Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“Just checking in,” I reply. “How’s school today?”
“Oh, yeah. All good. How was the gym?”
“I’m not as fast as I once was.”
“But still faster than most,” Ryan finishes for me, and I chuckle. “I know, Dad. You’ll be seventy and still running circles around us.”
“I won’t be in this evening,” I tell him. “I’ve got a date.”
“A date?” Ryan says. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
My grin can’t stop getting wider. This is getting better and better. It’s like the old Ryan is crawling out of the pit his mom and Joel built for him with all those compromises and easy roads.
“A bona fide date,” I tell him, “but…” My tone darkens. “Well, there’s an issue.”
“Is she a blowup doll or something?” he jokes.
“Ha, ha, ha,” I say sarcastically. “No, well, I’m just going to say it. She’s twenty-one. She’s your age.”
“Is that it, Dad?” Ryan asks. “That’s no biggie.”
“Some people might disagree,” I say, gently guiding the car around a corner.
“I don’t care what some people would say. You don’t date, and I can hear how excited you are. If you’ve got chemistry, you should go for it.”
Who are you, and what have you done with my son? I almost say that as a joke, but it might make Ryan self-conscious about this newfound attitude. Maybe it really came down to the booze. If that’s the case, the question is, can he keep off it?
“How’s your diary going today, anyway?” I ask.
This is my polite way of asking if he’s consumed any alcohol by two p.m.
“All good, Dad,” he replies, “and it’s going to stay that way.”
“Good man. I love you, son.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
After hanging up, I’ve got that same smile on my face. I feel like nothing could break this mood. I wonder if my grappling partner secretly dosed me with something. I feel high, floating in the goddamn air. I haven’t smiled like this since the day Ryan was born.
This is it. I just know it. I will look back on this day and remember this is where it all started: an improved relationship with Ryan and a new relationship with Molly—the start of the rest of our lives. Soon, I’ll tell her who she belongs to. I’ll tell her she’s going to give me a family. I’ll tell her that her young, curvy body is mine and mine alone.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Molly
I smooth my hands over my belly, my stomach rumbling, but not out of hunger. I’m dressed for the date. It’s nothing too crazy, just a dress that hugs a little tightly at the waist. Rachael thinks it shows off my figure. I’ve never been sure if that’s good or bad, but I can’t think about it right now. All I can think about is how wrong this is.
“I almost told him on the phone earlier,” I say.
“What?” Rachael says, adjusting her hair in the mirror. She has a date tonight, too. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” I snap. “Because it’s cruel.”
“There’s nothing cruel about it,” she replies. “It’s not like he’s in love with you.”
I swear, I almost throw something. I have to remind myself quickly that, from her point of view, it would seem extremely weird for me to get angry about this. We’ve met once, spoken once, and that’s it. I shouldn’t even be thinking about the L-word, let alone ready to go to war for it.
“Just don’t get too deep,” Rachael goes on.
“I think I’ll handle this myself,” I tell her.
She turns, looking at me closely. “Okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“No, it’s fine,” I tell her. “I’m just nervous. He’s so much older than me. When I typed my number into his phone, I saw he had a dating app open. I bet he goes on several dates a week.”
Rachael shrugs. “You’re funnier, smarter, kinder, and more beautiful than all his other dates.”
“You literally have no idea if that’s true.”
“I know it’s true,” she counters, smiling magnetically, “and I don’t want to hear any arguments about it, okay?”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. Not just because of her compliment but because I know what I’m going to do—the right thing. I’m going to tell Duke the truth. As soon as I make this decision, it’s like this nasty monster finally lets me go. I’m not cut out for revenge, hot or cold, even if Ryan deserves it.
I’m shaky as I leave the college dorm and walk toward the street to meet Duke. After Rachael left for her date, I was alone with my thoughts for a little while, giving me plenty of time to think about Ryan, revenge, and these fierce feelings gripping me every time I think of Duke.
Duke is waiting by his car. It’s a dark, long vehicle—I’ve never been great with cars—with tinted windows. It has a somehow ominous air, as if capable of as much violence as its owner. Duke walks over to me, looking dashing in his blue shirt, with no suit jacket to hide the hard outline of his muscles.