Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Micah didn’t budge. He shook his head. “No.”
“Micah, so help me GOD!”
Stepping between them, I held up my hands. “Both of you, stop,” I pleaded. “Right now, I should send you both away, but I can’t promise I won’t get weak and pathetic. I might cut myself because I’m not okay. I hate it. I hate it so much. The truth is, I want someone here until I know I have this under control. Should it be Micah?” I paused and looked at him. “Probably not.” Then, I looked at Pepper. “But you can’t be here all the time either. I have two jobs. I will try to get more shifts. Or a third job. I don’t know. I do know I hate feeling like I’m a burden, but I’m willing to admit I need help. And”—I dropped my shoulders and sighed—“I really don’t wanna go back to my momma’s.”
Micah stepped toward me, and I held my hand up to stop him.
“I will be here when you are home. I will be wherever you need me to be. You just call me.”
God, I needed him to stop being so sweet. It was making this harder.
“I am her best friend. I will be here. You go handle that cocksucker that started all this.”
A knock at the door caused all our heads to turn in that direction. Walking past them both, I headed to open it.
“Wait, Tink. I’ll get it,” Micah said, stepping around me to grab the knob.
“I can open my own door,” I informed him.
He winked at me. “Easy, tiger.”
I was scowling at his back when he opened my door. The large bouquet of bright pink, blue, yellow, and orange flowers almost completely hid the delivery boy’s head.
“These are for Dolly Dixon,” he said, holding them out.
Micah was glaring at him as if the boy himself had sent me flowers.
I moved around Micah and reached for them. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied nervously before hurrying to get away from Micah.
“Who are they from?” Pepper demanded.
I walked over and set them on the table beside the door. Micah reached for the small envelope before I could and started opening it.
When he jerked the card out, he read it, and his jaw clenched tightly. “Motherfucker.”
“Canyon,” Pepper said matter-of-factly.
Micah barely nodded as he wadded the card up into his fist. “I’ll take them to the dumpster,” he said, reaching for them.
I liked flowers, and it felt like a waste. They’d been cut, and they should at least be enjoyed. But Canyon had hurt Pepper, and I agreed they had to go.
“Wait. Can I give them to Mrs. Mildred? She’d enjoy them.”
Micah stared at me as if he wanted to argue.
“If the flowers are gonna die, I just hate for their life to have been cut in vain. Let them brighten up someone’s life while they still can,” I explained.
He nodded and then smirked.
“I’ll take them to her,” Pepper offered. “Dolly is right.”
Relieved, I was glad that I didn’t have to fight about that.
“Back to the current situation,” Pepper said. “I need to get back to the bar. Micah, you need to go find Canyon and deal with him. Make him a nonissue.”
“I will. But not right now. I’m not leaving Tink alone.”
Pepper looked at me, then finally seemed to give in. “Fine. Stay with her. I’ll come back tonight.”
I was starting to feel like a child being tossed back and forth between bickering parents.
“You said you couldn’t stay tonight when we talked on the phone earlier,” Micah said pointedly.
She shot him a look I couldn’t see, and he smirked.
“That was when I thought you’d send someone other than yourself to stay with her.” Pepper walked over to me and hugged me. “Be careful,” she whispered and kissed my cheek.
I knew she meant, Don’t get emotionally attached to my brother.
I nodded.
She glared at Micah. “Be good.”
He saluted her, then went and opened the door for her. “Bye.”
Pepper paused and gave him one last warning look before taking the flowers and leaving.
When he closed the door, he turned back to me. “Go brush your hair so it doesn’t look like I just fucked you, and let’s go get some burgers.”
I reached up and felt my hair. It was messy from my nap. “Okay,” I agreed.
Getting out of this apartment was probably a good thing.
25
Micah
“I wish you’d let me drive,” I said, not liking the idea of Dolly walking so much with her thigh sliced the way it was.
“It was just around the corner, and you only have your bike here, and my battery is dead from not being driven. I probably need a new one anyway.”
“Tink, it wasn’t just around the corner. It’s almost a mile there and back. Besides, was your experience on the back of Tex’s ride that bad that you don’t want to try it again?”