Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Now I’d at least get a couple weeks with him. My folks had offered to babysit while the rest of us went to the wedding, but fuck that for two reasons. I wasn’t giving him up, and I sure as hell wasn’t surrendering him for a whole week to my parents.
At the same time, I had to make some changes. Aside from what were now monthly Skype calls, Colin had only seen my parents in person one single time, and I was running out of excuses as to why I was keeping him from them. My mother was distraught, and my old man was annoyed.
Roe may not get a honeymoon before Mexico, but he’d be off work for a month beginning around mid-October when their boy was due. Perhaps I could convince Nikki to come with me to Norfolk. Ma would get to see Colin, and I’d have Nikki there as my emotional support human.
That was fucking it, though. My mother would have to meet me halfway too. If she wanted to see Colin more often, she could hop on a goddamn plane.
Sadly for her, her warning about California had been kinda true. She’d been so scared Los Angeles would change me. Boy, had it. Well…Los Angeles had made me realize a thing or two. I was no longer their somewhat obedient son who shut up and played nice to keep the peace. If Ma called me obstinate for not attending church with her, what would she call me if she knew I’d bartended at a gay club? Or…nope, leaving Vegas out of it. Fuck.
When we reached our street, I glanced over at Roe and shook his shoulder gently. He’d fallen asleep again.
“Yeah, I’m up,” he mumbled.
I paid the fare, then got out to unload our bags.
The house was a sight for sore eyes, even with the hedge obstructing the view. A hedge that looked good because I’d been smart enough to have a gardening service here while we’d been away. I loved my sister, but I couldn’t trust her with my garden. She could kill a cactus.
As Roe and I grabbed the last pieces of luggage, I heard voices from the other side of the hedge.
“Momma, nowww,” Colin complained.
“I’m coming, sweetie. I’m coming.”
I felt my face light the fuck up, and I abandoned the luggage and jogged over to the gate.
There he was. Fucking hell, he’d grown, hadn’t he? To think he was turning three in a few months. He grinned widely upon seeing me, and then we were hurrying toward each other. The gate slammed shut behind me as I swooped him up.
“Home now, Dada!”
“Yeah, Daddy’s home now, baby. God, it’s so good to see you.” I peppered his cute face with kisses, a little saddened to see the chubbiness fading slowly. But a little proud at the same time, ’cause he was looking more and more like me. Except for his coloring. He had his mama’s beautiful eyes and a copper tint to his dark hair.
I had a thing for green eyes. Both Nikki and Roe had ’em.
Nikki came over with a beaming smile, and I pulled her in for a hug too. It was damn good to see her.
“Welcome home, you rogue.”
I chuckled and kissed her temple. “Thanks.”
Colin began rambling, something that was also changing. He was speaking. He picked up new words every day, but he was still my little bear who liked to growl and show me his mean face and claws. Rawr. Too damn cute.
In the commotion, I’d completely missed seeing Sandra, so it hit me when I looked back toward Roe. Like a sucker punch straight in the gut. She had her arms and legs wrapped around him, and he was smiling widely.
In that summer dress, her baby bump was more visible than it’d been a few weeks ago.
They really looked like a perfect couple. Sandra was all wavy blond hair and smiles, and Roe… Roe looked happy. They murmured to each other in between kisses, and I wanted to fucking hurl. A heavy, obsidian darkness descended over me, and I tensed up at the onslaught of jealousy. God-fucking-dammit. That hurt. That fucking hurt. I wanted to tear them apart.
Instead, I pressed another kiss to Colin’s cheek and planned my escape. Get the luggage inside, focus on Colin, put on some music, hug my sister, eat, shower, whatever.
*
Cue applause.
“Welcome back to Know Your BFF! Our contestants tonight are truly proving not only how well they know each other but how badly they want to move to the next round. Jake and Roe received another almost perfect score in the Hot Seat, Jake with thirteen out of fifteen points, Roe with fourteen. But now we’re moving on!” Bailey stepped between the two booths as one cameraman eased back on the dolly track to make room for another. “So we’ve learned through Roe that Jake listens to ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries when he’s in a bad mood, Zoey let us know that her BFF David can’t sleep without his sound machine set on jungle noise, Jake had no problems listing all of Roe’s Marine brothers, and David ratted Zoey out for her passion for famous quotes and proverbs. You know what this means! We have our four next topics.”