Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
I turned to Chuck. He was supposed to get off at midnight, Gwen and I staying until two. “I’ll give you an extra twenty to swap shifts with me tonight.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“I’ll owe you one too. Whenever you need a shift covered, I’ll do it.”
He shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have anything going on tonight anyway. I would have done it just for the extra two hours and tip.”
“Fucker.” I pulled a twenty out of my wallet and gave it to him. Now I was out money, tips, and hours, all to go see Ty? I was definitely losing my mind.
I told Gwen we were swapping, grabbed my shit, and walked to the beach behind Shenanigans. It didn’t take me long to find him. Ty was close to the water, sitting in the middle of the sand, in a T-shirt…at midnight in winter.
Fucking jocks.
I stopped beside him. Ty had his arms around his knees, feet in the sand. “Peekaboo. I see you,” he said without looking up.
“Are we leaving secret social media posts for each other now?”
“Makes things easy since you internet-stalk me.”
I didn’t try to deny it. There was no other excuse for why I was there.
Ty looked up at me, his eyes bloodshot. “Let’s go skinny-dipping.”
“Let’s not and say we did.”
“You’re so boring, Sunshine.”
“Maybe you should have brought Steve out here instead, then.”
Fuck. I realized my mistake the second his eyes widened, and then he said, “I mean, you took me on a date, but I didn’t know you wanted to be exclusive.”
“Ha-ha.” I sat beside him.
“Wanna dance?”
“No.”
“Make out?”
“Fuck no.”
“You don’t want to do anything with me. Live a little.” He stood up and started doing cartwheels. On his third, he fell.
“I think you’re living enough for the both of us.”
“I’m drunk.” Ty literally crawled over to me and sat down again.
“You don’t say.” When he sighed, I nudged him. “What’s wrong, Lacrosse?” Clearly, something was.
“You’ll just think it’s stupid and say I’m spoiled, and you wouldn’t be wrong.”
“Yes and no.”
“Gee, thanks. You were supposed to say, No, Ty. I would never tell you that. You’re awesome and smart and really fucking hot.”
I chuckled. “Keep dreaming and stop stalling.” Because I knew that was what he was doing. Over the past two weeks, I’d gotten to know him, to understand him.
“I just… I am spoiled, and I get that. I skipped practice yesterday, and though it was the first time, I did it because I knew I’d still be able to play. And I shouldn’t have been able to, not without talking to Coach myself about being sick. But he wouldn’t want to risk upsetting my father. So I get it, why you think that stuff about me, but it’s not my fault. I don’t control it.”
“But you use it to your benefit sometimes.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
He had a point there. I would. I couldn’t fault him for that.
“What’s wrong, though, Ty? It’s more than that.”
He looked up, the moon glistening in his eyes. “My dad called Coach so he would try and talk me into quitting my job. Who does that? He hates not being in control. He hates that I’m not doing what he wants, and all I can think is, how was I so blind all those years? How did I not see who he is? I wanted to be just like him. What does that say about me?”
I…hadn’t expected this. Ty had surprised me in so many ways, I’d lost count. He wasn’t who I’d thought he was. Which meant he was even more dangerous because he could make me like him. “It doesn’t say anything about you. He’s your dad, and you love him. I… When I was a kid, I used to pickpocket for my dad.”
I didn’t look at him, didn’t want to see the disappointment in his gaze.
“I was really fucking good at it, so he always had me do it. Asher used to get so pissed because he’s older, but Dad always took me with him since I was so much better. It was our secret from Grandma. I knew it was wrong. I hated myself for doing it, but he was my dad. I wanted his love and wanted him to be proud of me. It makes me sick now.” I couldn’t believe I’d told him. But maybe it was better that way. Now that Ty knew I’d been a thief, he’d want nothing to do with me.
“He really asked you to do that?”
I nodded.
“Shit, man. I’m sorry.” And then…then he wrapped an arm around me and rested his head on my shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Then it’s not yours.”
“Yeah, well, I think you have a harder time believing it.” He was right. We were both quiet for a few minutes, just listening to the ocean, watching the dark waves wash ashore. “I want to meet him…my brother, Perry. Both my siblings, but it’s different with Ainsley. She’s only one year old. She’ll have my dad. All I can think is that my father knew about him, provided him money, but wasn’t a part of his life. My dad is a dick, but at least I had him. Perry didn’t. If I were him, I’d hate me for it.”