Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“Okay.” Eedie clapped. “I’m headed to work.”
I pressed a kiss to Eedie’s head, pulled her glittery hair strands she used as extensions out from my mouth, then went to do the same to Silver.
Silver’s eyes glittered with heat as she said, “Glitter looks good in your mustache, Piers.”
I tapped her nose with my fingers and said, “That’s enough.”
She snickered as I backed off and said, “Let’s go, Hai.”
Hai popped up, grabbed his phone, then walked to Eedie.
I left the room to keep from seeing him kissing on my little girl.
“Bye, Piers!”
“Bye, honey!” I called back as I walked out of my house.
I flipped my neighbor off, passed the sign tacked to my mailbox that said I had another HOA violation, and hopped on my bike.
I’d have to put in a second driveway at this point. As it was, Silver’s car, Eedie’s car, and Hai’s car were taking up so much of the driveway that I couldn’t fit another vehicle in it.
My truck and my bike were on the street—which I was sure drove the HOA and my neighbor crazy.
Not that I cared.
But if I wasn’t careful, they’d just call the cops on them, and I’d have to deal with violations and cops.
“Good morning,” I heard said when I straddled my bike and got my helmet on my head.
“Hey.” I jerked my chin. “How’s it hangin’, Frank?”
“To the left, like always, Webber.” Frank winked at me as he kept up his run.
Frank and his wife, Maura, had to be the one and only thing I’d miss from this stupid neighborhood.
They were good neighbors to have, and happened to have four girls, all of them in high school.
Though Eedie had graduated in May, leaving their kids next up.
I got my bike helmet in place and started my bike, waiting for Hai to back out of my driveway before I swung a bitch in the middle of the road and followed him.
Hai drove like an old lady, though, so I passed him the moment we got out of the residential area.
I also passed Gunner on the way to my house, and we swapped chin lifts.
When I got to the main office, the parking lot was half filled.
But as I took my spot right next to the door, more people rolled in behind me.
I knew that they’d be on time.
They knew better than to be late for a meeting.
My mom met me at the door with a coffee and a cinnamon roll.
Mom brought donuts for everyone else but always made sure to get me my favorite drug of choice.
Shipleys donuts were by far superior to any other donut place in the world, but their cinnamon rolls…they were to die for.
They were also expensive, and no way was I buying forty of them to feed to the guys at five dollars a pop.
“I’m glad to see you in,” Mom said. “You have a lot of stuff to catch up on.”
I grimaced. “They made me come.”
I wouldn’t have left even now, but it’d been two weeks and there was only so much that my mother could do from her end before stuff needed signing by the actual boss.
Hai walked in behind me, and my mom came out with another cinnamon roll in her hands.
“Hey, you don’t stay rich by buying stuff we don’t need!” I teased.
My mom gave me a sharp look. “You will buy what I say you buy, and then get a write-off. I already give you the out and don’t buy the other guys these cinnamon rolls, but Hai’s family.”
I winked at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
She pointed at me like she knew I was just trying to rile her up, then shook her head and looked at Hai. “Don’t let this big doofus intimidate you.”
“I’ll try,” Hai admitted.
I chuckled as I headed into my office, Hai close on my heels.
He knew we ate our breakfast in the breakroom. Just because we got something better than the rest of them didn’t mean we had to flaunt it in front of them.
The rest were in the makeshift conference room in the garage, and only Hai and I were in my office.
Giving me time to ask him what his plans for life were.
I’d wanted to ask him for a while, but Eedie was always around.
“What do you want out of life, Hai?” I asked.
Hai paused with his cinnamon roll halfway up to his mouth before saying, “What do you mean?”
“Do you want to live here? Work here? Marry my daughter?” I asked.
“Marry your daughter, for sure, yes. But not yet.” He paused. “I want to go into the military.”
My lips quirked. “Which branch?”
“The Air Force Academy,” he answered. “I got accepted. I did all the legwork. Worked my ass off to get the applications in. My mom freaked and said I couldn’t go, but now…”
“Now Mom is no longer in the picture, giving you enough room to breathe and allowing you to make your own decisions,” I said. “You know that you go there, you can’t take Eedie with you.”