Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Bowie let out a low moan.
“You can kiss all those sports you love goodbye,” Danyetta said stiffly. “No more friends. No more electronics. No more cool school. You’ll be going back to public school, where you no longer have all those really cool classes you love. For you being a damn genius, you really made a poor decision today.”
Okay, well it was a good thing that I wasn’t alone in the anger scale.
“Do you mind if I say something?” Morrigan asked quietly.
All eyes turned to her.
“No, feel free,” Danyetta said just as quietly. “You’re going to be a major part of this family. I feel like maybe you should have a say in how we’re raising our son.”
Morrigan looked as if she was brought close to tears by those words, and I was happier than a pig in shit that she’d given Morrigan the acceptance that she needed. Because Danyetta was right. Morrigan might not be wearing my ring—yet—but she would be. Very soon in the future if I had my way.
Because when the love of your life was the love of your life, you couldn’t just wish that feeling away. It was a constant ache deep in your heart that constantly let you know where they should be—right beside you. And I’d done a whole lot of denying myself of that lately.
It was time for me to lock her down.
“Why would we listen to you?” Bowie lashed out.
Morrigan started talking before either Danyetta or I could react.
“Because through your father, you became someone I’ll protect with all my heart,” she replied. “Who encouraged you to do this? I saw the video. I know that look in your eyes. You were angry and hurting. You didn’t want to do it. Why did you?”
I hadn’t noticed any hesitation.
But I was so fucking angry that I was only focusing on his actions. Not his hesitations.
Bowie looked shocked for a moment. As if he hadn’t expected to be asked who’d given him the idea.
He looked at Morrigan for a few long seconds before glancing at me. Then at his mom.
“My coach,” Bowie rasped. “He was the one to give me the idea.”
My head snapped in his direction. “What?”
“Coach Kingston. My baseball coach. He was talking about how when he was young, he used to get really mad, and set things on fire.” He winced. “I…” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have done it. I knew it as soon as I turned the wheel on the lighter. But I was just so mad.”
Well at least there was that.
That didn’t matter anymore, though.
“It’ll cost us a hundred thousand dollars to fix that coffee shop,” I told him. Bowie blanched at my words. “I don’t have that kind of money, and your mother’s only line of income to that much money would be if she sold her restaurant. Is that what you want?”
“No!” he shrieked.
“Why were you mad?” Morrigan asked.
Bowie opened his mouth to blurt out whatever, but then closed it.
“You are taking him away from me.” He sniffled. “It’s not fair.”
I felt my heart shrink a bit at that.
“I’d never take him away from you,” she replied.
“And you can’t blame your bad actions on your father deciding to see someone,” Danyetta responded. “And to be quite frank, your attitude toward your father has been atrocious for quite some time. Way before Morrigan came into the picture. And, though I don’t necessarily agree with your coach saying that he used to burn stuff when he was mad, I also think that you’re an intelligent child that can tell when he should and shouldn’t do something.”
“Agreed,” I concurred.
Bowie’s shoulders slumped.
“Do you want to know what it’s like to be in federal prison?” I asked.
Bowie looked as if he didn’t, but I told him anyway.
“I was told when to eat. When to sleep. When I could take a shit. When I could bathe my body. When I could see the doctor.” I ticked off my fingers. “And those were only the good things.”
“Couldn’t talk to y’all,” Wake said. “Which fuckin’ sucked. Danyetta called to tell us you fell and needed stitches in your eyebrow, and I’ve never seen your dad so fuckin’ broken.”
Bowie looked as if he’d just been kicked.
“Can she not press charges?” Bowie asked hopefully.
Bowie was young. He had stars in his eyes, and he was easily influenced.
But this time, I couldn’t save him.
“No,” I said. “Because not only were you caught on her cameras, but you were caught on the ones across the street.”
“I didn’t mean for it to get that big.” He winced. “I saw the two of them talking before I went inside. They were right there. They were supposed to see.”
Even his tears couldn’t help this time.
“Well, they didn’t,” I said. “And what’s worse is you could’ve killed them. Had they not been paying attention as little as they were, they could’ve been trapped in the back with nowhere to go. They could’ve died back there, and it could’ve been your fault.”