Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
I still didn’t know how Briar Rose’s parents didn’t love her. I just knew that they didn’t.
She was more lovable than anything on the planet, Nutella croissants included. They were the problem. Not her. Never her.
Cuddlebug sank to the ground, hugged my leg, and placed her chin on my knee, looking deep into my eyes. “Well?”
My entire body rioted with so many feelings I thought I’d vomit. Joy, and panic, and desire and … fuck, things I couldn’t even describe.
I opened my mouth, unsure what would escape it, when the distinct crackle of crunched leaves interrupted us. Our eyes widened, snapping toward the entrance in unison. Thank fuck for the towering stall walls. Between the Auers and the von Bismarcks, I didn’t know which set of parents would kill us and which would bury the bodies if they caught us in here with enough booze to sink the Titanic. I just knew it would be a joint effort – and that it would end with Mr. Auer trying to slip Dad a business card like he did in our mailbox every summer. (The Auers didn’t actually care about underage drinking. They cared about the scandal it would bring to their name. Dad and Mom, on the other hand …)
From the next stall over, Sebastian released a comically loud snore. That asshole was born to piss me off.
Two pairs of feet stirred across the dirt outside the barn. Briar Rose clamped a hand around my calf as the hushed voices of a man and woman pierced our sanctuary.
Shit.
I’d left the sliding doors open, not expecting any unwelcome visitors.
Seconds later, their shadows danced across the opposite wall. The larger silhouette balanced against the barn’s doorframe, lighting up a cigarette. Lazy tendrils of smoke curled past his lips.
“You know I hate when you smoke.” His companion stomped her feet. “You smell like an ashtray.”
Immediately, Briar Rose and I tensed, staring at each other in horror. We recognized the voice. Philomena Auer. Briar Rose’s mother. And the man? He couldn’t be her father. Mr. Auer only smoked cigars – he considered everything else trashy.
The guy brought the cigarette to his lips again, this time aiming the smoke right in Philomena’s face. “I’d rather smell like an ashtray than reek of bullshit.” His thick Texan accent sounded nothing like Jason Auer’s strong New York cadence.
Still slouched over my knee, Briar Rose peered up at me with huge helpless eyes. I pressed my finger to my mouth, signaling her to keep quiet.
Philomena swatted the smoke away. “Jason is not a bullshitter.”
“He’s a crook and a grifter, and he’s putting the entire family in danger.”
Danger? What danger? I could see myself skinning Jason and using his body as a blanket for Briar Rose if she needed me to. I never liked that guy one bit.
“He knows what he’s doing. Besides … what do you want me to do? He’s my husband.”
“He’s a twat.”
“A rich twat. Did you forget that I signed a prenup? You have nothing to offer me, Cooper, other than a slightly above average dick.” A guttural scoff soared past her lips, so unlike the forced elegance I’d grown accustomed to Philomena feigning. “You’re broke as a joke.”
“Believe it or not, Phil, but there’s more to life than money.”
Each sentence exchanged conjured a flinch from Briar Rose like the words themselves had struck her in the face with the force of a punch. I couldn’t blame her. Her mom just confessed to an affair.
“Don’t you dare judge me, Cooper. I’m doing what’s best for my kid.”
“Sadly not, considering the kid is mine.”
A whimper bolted out of Briar Rose’s mouth.
Fuck.
I scrambled to cover it with my hand, burying the scream I knew wanted to escape. He’d said it so casually as if he hadn’t just upended my best friend’s entire world. And Briar Rose … She froze, eyes locked on mine but not quite seeing me. Her nails remained lodged into the flesh of my palm, drawing rivulets of blood down my wrist. I could see the confession slowly – ever so slowly – sink into her skin, claw past the lump in her throat, and drill into her heart.
A tear dropped from her cheek onto my knuckle.
Jason Auer wasn’t Briar Rose’s dad.
This stranger was.
Chapter Four
Oliver
It all made sense now.
The Auers resembled the aftermath of a lemur orgy – an explosion of bushy dark hair, pointy noses, bug-eyed stares, and short stature. It always astounded me how someone so stunning could come from what could pass as a pair of inbred shifter twins.
Meanwhile, Briar Rose carried the aura of a queen with her towering height, regal strawberry-blonde hair, and impossibly mauve eyes. Not to mention, she didn’t share a single personality trait with either of them. She loved old books and cozy nights. They liked new money and the blistering heat of their inevitable journey to Hell. She brought joy to every room she entered. They brought joy to every room they exited. She was good. They weren’t.