Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
My entire body locked. “What do you mean she’s missing?”
“Pippa came over yesterday and said some stuff about you like she always does,” Mom said. “And when Boston took offense, Pippa laid into her.”
I cursed under my breath. “Mother, we’ve talked about this. She can’t keep doing this to Boston.”
“That’s what we said,” Mom said quietly. “And then Pippa put out an ultimatum. Either she gets to say what she wants, or she stops speaking to us, too.” She hesitated. “But it was her next words that really got to Boston. She said that she would fight us for custody since we’re treating our son like he isn’t a murderer. According to her, it’s clear that we aren’t fit to be raising a teenager when our loyalties lie with a murderer.”
I was so angry at those words that it took me a second to realize that the room beyond me had gone quiet.
When I looked up it was to find Eddy’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
She’d heard.
My mom was practically vibrating with energy, and to be honest, I had some hearing loss from when I was in the SEALs—hence the reason I’d gotten out when I had—and I always had the volume turned up on my phone so I could hear.
I now realized my huge mistake.
Fuck.
“We tracked her as far as the bus station,” Mom continued, unaware that I’d just fucked up. Huge. “She didn’t get a ticket straight to you. She got it to St. Louis, Missouri.” She hesitated. “Do you want us to go after her?”
There was a long moment of silence as I digested her words.
The meaning.
She wanted to know if they should go after her or let Bossy make her way to me.
“I…”
“Let her come here.” Eddy poked me in the chest.
I opened my mouth to deny that, to explain why, but in my hesitation she used it against me and reached for my phone that I’d let fall from my ear.
“I have someone that’ll come pick her up,” she said into my phone.
I couldn’t hear my mother’s response, because again, hearing issues, but Eddy started to explain.
“I’m Weaver’s good friend,” she must’ve answered my mother’s question. “I can have my sister pick her up from the bus station. She’s actually flying into the same airport to play soccer today. I can get her picked up and brought back to Weaver.”
They spoke a little bit more, but my mother must’ve calmed down, because she was no longer raising her voice.
“Okay, okay. Yes, it’s good to meet you, Shirley. I’ll take care of them both.”
Before I could ask her what she was thinking, she placed my phone down on the bed, careful not to wake Jekyll, and picked her own phone up.
She placed it on speaker so that I could hear every word that was said.
When Nettie answered she sounded distracted.
“Hey, Eddy,” Nettie said. “I’m in the middle of warm-ups, what’s up?”
“Weaver’s daughter ran away from home, and she got a bus ticket to St. Louis. Which is where you’re at. Do you think after your game you can go pick her up before you fly back home?” Eddy asked without preamble.
“Um, sure.” She paused. “But I don’t have a ticket for her.”
“I’ll handle that,” Eddy said. “We’ll make sure that we get Boston’s ticket sent to your phone. She’s underage, so she won’t need an ID or anything.”
“Okay, sounds good.” Nettie snickered. “You remember when we ran away at sixteen and our mom met us two bus stops away and lectured us all the way home?”
“Yeah.” Eddy snickered too. “I think it’s a rite of passage.”
“Damn straight.” She paused. “Why is it so hot to think about Weaver having a daughter?”
Eddy’s eyes met mine when she said, “I know, right?”
They hung up, and only when we stayed staring at each other in uncomfortable silence for a little bit too long did Eddy say, “A dad, huh? Nettie’s right. That is kind of hot.”
I snorted.
“Do you know someone that can get her a ticket without notifying the government and the National Guard?”
“Technically, both of those are one and the same. Both government,” I pointed out. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”
“I’m assuming that I only know half of the story, and I’m reserving judgment until I know the whole thing.” She paused. “If you want to share that with me.”
I studied her face, and her broken arm, and the gauze bandages that were poking out of her tank top.
I thought about all that she’d gone through in the last few days, and the strength she had inside of her. I thought about what it would be like to have a woman that strong, that never gave up. A woman that had asked for me when she barely knew me during the worst moments of her life.
I thought about what I wanted out of a future, and whether or not I wanted to be alone for the rest of my life, or spend it with someone that I could truly share everything with.