Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
I glanced back over at Wyatt, checking once again to see if he seemed bothered, but like before, he wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to my conversation with Cotton and Stitch. Instead, he was over in the corner working on his laptop. I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by the fact that he didn’t even care about Ben. Cotton, on the other hand, seemed pissed about it.
His brows furrowed as he asked, “And that was it?”
“He followed me out to the car.”
“Did he say anything?”
“No. I pulled away before he got a chance.”
“Good.” Cotton thought for a moment, then asked, “Is there anything else you...”
“Hey, Prez,” Wyatt interrupted. “You need to see this.”
“What is it?”
Cotton and Stitch stepped over to Wyatt’s desk, and the second they looked at the screen, I knew something was terribly wrong. Cotton sounded positively livid as he snarled, “Fuck... Is this shit from him?”
“Yes, sir.” Wyatt grabbed his phone and held it up. “Got this message when you were talking to Elsie.”
As soon as he said my name, Stitch whipped around and ordered, “We’re done here. You can go back to your room now.”
I nodded nervously, then darted out of the room in a panic.
I’d seen Cotton angry many times before, but this time was different. This time he wasn’t just upset over the fact that things hadn’t gone the way he expected or someone had mistreated his girls or ol’ lady. This time he was angry in a way I’d never seen before. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve said he was scared, and I’d never seen him scared before.
And that terrified me.
My heart was pounding as I made my way down the hall and back to my room. It was obvious that something bad was going down. Something that included Ben—which made no sense at all. He was just a college student and a psych major at that. It was hard to believe that he was the one who had Cotton and the others so wound up. However, our last encounter was a bit strained, and it had me wondering why he seemed so intent on us spending time together.
The crazy look on his face as he stood in front of my car continued to weigh heavy on my mind as I crawled into bed. I was tired and in dire need of a good night’s sleep, but there was no way that was going to happen. I couldn’t even close my eyes without seeing that look on Cotton’s face, so I got up and headed down the hall to Lacy’s room. I knocked, and seconds later, the door creaked open just enough for me to see her flushed face. “Hey, Else. What’s up?”
“I couldn’t sleep, so... I’m sorry,” I stammered. “It’s late, and I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“It’s fine. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Umm... It’s just been a long day, and I had a hard time falling asleep.”
“Well, where’s Bones?” she whispered. “He’s the one who should be helping you get to sleep.”
“He’s working, but it’s all good.” I feigned a smile as I said, “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
I silently cursed myself as I turned and started back down the hall. I should’ve known with all the guys and their families here that Lacy and the girls would have their hands full—literally and figuratively. Regardless, I was still wound tight, and there was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep, so I headed to the kitchen to grab a drink and a bite to eat.
I was just about to pass the family room when I heard Susana’s voice. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but it was followed by a round of giggles. I peeked around the corner and saw she and Darby having a glass of wine with Casey, Mia, and Chelsea. I had no doubt that they were using the night to catch up with one another.
I could’ve joined them.
We were all friends, and I would’ve enjoyed hearing about what was going on in their lives, but with everything going on, I wasn’t in the mood for catching up. I just wanted to grab my snack and get back to bed, so I continued down the hall towards the kitchen.
When I walked in, I was surprised to find Wren sitting alone at the kitchen table. She was wearing her robe and slippers, and she looked lost in her thoughts as she stared off into space. I hated to disturb her, so I tried my best to be quiet as I made my way over to the fridge. I grabbed a soda and some yogurt, then quickly closed the door. I was about to slip back out when Wren looked up and said, “Oh, hey, Elsie. I didn’t hear you walk in.”