Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“Kinda sad not hearing your sweet voice, though.” Numbers got in behind Fatima. “That’s the only time I ever hear it.”
“Fuck off, Numbers.”
Numbers gave a wave of his hand as if to say ‘see?’
The rest of the crew filed in, and I got started on my paperwork as we headed back to the station.
It took me two hours once we’d gotten to the station to finish up, and by the time I was heading out to the truck it was well past one in the morning,
By the time I arrived home, however, it was nearly two due to a wreck on the interstate that caused traffic to be at an almost standstill.
Fuck, I hated Dallas.
Using my phone, I disarmed the alarm and unlocked the door with the pad of my thumb, closing, locking, and rearming it behind me.
The house was utterly silent except for my footfalls as I moved farther into the house.
My first stop was Forest’s room, where I checked on him to make sure that he was okay.
He was fast asleep in the footed pajamas from earlier.
He had a bear that I hadn’t seen before now tucked into his chest, and his fingers were clutching… my shirt.
I closed my eyes as a wave of rightness washed over me.
This was my child.
Why did it feel so right?
It felt as if he’d always been there in my heart, taking up space.
It took considerable effort to pull myself out of the room.
It took even more effort not to stop by Pepper’s on my way to my own.
I crawled into the bed fully clothed, fell face first into the pillow that still smelled like Pepper, and fell asleep.
It felt like seconds later when I was awoken by my phone vibrating in my pocket.
I rolled over, still in the same exact spot from when I’d collapsed and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
“Hello?” I grumbled.
“Your girl was right,” Garrett said. “She walked in here, pockets full of drugs, got the key card from a cleaning lady, and was heading for the employee elevators when I walked up. Boss immediately alerted, and I called in backup. She was arrested, in full uniform, fifteen minutes ago.”
A wave of disgust rocketed through me.
“Dad know?” I asked.
“He was my first call,” he answered, sounding distracted. “I gotta go. Better head to the station.”
I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth, and used the restroom.
After washing my hands, I changed my clothes, then headed back out to the kitchen.
When I got there, it was empty.
I glanced at the time on my watch and found it to be a few minutes shy of seven in the morning.
I headed down the hall toward Forest’s room and found him still in his footed pajamas, this time wide awake and staring at the door with the saddest look in his eyes.
“Hey, bud,” I said. “Why didn’t you come wake me up?”
If my calculations were correct, Pepper had been gone for a solid three hours by now.
How long had he been awake?
“No wake,” he said.
“Yes wake,” I said. “Anytime you wake up, you can wake me up. Just come down to my room.”
He looked confused, so I picked him up out of the bed and walked him down the hall to my room. “This is my room.”
He rested his head on my shoulder, and I felt my heart give another one of those strange tugs.
“You want to come to work with me for a bit?” I asked.
He didn’t have much choice, really.
Until I could find him alternate care when I had to go in, and Pepper was at the bakery, I had no other recourse.
“What do you want to wear today?” I asked him as we headed back toward his room.
“Peas ation?” he chirped.
“Yeah, buddy. We have to go to the police station,” I confirmed. “How about shorts?”
It was September, but it was still hot as balls out.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
I got him dressed in a fresh diaper, shorts, a t-shirt that had cracked me up with Smoky the Bear on it, and his sandals.
Once dressed, we headed back to my room to grab some keys, and then we were out the door.
“Juice?”
I winced. “Uhhh…”
I spotted Quincy across the road, and I headed for him.
He was outside watering his wife’s rose bushes, but I doubted she’d like his form of watering.
“You know,” I said as I got up to his back. “Hollis would kill you if she saw you pissing on her roses.”
He tossed me a look over his shoulder as he shook his dick off and shoved it back into his pants.
“What Hollis doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” he said.
“I heard that,” came through the Ring camera that was set up on their front porch.
“No, you didn’t,” Quincy teased.
“Find a different spot to go. Like, you know, the toilet that’s right inside the door,” she grumbled. “Hi, Forest!”