Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“That was bullshit,” I said quietly as Michael turned around in the driveway. “You ambushed me.”
“You could’ve said no.”
“Not without hurting your mom’s feelings.”
“We needed a minute without Rhett, and now we’ve got it.”
I didn’t respond. I felt naked without Rhett. Like I’d forgotten something. It probably wasn’t healthy, but I was used to him being with me always. To drive off without him made my stomach churn with nausea.
“Where are you going?” I asked suspiciously as we turned down a familiar country road.
“Somewhere we won’t be interrupted,” Michael said calmly.
I crossed my arms over my chest, not really believing that he’d go where I thought he was going. When we pulled up to the gate outside the Aces Motorcycle Club compound, I glared at him.
Mick rolled down the window and nodded, and the prospect at the gate rolled it open without a word, letting us pull through.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I mumbled under my breath.
The path he took was overgrown with weeds and blackberry bushes, but we’d spent enough time carving it out in high school that it was still passable. The closer we got to our spot, the antsier I got and by the time he rolled to a stop, I was already unbuckling my seat belt. I hopped out of the car and slammed the door shut, anger and disbelief running through me.
“Why the hell would you think we should come out here?” I asked as he calmly climbed out of the driver’s side.
“Never been interrupted out here before. Figured we wouldn’t be today.”
“Felt like a trip down memory lane?” I asked dubiously, yanking my hood up as it started sprinkling rain. “I’m pretty sure Rhett was conceived out here.”
“In the back of my truck,” Mick replied, rounding the car. “Yeah, I remember.”
“I want to go back to your parents’ house,” I said, holding my ground as he came closer. “Right now.”
“Let’s figure some shit out first.”
“There’s nothing to figure out right at this moment,” I argued.
“Thought you wanted to put a plan in place,” he said easily, coming close. “Let’s make a plan.”
“I can’t make a plan out here,” I replied desperately, looking anywhere but at him.
The woods were so familiar. We’d carved our goddamn initials in the tree not ten feet from my front bumper, picked fresh blackberries from the bushes, been bitten by a million mosquitoes.
“Emilia, calm down.”
“You calm down,” I argued nonsensically.
It was too much. The memories were too much. The butterflies, the fear of being caught, the exhilaration when we weren’t. Back then, I hadn’t realized how massive the consequences of our little trysts would be.
“Sugar,” Mick said in exasperation, catching my head between his palms. “Look at me.”
“What?” I snapped.
“What the hell is goin’ on with you right now?”
“Nothing.”
“You started losin’ your shit back at my place, and it doesn’t seem to be lettin’ up.”
“So you bring me to the spot that you know is going to make it worse?” I spat. “Jesus.”
“Didn’t think it could get worse,” he replied, leaning down so our faces were close together. “Can’t figure out what’s goin’ on, so I’m throwin’ shit at the wall to see what sticks.”
“I should have done this right,” I said quickly, staring at his warm brown eyes. “I shouldn’t have just shown up. I should’ve called first, and we could’ve met for coffee or something, and then I could have told you about Rhett, and we could have figured out a plan for you to meet him and spend time with him, and then we could’ve figured out visitation and sleepovers and—”
“Slow down,” he murmured softly, his thumbs brushing over the hair at my temples.
“I just came here and upended your life.”
“Wish you woulda done it sooner.”
“I didn’t have a plan of what that should look like,” I said, almost in a daze. “That I’d have to just—” I shook my head, my breathing growing ragged. “Just give him to you.”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” he asked in disbelief.
“He’s never spent a night without me,” I rasped, the thought of it making me shake. “But he’ll have to go with you. You deserve that time with him. I know that. I just didn’t think it through, you know? I just—I guess I just didn’t see a future that we weren’t all together.”
Mick’s face lost all expression as he jerked back in surprise.
“Fuck,” I whispered, the blood draining from my face. “Forget I said that.”
“What, you just thought you’d come back here, and we’d start where we left off?” he asked incredulously, his hands tightening in my hair.
“No,” I backtracked. “That’s not what I meant.”
“That’s what you said.”
“No, it isn’t.” I pulled against his grip, but he didn’t let go. “I just didn’t plan ahead.”
“You thought you’d come back and we’d be a little happy family?” he growled. “After three fuckin’ years?”