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)
“I’ll take care of her,” I promised. “I’ll never stop. I love her with my whole heart, too.”
“Back to what you can do about Sage…” he croaked.
I winced. “Lying to police officers is a crime.”
He nodded.
“I’ll be bringing these allegations to the internal board for review. They’ll do an investigation. They’ll find out everything they can, and hopefully they’ll find what they need, and we can have her tried on those charges,” I said.
“You will put her in jail,” he surmised.
“It’s my intention to find a way to do that, yes,” I confirmed.
He stood up and offered me his hand. “Take care of Pepper. And, if it’s possible, wait until I’m lucid so I can give her away.”
I grinned and took his hand in mine. “I’ll do that.”
I made it to the restaurant before they’d left, but only just.
I found them all in the parking lot in a huddle, talking right outside the restaurant.
I parked and got out, moving toward the group.
Forest was asleep on Pepper’s shoulder. Tarrant had his arm wrapped around a woman with bright red hair. Everest had his around a woman with long brown hair.
There were kids behind them playing in the restaurant’s flower bed.
There was also an older man with his arms crossed who was watching me walk up, narrowed eyes aimed directly at mine.
The group turned as one to see who the man was looking at, and Pepper’s face lit up in a breathtaking smile.
“Atlas!” she gasped in excitement, though it was much quieter than she would’ve given me had Forest been awake.
I moved to her, ignoring the people surrounding her, and enfolded them both in my arms.
“You okay?” I asked quietly, pulling back with a kiss to her head.
“I’m okay,” she said. “Better than okay.”
“Awww,” one of the wives cooed.
I squeezed Pepper’s arm and asked, “You need a change?”
My head jerked toward Forest, and she shook her head. “Actually, he’s keeping me pretty warm. Like a mini space heater… just like his father.”
I grinned. “You’ll have to thank my dad for giving me that particular gene.” I turned to the men and offered my hand.
They all took it.
The woman attached to Tarrant’s arm introduced herself as Ida. The one on Everest’s was Wendy.
“Coke Solomon,” the older gentleman offered me his name.
I shook his hand and dropped it. “I hate to say this, but I realize you’re related by your last name, but I can’t say she’s said a single word about you.”
Coke chuckled, obviously unoffended. “Cousins, technically.”
“Ahh,” I said. “Got it.”
His eyes moved from my face to Forest’s.
“You know, I have a father-in-law,” he mused, returning his gaze back to me.
I tilted my head curiously. “I would have assumed since you are married.”
His lips twitched. “If you ever get the chance to talk to him, I think that you’d find you have a whole lot in common with him.”
“Oh, yeah?” I asked.
My girl interrupted then, tired of the evasiveness.
“Cora, Coke’s wife, is the first-born child of Gabe Maldonado. He lives here, too,” Pepper said. “He’s a great guy. Wonderful father to his children. However, there was a time when he didn’t know he had a child either.”
I jolted. “What?”
“And he found out he had a kid a whole lot like you did,” Coke finished.
My stomach twisted for this man.
There were some terrible people in this world.
“They were at court, deciding who would get custody of Cora, when Gabe’s woman found out that Cora was left in the car. It was a nightmare.”
I closed my eyes, then reopened them to focus on the man. “Is she okay now?”
“She’s more than,” he assured me. “Had a great childhood after they got rid of the cesspool that was her mother. She’s… perfect.”
I looked at my own perfect girl, and watched her kiss my son on the head, then place her cheek on top of his, as if she was happy that my son wouldn’t be going through that anymore, either.
As if she could feel me looking, she looked up and smiled.
“Are you hungry? We can go back inside,” Pepper offered.
I patted my belly. “I might or might not have hoarded a few pastries from this morning. I’m full.”
“Jealous,” Tarrant grumbled, tightening his hold on his wife. “She could’ve brought us some.”
“I didn’t know I was coming before I gave them all to him,” Pepper pointed out.
“Great excuse,” Tarrant teased. “So who is going to be housing you tonight?”
“I’ll stay at Everest’s,” she answered. “There’s more room in the spare bedroom for Forest.”
It warmed my heart that she was thinking of my boy.
“Do you have room for me, too?” I asked. “I can take up a couch.”
“It’s a king-sized bed,” Everest laughed. “My sister is bougie and feels like she needs a big bed.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll warn you that the walls are thin, though.”
Pepper’s cheeks pinked. “They are.”