Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“We’d been dating, but we hadn’t gone on an official date. Neither of us wanted to. We kind of liked it just the two of us, but we knew you wouldn’t ... stop.”
Tabitha’s mouth opened and closed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Well, you had Simon and the distance thing. Not to mention Lexie’s cancer diagnosis and everything since then. There was never a good time to tell you. We’ve also been living together for quite some time.” There was no reason to lie.
Miles chuckled. “I should have known you and him were a couple. He was never into any of the chicks throughout high school. It was always you, and then he just seemed different, and that was because you guys were together. Damn, you two are good.”
“It wasn’t even meant to be a secret. Honestly, it just kind of happened that way.” She shrugged and then winced. Leaning back on the bed, she dropped her hands down.
“Is there anything else I should know?” Tabitha asked. “Do you have any children?”
“No, we don’t have kids.” They had a pregnancy scare, but that turned out to be nothing, and she wasn’t going to tell them about that.
“Wow,” Tabitha said. “You and Anthony ... your love story is even better than mine and Simon’s.”
“I’m not competing.”
“I know,” Tabitha said with a laugh.
It was good to tell them the truth.
Within thirty minutes, Lacey and Whizz arrived.
Her mother came to her, wrapping her arms around her, and as she did so, Daisy knew she was trying to be careful. Whizz was next, pulling her into his arms and kissing her on top of the head.
“You fucking scared me. Don’t you ever go pulling a stunt like that again. Do you hear me?”
She heard them all loud and clear.
Daisy had gotten a bad feeling about that night. She didn’t even know why, but it had felt wrong. Maybe it was because everything went right.
No one felt any guilt about what they were doing. This was for what happened to Tabitha in high school, this was for all of them. It was payback but done right.
She had known something was wrong. The first two guys she had recognized were not the regular guards she had seen patrolling the clubhouse. Still, she hadn’t said anything.
They had all been ready.
She was shocked that even Constance, Blaise, John, and Damien were happy to kill as well. They all had a score to settle. It shouldn’t have been so easy for them.
The moment they got inside, that had changed. Pulling out of her memory, she looked between her mother and father, and she was just so happy to be alive.
“Thank you,” she said, talking to both of them.
She didn’t know if she had ever thanked them for taking her in, adopting her, and looking after her. For being there for her when she needed it.
“Oh, honey, you don’t need to thank us, not at all,” Lacey said, putting an arm around her and pulling her in close. “We love you. You know this. We will always love you.”
She loved her parents so much.
****
Rachel walked into the room and Daisy sat up in bed. Rachel immediately went to her. Tabitha and Miles had come out so that Rachel, Constance, and Blaise could come see her.
“You scared me,” Rachel said. “You don’t get to scare me like that.”
Daisy let out a chuckle. “I’m so sorry. The next time I’m at death’s door, I’ll tell them it is unacceptable because Rachel cannot stand it.”
“You better,” Rachel said and stepped back.
Constance hugged her. “You know, we were all scared there for a minute. We figured we would have to deal with Anthony without you.”
“Yeah, and we all know that would be a losing battle,” Blaise said.
“Anthony is not that bad.”
“He is not that bad, providing he has you. He is easier to deal with if he knows he has you.” Blaise pulled back from the hug he had given her.
She looked between her friends. She loved all of them. “It will be all right. Nothing bad happened.”
Rachel and Constance looked close to tears.
“What is it?” she asked them, starting to worry.
“We really did think we were going to lose you,” Rachel said. “Everyone has been so worried.”
Daisy looked down as Rachel grabbed one of her hands. Constance grabbed the other, and Blaise even reached out and grabbed her leg.
“This is really sweet, guys. Honestly, it is, but you’re all kind of scaring me now.”
“None of us considered the possibility that we wouldn’t make it,” Blaise said.
This surprised her. “What?” She looked between all three of them. “You guys are crazy. I even told you there was a chance we might not make it.”
Blaise shrugged and Rachel laughed.
“Just because you gave us the warning didn’t mean we actually heard it.”
Daisy couldn’t believe she was hearing this. “You guys do realize that it is a risk, right? Being with the Skulls, this life, comes with a risk of not making it out alive.”