Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 154882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
It had been days since I last held her. Even so, I went through my ritual of inspecting her fingers, toes, nose, ears, and everything. Stroking the thick, curly brown hairs sticking up and out. Smiling into the innocent green eyes looking up at me.
I didn’t have much time with Laurel. That bitch foster mother, Charlie, would completely ignore my daughter for another hour to an hour and a half. Then she’d poke her head in to check Laurel was asleep, then head to bed herself. Weeks upon months of watching through the window, then the nights I snuck in. This was her routine, and she had yet to break it. While she was downstairs with the television blasting, I was with my daughter. When she returned to the bedroom and baby monitor, I climbed out the window, leaving another piece of my heart withering with her rosebushes.
“How are you doing, beautiful?” I nuzzled her curls. “Mommy missed you so much. You won’t believe what happened since we were last together. I have so much to tell you...”
SUNNY
The bullseye glared stark in the middle of the wood, daring me to strike. I chose a knife from my collection—slender, honed, perfection. I didn’t have the love affair with blades that my father did, but the satisfaction of hitting the target dead-on was in the blood.
I aimed, ready to throw... and dropped it back on the pile. Rage lit fire under my feet. I raced to the target and ripped it off the wall, flinging it across the room. It struck my armchair and hit the carpet, making a barely audible thud.
That won’t do.
I grabbed my piece off the nightstand, readying to blow the shit to splinters.
“—you did, didn’t you?”
“Shh. Keep your voice down.”
My head cocked toward the ajar door. Leaving destruction for another day, I crept to the opening, listening to Kenzie and her sister coming out of her bedroom.
Her bedroom. Which it would be until the day we made my room, our bedroom.
“Kens, I know this is killing you, but you can’t keep going back there. That woman is rabid. She’ll have you arrested, or worse.”
Arrested? Go back where?
“You don’t understand.”
“I do—”
“No, you don’t,” Kenzie hissed. “I tried to stay away, but I can’t, okay? I just can’t. Look, if we get through this, we’ll have the money we need to start over. In the meantime, I won’t get caught.”
Get caught doing what exactly, sneaky little Angel?
Kenzie and Sienna changed the subject, not providing an answer to my internal question. I padded out to join them. If my Angel was out of her room, so was I.
Angel spotted me and flicked away, eyes widening at the floor. She roughly and pointedly cleared her throat. Possibly had something to do with me striding out in nothing but my briefs.
My house—I’d walk around stark naked if I felt like it, and I did on many occasions.
“Kenzie, I heard what happened last night,” I began, “and that you’re staying to help us because of it.” I held her face, capturing a glimpse of her surprise, and kissed her square on the lips.
“Hmmph!”
The sound from my mouth was a wholly different sound. Kenzie’s lips were two soft, plump pillows, sweetened with cherry lip gloss. They relaxed for the barest second, releasing a barely audible moan.
I broke away. “Thank you for being there for Tricky. Every time I think I couldn’t owe you more, you prove me wrong—and we’ve only known each other for a few days.”
“I— You— You can’t—”
“By the end of the week, I bet I’ll end up eternally in your debt.” I grinned into those owlish eyes. “Then you’ll be stuck with me forever.”
I left her gaping in the hallway, making for my room and a change of clothes.
“Sunny!”
Sienna followed me to the door. “You just short-circuited my sister’s brain. Great as a short-term strategy,” she said, swinging on the doorknob, “but long term, if you want Mackenzie Blaine, it takes more than a kiss and cute ass.”
“Good to know, Baby Blaine. Good to know.”
She paused, narrowing on me. For no good reason, her gaze shifted to the target lying on the carpet.
“Give it time, Sunny.”
I tensed. “Are we still talking about your sister?”
“If you want to be.” With that, she winked and ducked out.
MACKENZIE
I paced the living room, fingers flying to my mouth every other second. Each time they confirmed the spearminty taste of Sunny Bellisario was still on my lips.
He kissed me. I can’t believe he kissed me.
I can’t believe you let him, said a treacherous voice.
“Miss Blaine.”
I jerked, whirling around to Ms. Fuller.
“You’re standing there staring at the couch like you need its permission to sit down. Relax,” she said—more like ordered. “This is your home now. Tell me what you’d like for breakfast, I’ll get Nadine started on it.”