Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“Babe, everyone’s got a mean streak. The only difference is what it takes for it to come out.”
“Well, I feel like a fool for not recognizing the signs. If I would’ve seen the red flags before I got pregnant…”
“Then you wouldn’t have your boy. If I would’ve pulled the fuck out, I wouldn’t have my girl. Sometimes mistakes are worth it.”
She stared at him like she was finally seeing him. Was she actually considering his offer? If so, he needed to close the deal. As fast as fucking possible.
“So, got an easy solution for your house. Let it go.”
She bugged out her blue eyes at him. “Let it go? Then where will we live?”
Did he fuck up what little strides he already made with her? “Offered you a place. All free. Free house, free food, free utilities. Your Honda needs work, got it covered. Got everythin’ fuckin’ covered.”
“Hold on. You want me to live with you?”
“How else you gonna take care of Sunny? How else am I gonna protect you?”
If she shook her head any harder, she might get whiplash. “I’m not. You’re not.”
“Yeah, you are.”
Chapter Five
“Yeah, you are.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.
Taryn feared this would end up being another bullet point on her list of decisions she regretted. This one might be written all in capitals and in bold. With a string of exclamation points.
Because she was currently taking steps to move into a house owned by a biker with her six-year-old son so she could help care for that same biker’s ten-year-old daughter.
How the hell did she get here?
By vehicle, obviously.
She turned right onto Village Road and slowly drove her Honda through the village of Dead Man’s Hollow. The fact it was even still called a village was laughable. It was more like an area that time forgot.
A few single-family homes, still in livable condition, were mixed in with the buildings gradually returning to the earth as they deteriorated from weather and a lack of maintenance.
The only business on that stretch of road was GetGo. The gas station/garage/convenience store combo, with an attached tiny post office, sat on the corner at one of the four crossroads. GetGo apparently was a one-stop shop, but she imagined most village residents took the short drive to Sunbury for the majority of their needs.
“Warnin’, my place ain’t big. Only got two bedrooms. One for me and Sunny’s got her own room.”
Oh yes, here she was, in a situation she never thought she’d be in…with a big, bad biker sitting in the passenger seat of her Honda Pilot.
He looked and smelled so much better today than on Monday. Most likely because he was no longer hungover or exhausted from pleasuring two women.
At. The. Same. Time.
He could’ve mentioned the fact that his place only had two bedrooms every time they spoke in the last few days when they were making arrangements.
Of course he hadn’t.
He wanted her to say yes to his offer and only having two bedrooms would’ve put another checkmark in her “hell no” column.
“Easy solution, have Sunny sleep with you. I’ll sleep with Wren.”
She didn’t have to turn to see he was staring at her. His dark eyes were burning a hole in the side of her head. “Ain’t happenin’.”
“What do you mean? I thought you wanted me to help out with Sunny.”
“You’re gonna. But gonna be sleepin’ in my room.”
“I am?” He couldn’t mean…
“Yeah.”
No. She wasn’t sharing a room with a stranger. A male stranger. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Yeah, it was. In the small print.”
“Even if I agreed to that”—she never would—“where would Wren sleep?”
“A bunk bed.”
“Where?”
“In Sunny’s room.”
Her head jerked back. This man must be smoking some pretty potent pot. “You want my son to sleep in the same room as your daughter?”
“He a pervert?”
“What? No!” She flip-flopped on whether she should laugh or cry at that ridiculous question.
“Then, it’ll work for now. They’re fuckin’ kids.”
“Won’t Sunny mind sharing her room?” Especially with a stranger.
“Ain’t up to her.”
“She might end up hating you for that decision.”
“Won’t be the first time,” he muttered. “But she don’t make the decisions, I do.”
“For me to agree with this, you need to take the couch.”
“Too late. Already agreed. Maybe I don’t got a couch.”
“First of all, I can revoke my bad decision at any time. Second, if you don’t have a couch“—she shot him a sure, buddy look—”you can buy a cot and sleep on that. In the basement, in the attic. I don’t care.”
“Said the house is small. No basement or attic.”
Now she knew he was lying. “I bet you could find a really nice tent to pitch in the backyard.”
“Kids might like that.”
“It was for you, not them.”
He sucked on his teeth.
She couldn’t believe only three days ago he talked her into this arrangement.
She still debated on whether to put her house up for sale. While she couldn’t afford to keep it, she also couldn’t afford to let it go into foreclosure. Something Stone had suggested at the time.