There’s a reason she never told me. There’s a reason she kept saying she’s not staying with me long-term. It’s all because of that baby.”
“You’re going to sit around and accept that?”
“I never said that.” My thoughts turn dark. Kidnapping is on the table.
“Good.” She gently takes the bottle from me. “Darling, I love you very much. You and all your brothers. But you are dangerously close to fucking this up with this girl.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You know just what to say.”
She pats my cheek. “You’re my child. I pushed you out into this world and I raised you myself.”
“With a lot of help,” I point out.
She pats me again, a bit harder this time. “Don’t be fresh.”
I sigh, glance at the bottle in her hand, but look away back at the pool. She’s right, I have to get myself together if I want any shot at fixing things.
Only I don’t know how. All I know is Keely’s carrying my baby, and I won’t let her go. I won’t let either of them go.
“I have to figure out a way to make her understand,” I say, speaking quietly as the breeze blows the floating giraffe in a wild circle.
“Yes, you do,” Mom says as if she knows exactly what I mean. “So how are you going to do that?”
“I don’t know yet,” I admit. “But you’re right. Sitting around here drinking won’t solve my problem.”
“Good boy.” She pats my shoulder. “You and your brothers are such a pain, you know that? There are always a thousand fires to put out.”