Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
His, “I have to,” was said in a way that told me if he didn’t, we’d do something we’d regret.
So I watched him leave.
The thing was, I was headed in that direction anyways, and if I didn’t make a bad decision here in my bedroom, I was afraid I’d make one elsewhere.
With a stone-cold expression, I took my shopping cart towards the checkout, and when I was called on, I rolled up, unloading the items onto the conveyor.
The plump checkout chick scanned the items, placing them in bags.
After a while, she scanned the small black hoodie, holding it up and smiling. “Oh, Lord. That is adorable.” She threw me a smile before peering at the rest of my items, and saying, “Someone’s getting spoiled today. How old?”
“I don’t have him yet, but—” I removed my sunglasses and smiled coyly. “—he’s five.” I looked over at the conveyor full of boy clothing and toys. “And, yes. He will be spoiled.”
“That’s lovely that you’re adopting. It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing.” The checkout chick made a gooey face. “You’re going to be a great mother,” she said knowingly before nodding. “I can tell.”
Yes.
I would be a great mother.
A great mother indeed.
***
Lexi
The second I opened the front door, my eyes widened happily and a loud gasp left me. I shouted excitedly, jumping up and down, clapping enthusiastically before throwing myself into the small redhead’s arms.
“Manda!”
The woman I affectionately called my sister chuckled as I forced myself on her, making her stumble and put a hand to the wall by the door to steady herself. My exhilarated laugh rang into the fresh morning air.
I pulled back, reared my arm back, and grinned like a fool when I lightly slapped her arm. “What are you doing here?”
She shrugged, smiling hard at my excitement. “I told you I’d be back, didn’t I? But—” She twisted back to look at the car parked on the street, sounding a little anxious. “—I might have done something really dumb here, Lexi.”
My eyes narrowed on her before they rolled over to the parked car. When the three men exited all at once, my face went slack, and I released a quiet, “Oh.”
Automatically, my face spun, looking back into the house uneasily, then came back to rest on Manda’s apologetic face. I spoke quietly, “You should have called.”
Her suddenly weary expression told me she knew this, and my concern increased as I heard Twitch approach. From behind me, I felt him still at my back as he peered over the top of my head to our guests. Feeling his body stiffen, I quickly spun, and when my eyes landed on him, his eyes were unblinking, jaw rigid, on one of the men.
The oldest of the men.
His ice-cold stare came to rest on Manda. She immediately let out a hushed, “Don’t be mad at me.” When he didn’t respond, she closed her eyes. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
The silence dragged on, and as the three men kept their distance, Manda revealed solemnly, “He’s sick, Tony.” Twitch looked down at his little sister, and she added, “I know I sprung this on you, but he doesn’t have a lot of time left, and I just thought if you got to meet him,” she sighed tiredly, “you’d have some closure.”
The silence coiled tight around my chest like a vice.
When Twitch spoke, he spoke to me, low and rumbling. “You wanna meet my dad?”
I did, desperately.
My face came up, and I uttered, “This isn’t about what I want.”
He looked down at me, his eyes cold, his words warm. “My entire being is about what you want.” When I didn’t answer, he got his answer and sighed softly. “She wants to meet him.” And when he lifted his hand and waved the men over, my heart started to thump in time with their steps.
But as they reached us, I felt coldness at my back and I realized Twitch was gone.
My chest ached painfully, but I pasted on a smile as the tallest of the men stepped forward, and when he opened his mouth, his silky smooth Scottish brogue caressed my skin. “Is this my sister-in-law?”
“Wow,” was what I stupidly said, and Manda chuckled.
My stunned gaze landed on her, and Manda’s ridiculously handsome husband took the hand dangling at my side, brought it to his mouth, and planted a kiss to my knuckles. He continued to hold my hand as he looked me in the eye, almost hypnotizing. “Hello, gorgeous. The name’s Evander, but almost e’ryone calls me Vander.”
“Oh, wow,” escaped me, and as my cheeks heated, I turned to Manda, and uttered, “I totally get it.”
And although her husband’s eyes narrowed on me, he kept smiling, but from the way Manda’s body shook in silent laughter, she got me. I cleared my throat and smiled widely. “It’s lovely to meet you.” Suddenly embarrassed, I glanced down at my feet before glaring at Manda. “If I had known you were coming—” My eyes met Vander’s. “—I would have dressed more appropriately.”