Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Ugh.
“We’re definitely working things out,” I promised. “Did you tell Larry about that last?”
“I don’t keep anything from him, Di, so I did. He knows I worship the ground he walks on, which I see sometimes is a mistake I let that out.”
I laughed.
“So he knows Nolan is no threat,” she continued. “It was a long time ago. In the end, I think Larry was happy there was some closure, and it was the good kind. And considering how we all share you, maybe, if we can get to that place, we can all be a loose sort of family for you.”
Oh my God!
Would the people I loved stop testing the boundaries of my tear ducts?
Argh!
“Well, yay Dad for being big enough to reach out to you,” I said instead of bursting into tears.
“It’s a lot for all of us, especially you, but we’re getting through it,” she said. “And Nolan also updated me about Suzette, who was really Madison. I’m pleased she’s somewhere safe and with her parents.”
“Me too.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“I know she got where she was supposed to go, but other than that, until the threat has passed, I won’t.”
“Right.”
“I’ll let you know if she gets in touch, though,” I said.
“Good. Such a little thing to have to be so strong. I hope she comes to understand her strength.”
I hoped she did too.
We ended the call and rang off around the time Hugger returned with a massive bowl of popcorn.
“Good?” he asked when he settled beside me.
“Dad told her about the showdown this morning. He also told her he loved her and fucked it up.”
Hugger’s brows shot up again.
“I know,” I said. “But she’s okay with it, and I think it was something Dad needed to do in order that all of that could be laid to rest.”
“I like him. He loves you. He’s honest. He’s a standup guy. Your mom had serious issues with you having bikers in your life and let fly about that, no qualms. Your dad didn’t even blink.”
“I have to admit, I found that surprising. But it was a good surprise.”
“Yeah. So, since I know the man he is now, you wanna tell me what he did to you back then?”
It wasn’t a good time, but it’d never be a good time.
And I didn’t want Hugger to change his mind about Dad.
But he was ready to hear it, so I told him the whole story.
“As fucked up as that is, baby, he’s not the only one who thinks like that,” he said quietly after I finished my sorry tale. “Especially people of his generation. Even women think that stupid shit.”
“I know. I was too hard on him,” I muttered.
“Diana, get me, I didn’t say that,” he stated in a flinty voice. “I see, with extremely faulty logic, he thought he was doing right by you. But it’s not only that he wasn’t. Sounds to me he got a problem laid in his lap, and in the course of his busy life, he just moved to fix it without thinking about it or the fact that it happened to his girl and taking a second to talk to you about what you wanted done about it. That was seriously bad. Then, he let ten years go by before he found you and told you he fucked up royally. In the end, he didn’t even find you, you found him. That’s not okay. He’s twisting himself into knots to make it right now, but although I’m pleased as fuck he’s putting that effort in, it doesn’t change the fact that he screwed the fuckin’ pooch with you…and huge.”
Oh man.
I loved it that he thought that way.
“He’s like a different guy, Hug,” I told him, watching his eyes warm when I shortened his name like his brothers did, so I made a note he didn’t mind it coming from me, and a further note to do it often. “He openly says he’s proud of me. He’s open…about everything. We even talked about the shitty choices he was making with his relationships.”
“Babe, if I lost you for a decade because I acted like a twat, I got a shot at getting you back, I’d think real hard on everything and get my shit straight too.”
Oh my God!
“Can we bang before we watch the movie?” I asked.
He did a sexy half smile, but replied, “The butter on the corn will get congealed.”
“Do you care?”
“Not even a little bit.”
Hugger put the popcorn bowl on the coffee table.
I attacked him.
We had sex on my couch for the second time.
It lasted longer than the first, but it was a tossup of which was better.
The popcorn wasn’t gross when we returned to it, but it wasn’t as good as fresh.
Though, the sushi we got later at Sushiholic was a whole lot better.