Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“…You have. The contract will be burned,” Grandpa stated dryly, while still not making eye contact.
“If you ever, and I mean ever, try to blackmail me, hurt my family, includin’ my mama, I’m going to take you the fuck out. Nothin’ will stop me. You’re still alive only because of an answered prayer.”
Their gazes hooked for a fleeting second.
“You better thank your unborn great grandchild for savin’ your miserable life.” He slowed down, reached over his grandfather, slapped another piece of tape over his mouth, then unbuckled him. “…Because if it wasn’t for my child growin’ inside of my fiancée as we speak, you’d be floatin’ down the river in your own blood, and bloatin’ up like a blimp. This is your stop, motherfucker.”
He unlocked the passenger side door, swung it open, and pushed him hard. Then he swung around and kicked him with both booted feet, forcing the old bastard to topple out of the truck. As soon as Grandpa landed on the asphalt in a loud thud, he took off down the road. When he looked back in the rear view mirror, Grandpa was still lying there, barely moving. Soon, he was merely a speck in the distance. Kage tossed out his cigarette.
“That’s the last cigarette I’m going to smoke. I got a baby comin’!” Tears of joy filled his eyes. “Gotta keep the air clean around my child, and break this habit. I want to live a long time for my wife and child. I’ve got a lot to live for!”
He turned up the tunes. Jefferson Airplane’s, ‘White Rabbit’ played. He smiled as the breeze blew through his hair. Stone had lived to see another day…
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
A Wonderous Picture and a Wedding Prayer
It was a seventy-one degree day in Houston Texas, with a whisper of a breeze. Just enough to help keep cool, but not to disrupt the wedding décor for the outside nuptials to take place on Kage’s vast property. The tall oak and Magnolia trees were wrapped in green, ivory and purple ribbons, and the energy of the earth was electric and inviting. All of the wedding wooden chairs had green moss coverings, and the wooden arch lined with fresh wildflowers was arranged around the riverbank. Snow Patrol’s, ‘Chasing Cars’ played while their guests arrived. From Poet’s vantage point, she could see her family and friends entering, then pausing to engage in a love fest of hugging, shaking hands, and laughing before taking their seats.
Poet looked on from a private hideaway that smelled of patchouli, cherries and vanilla—a little shed decorated in emerald-green, lush cream, and royal purple to match her wedding colors. The shed had been previously used to house Kage’s riding lawnmower, but he’d parked it somewhere else and had a cleaning crew come over to make the place look like a gorgeous tiny home, equipped with an area for the hairdresser to coif her an updo, and the makeup artist to work her magic. A wall of mirrors allowed her to check that she looked her best. All of her bridesmaids, many of them friends from her job and college years were outside of the shed, giving her a moment to herself. They were dressed in their green dresses with dark purple sashes, sipping champagne while she nursed her sparkling apple cider.
She took another taste, then gingerly set the pretty crystal flute down. Turning to the wall of mirrors, she regarded her abdomen. A slight protrusion—most wouldn’t notice. She ran her hand slowly down her stomach, following the small curve of her body, and caressed the tiny bump, feeling warm and emotional within. What had begun as a shock, soon morphed into a much wanted unexpected blessing. She was not in a maternal mind frame. She’d only wanted to be a wife—but things had gone in warp speed, and now she believed it was simply meant to be. After she’d taken the pregnancy test and Kage took her to the doctor, she saw his inner child come out. He clapped at the news, smiling from ear to ear, and was just over the moon with excitement.
Kage got his way then: to have a short engagement. She’d initially planned their wedding almost two years further out at a Dallas venue she wanted, but moved the date up after discovering that she was with child. Not because she gave a damn about a shotgun wedding, per se, but she wanted to enjoy her nuptials before their new addition arrived. Today she felt beautiful and full of energy. She felt alive and free.
Placing one bare foot in front of the other, she made her way closer to the mirrors and studied herself. The lovely, simple cream gown flowed into a long, lacey train that trailed several feet behind her in soft, thick fabric. Her hair had been brushed away from her face and arranged in a sleek, elegant bun, with baby breath piercing the folds, and little diamond hair pendants scattered atop her hair, too. Adorning her right ankle was a purple and green beaded anklet that her soon-to-be mother-in-law had gifted her at her bachelorette party. The stones meant something, as it was explained. She lifted her gown ever so slightly and looked down at it, then laughed. Not because it was silly—it was in fact gorgeous, a hand-made gift from a colorful woman—but because of the memory it elicited.