Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“I needed some air,” I replied, turning my attention back to the fire.
He let out a hard laugh. “Bullshit,” he replied. “You needed to get away from the sight of Oakley Watson and Wells.”
I clenched my teeth and wished like hell I smoked. I could use something right now to take the edge off. He was right, and there was no use in arguing with him. King might be my best friend, but we were all tight. Thatcher was no one’s best friend because he didn’t allow anyone close enough. There was a darkness in his soul that warned you to stay back. Not to dig too deep. We respected it.
“She’s too young,” I said when he walked over to lean against the railing in front of me.
“Yeah, she is. But she’s hot as fuck, and she wants you. That’s hard to resist.”
I inhaled deeply through my nose. It was difficult to hear that her want for me was strong enough that even my friends saw it. I was doing my best to respect her. Just be her friend, but the more she threw herself at me, flirted with me, found reasons to be near me, the more my self-control was slowing chipping away.
“She’s with Wells,” I said, knowing that meant nothing to me. Wells didn’t deserve her.
Thatcher cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, and Wells knows she wants you too. Why do you think he’s fucking other girls? He’s not even being careful about it. He wants her to find out. He’s trying to hurt her because she wants you,” he finished, then stuck the cigarette between his lips and inhaled.
“He’s fucked other girls? I thought it was just the one last week.” My anger turned into full-blown fury. I was going to hurt him.
Thatcher let out a humorless laugh. “Girls, my friend. Many. He’s become a fucking whore. I’d be surprised if Oakley doesn’t already know. It’s not like she’s paying any attention to him in there. All she’s done is look at you all night. The needy look in those pretty blue eyes was making me fucking hard, and it’s not me she wants to crawl up and play with.”
Dammit, I didn’t need that image in my head.
Turning, I headed back inside.
I had to make a decision. If Wells was cheating on her, she needed to know. I couldn’t have her yet, but whoever did was sure as hell going to respect her. Treasure what they had. Or I was going to kill them and enjoy it.
Nine
Oakley
We had spent the past two days painting the mural on Sarah’s bedroom wall, then making dinner, followed by watching a Halloween movie. Tomorrow, we were going to go to the Halloween store so she could pick out a costume for trick-or-treating. I wouldn’t be here for that, but I wanted her to have what she needed. I wasn’t sure Wilder would think about it. He clearly hadn’t thought to decorate for the holiday.
Once she was bathed and in the bed with Belladonna at her feet—in the room I was sleeping in because I didn’t like her sleeping with the paint fumes in her room—I went back downstairs to clean up the kitchen, then get to work on the orders I had to fill from my Etsy store. Although I preferred painting, I had found I made more money using my artistic ability digitally.
I made a comfortable living by creating and designing greeting cards, invitations, stationery, gift cards, place setting name cards, and custom orders for specialty items to sell on my online store.
Sure, I had moved out of my nice, fancy apartment with a gym and Olympic-sized pool, but I had my grandparents’ house that Granny had left to me. I sold Dolly—my Lexus that I had loved—and bought ol’ Betsy, who was dependable most of the time. I no longer had health insurance or a 401(k), but I was young still. What mattered was that I was now available for Sarah. She had needed me when Sylvia got off her meds and started acting unstable. I was using my artistic side now, too, and making money with it.
I was proud of the fact that I could make a living with the things I created.
Tonight, I had to finish up a custom design for bachelorette party invitations, Hogwarts acceptance birthday invitations, and return address stickers for a baby shower. It would take me about three hours, and I would clear a little over two hundred dollars. All things I could do and still be there when Sarah needed me. I just needed Wilder to allow me to do that. I was hoping, this week, I would show him how good I was at this and he’d call me when he needed someone for Sarah. I had considered going back to the corporate world after Sarah moved to Florida with him, but that would mean I would be limited and not always free when Wilder called me to stay with her. I chose Sarah. I would always choose Sarah.