Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 161899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 809(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 809(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“No shit?”
“Aug!” she snapped, but she did this fighting a grin.
He shut up.
“He also admitted that he thought eventually we’d get back together.”
Aug didn’t even try to hide his smug look.
He was pretty certain she strained her eyes with how big she rolled them.
When she’d again caught his gaze, she continued.
“He admitted to being really hurt that you were at his place, with me, to pick up Juno at all, but especially Thanksgiving. And I had to admit, I hadn’t really thought that through—”
“Don’t take that on,” Aug growled.
“I’m not, honey,” she said pacifyingly. “But the truth is, we’re new for each other, and we’re new for him. It’s a broken family, but it’s still a family and we all have to respect one another. He’d moved on with so many women, even if I knew he had an issue with you, years had passed, I just assumed he’d get it in some senses when I moved on too. I honestly didn’t think about his feelings. But I should have.”
It sucked, but Auggie couldn’t argue that.
He never would have wanted her to endure that scene without him at her back, then get behind the wheel of a car with Juno.
But it probably hadn’t helped that Auggie was there, and maybe him being there had made something bad even worse.
“He says he’s going to try to be a better father,” Pepper carried on. “And when I shared you and I aren’t casual, it was grudging, but he promised to try to come to terms with you and me.”
“We’re not casual?” he joked.
She tipped her head to the side. “Sorry, did you just want to be my fucktoy? I’m soooo down with that.”
They’d been nestled in the corner of the couch, but when she said that, he un-nestled them and got her on her back with him on top.
“We’re not casual,” he whispered when she was underneath him.
“No, honey, we aren’t,” she agreed.
He was done talking about her ex.
“Did I say thank you for the Thanksgiving table?” he asked.
Her expression grew sweet and warm. “Yes. Twice. This makes three.”
“It was beautiful.”
“The look on your face after you saw it was a lot more beautiful.”
That was when he decided they were done talking about anything. They started kissing, and after they enjoyed that, he’d had to go home.
He hadn’t seen her awake until now.
“I checked in with Juno last night, and she said her dad picked her up from school. He took her out for some boneless wings, it’s her favorite snack. And they had a chat.”
Auggie’s body tensed.
“All good?” he asked.
She stroked the beard he’d grown out because he was being lazy with shaving, and kept, because Pepper demonstrated in certain ways, like that one, that she liked it.
“All good,” she said quietly. “But I don’t think this was just a wake-up call for Corbin to get his shit together. It was one for me too. Her going to Brett, taking that risk, doing something so unsafe—”
Shit, shit, fuck.
They were here.
And he had to give it to her.
He started it with, “Cisco would never hurt her, babe.”
“I know. I saw how they were together. But her just going to Fortnum’s on her own that way…”
She didn’t say more than that, but he got it.
And now it was time to give what he knew.
“You gotta know that I figured out it was Cisco the day we both talked to her class. And I confronted him about it that night. He promised to get the phone back, but I made the decision I wasn’t going to tell you Juno had done what she’d done because, in the end, she’d been safe. Cisco assured me he made her promise never to try anything like that again. But also because I didn’t want her to be in deep shit with you.”
After he made his confession, he was again tense.
Pepper didn’t say anything.
So he said, “I should have told you.”
“I don’t know,” she said like she wasn’t exactly talking to him.
He gave her a squeeze to get her attention.
When she focused on him again, he asked, “What do you mean?”
“I have to think about this, but I was feeling like a crap mom, that Juno had to go to Brett for help. She talked to him about other things too. And now I think, I don’t know, maybe it’s life. I want it to always be me for her. The person she gives everything to. But that’s unrealistic. It’s not going to be. There were always times she’d go to her dad. You’re in her life now, and there will be things she takes to you. She clearly feels safe with Brett, and wants to ‘keep him,’ as she put it, so she has him. She seems especially tight with Ryn. Lottie as well. She’s going to grow up. Have more things to process through. I think I have to let go this idea I have to be the end all, be all for her, and rest in the knowledge that I am, in a way. I gave her a life where I also gave her all of you.”