Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
There were exclamations of affirmative all around, and we all trumped up the four stairs to reach Trish’s front door. She opened the door quietly, peeking one eye out before opening the door and letting us in. Leaning the shotgun up against the side of the door, she held her arms open for me.
I wrapped her up in my arms and gave her a tight squeeze. “How you doing, Trish?”
She regarded my face for a few seconds before taking her thumb and rubbing the side of it against the new scar that split my forehead. “Obviously, you forgot to tell me a few things.” She chided.
I smiled sheepishly. I was remiss. The woman was very good to me, and here it was eight months since the last time I’d seen her, and she didn’t even know that I’d been hurt, let alone married and had a kid on the way.
I filled her in on my life, and she was genuinely happy for me. “So when will you bring your little woman out here to live?” She asked.
“As of right now, we’ll be staying in Kilgore. That’s not saying that we won’t come out here from time to time on the weekends. We’ll still do the hog roast on New Year’s Eve, so you can meet her then.” I said lightly. “Now, tell me what’s got those dark circles under your eyes.”
“I’ve been hearing 4-wheelers on your property at all hours of the night. I’m so used to the silence, that hearing them run around for hours every night is keeping me from my sleep. At first I thought it was you, but then a young lady came by yesterday asking for information on you.” She said warily.
My breath stalled in my lungs. “What’d she look like?”
“Very fit young lady. Hair up in a ponytail. Brown hair, brown eyes.” She described.
I let out a few choice curses and ran my hand through my hair. Motherfucker. How does she keep figuring out this shit? I had my land wired, so there was no possible way that she’d been on it without my knowledge, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t border my land to see all there was to see.
Two hours later, all four of us were tired, grumpy, and hungry. One single thing was found at the base of my gate. That was a picture of Payton with Alpha walking him in the courtyard of Free. We left with more questions than we came with. My ride home was spent with a tornado of emotions hurling through my head.
My major concern, however, was how I was going to keep Payton safe. The woman was as pig-headed as one could be. She had to be independent, or she felt that she was failing herself. She’d come so far since the attack, and I didn’t want to suppress her independence, but I also didn’t want her to be dead. Nothing on this planet would be able help O’Hare then. Payton was my life, and I didn’t know if I could survive without her; I knew I didn’t want to.
The bikes peeled off to respective houses as we rounded the garage of Free. I pulled outside of ours and smiled when I saw Payton asleep on the porch swing with Alpha curled up beside her. She looked like a burrito wrapped up in her down comforter; nothing could be seen but her head.
The sound of our bikes roused her from her nap, and she smiled as I kicked the stand down and swung my leg over the bike. “I’m freezing. Is there room for me?” I asked only semi-seriously.
“Of course,” She said as she lifted the blanket up so I could slide underneath it. “Just don’t expect me to move.”
“Why are you home so early?” I asked.
“My boss sent me home. We were dead, and I was the only one there who already had overtime for the week. Cheyenne had to stay.” She snickered.
“So what time do we have to be at your family reunion this weekend?” I asked curiously.
“Ummm, normally starts at eleven, but I get there early, I help mom with lunch. Bingo starts around twelve after everyone eats.” She said. “Which reminds me, we have to go get some ornaments. Two of them this year.”
I scowled at her. “Ornaments? Bingo?”
Honestly, Bingo wasn’t my type of thing. I’d played when I was younger, but it’s been well over fifteen years. Payton and her family had a family reunion on her mom’s side every year. I didn’t do so well with crowds, so I wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest. However, I’d do anything in the world for Payton, and if that meant I had to play fucking Bingo, then I would.
“How far is it to Clayton?” I asked.
“Only about an hour. Should be an easy drive. I normally ride with my parents or my grandparents. It’ll be interesting this year arriving separately.” She smiled.
She looked lost in thought, and I started to worry that something was going on, but she didn’t know how to tell me. “What is it?” I finally broke down and asked.
She heaved out a sigh. “Benny Bear finds out soon about the DNA test. I’m nervous as all get out.”
I could understand how that would be bothering her, but that wasn’t the all of it. “What else?”
She hung her head, and my heartbeat picked up. “Payton.”
“I don’t feel safe anymore. All I ever do is watch over my shoulder when I’m driving home. When I get here, I freak out. That’s why I was outside. So just in case, someone could hear me scream. I keep having nightmares about my attack. Then it morphs into the hospital and that bitch taking that baby. Except she always holds up the bag and shoots the baby once the elevator door is about to close.” She whispered.
It was my turn to hang my head now. I was failing her. Here she was scared to death, and I wasn’t doing a damn thing about it. Hell, I didn’t even notice it. She’d been outside when I got home for quite a few weeks now. I’d just thought she enjoyed the swing, yet here she was telling me she was scared and didn’t want to be in the house by herself.