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)
I hadn’t realized that I slept bad without Aodhan until Aodhan wasn’t here, but his son was.
Ever since my attack, the thought of being alone was abhorrent to me. Not that I would be telling Aodhan that or anything. Then he’d feel bad, and there would be nothing we could do about it.
• • •
“Hey, Morr!” I heard Bowie call.
I stopped in the middle of brushing my teeth and called out, “Yeah?”
“I turned the alarm off because I needed to take the trash out. Do you need anything from me?”
I smiled. “No, but thank you!”
“Welcome. I’m gonna play some Call of Duty on the big TV. Is that okay?” he yelled.
“Yes!” I said. “I have to get some payroll done, and then I’ll be down!”
Plus, Aodhan should be home very soon.
It’d been a full twelve hours since he’d left. Any second, he’d be sliding that tight butt onto the back of his bike and riding home to me.
Well, to Bowie, too.
I faced forward and cleaned the bathroom mirror where I’d sprayed toothpaste foam during my conversation, and then went back to brushing my teeth.
I felt better today.
A lot better.
Better enough that I wished, only kind of anyway, that we were completely alone when Aodhan got home. But I’d thoroughly enjoyed Bowie’s presence last night, and maybe I could get Aodhan to take us out to lunch…
There was a clicking sound in the bedroom, and I walked out, excited because I thought maybe Aodhan was home early. But who I walked out to definitely wasn’t Aodhan.
Hell, it wasn’t even a man at all. But a woman.
My mother.
I blinked, staring at her in shock.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked to not only see her, but to see her standing in my bedroom where she definitely wasn’t supposed to be.
“He’s going to kill you,” she whispered, her eyes slightly chaotic as she started to move toward me.
And before I could do much of anything, because I was still in complete shock to see my mother for the first time in forever, I didn’t stop her from not only getting in my space, but touching me altogether.
Her hands went to my neck, and once again someone was choking me.
I instantly started to fight back, pushing her away.
But, for an old woman, she was extremely strong and wouldn’t let go.
That’s when I started to panic, which wasn’t a good thing for me.
Anxiety and my condition didn’t mix.
I started to feel light-headed, but still I tried to pry her off of me.
She wasn’t necessarily hurting me, but she was there, in my personal space, with her hands on my neck. That was enough to shoot my adrenaline into overdrive, and my stupid body to start overreacting.
When my vision started to haze around the edges, I groaned.
“Let me go,” I whispered, feeling her fingernails dig into my skin, and hot liquid started to drip down my neck. “Please don’t do this.”
My vision darkened even more, and my last waking thought was “Bowie.”
CHAPTER 22
I look like I’m trying to help, but in actuality, I’m pressing the “elevator close” button as fast as I can.
-Aodhan to Morrigan
AODHAN
Party girls. The life of the party. Always wanting to go, go, go, and do, do, do.
That just wasn’t Morrigan.
I couldn’t wait to get home and find her in bed.
I was early. As in, two hours early, because the family that’d booked the charter with me had asked to go back early due to their son having a puking problem for the majority of the overnight trip.
I’d obliged, and now I was not only early, but I was bringing food home, and couldn’t wait to surprise her with not only the food, but me in the bed.
My thoughts were on Morrigan as I pulled out of the donut shop’s parking lot.
I just loved when I walked in on her sleeping.
Dating and loving a sleepy girl, I never had to worry about what she was doing, where she was at, or who she was with. Why? Because I knew exactly where she was, at any given point in the day.
At home. Asleep.
It didn’t escape my notice, either, that she loved being at home all day, every day.
Sure, she loved going out and spending time with people outside of the house, but ultimately, she was a homebody, through and through. She enjoyed being at home, lazing around in bed, and watching movies on the couch.
Even better if I was there with her.
I was all but whistling in excitement to see my girl when I pulled into the driveway with the donuts and chocolate milks that I’d purchased.
When I opened my front door, however, I didn’t see who I expected to see.
“Hey, Bow,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
And why are you not at school?
Not that I cared that he was in my house. I actually kind of liked it.