Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
I had so much to consider.
How did I present this to Mace in a favorable way?
The guy said no more than anyone I had ever known.
=♥=
Mace
A Few Days Later
“Lori, you’re makin’ me fuckin’ crazy. Pick a spot,” I said with all the piss and vinegar I had to offer. My sister was a basket case. This insane crib took two hours to assemble and had been lifted and scooted across every inch of the nursery’s floor to find the right place.
“Mace, she’s with child. Her brain’s all about nestin’. Let her do it,” my mom said, painting the walls in a pastel pink. The entire goal of today was to have this done before Max got home from work. He was handy, sort of, but didn’t work well with chores inside the home. We were in a time crunch and Lori was being too picky. Shocker.
“The window’s open for ventilation, and we’re in the summer heat of Texas. It’s got to be a hundred and ten degrees outside. The crib’s stayin’ in this corner. They can rearrange for the next two months until the baby arrives,” I said, and pushed the crib in the closest corner. “Did you buy the heaviest crib on the market on purpose?”
Lori stared critically at me. “Mace’s datin’ someone.”
Omigod. A small puff of breath escaped my lips at her sheer audacity. I’d spent hours here being the grunt in an effort to just be helpful. Fuck her.
“Mace, you’re datin’? When did that happen? Is it serious?” my mom asked. My father took a seat in one of my rocking chairs as stunned by the news as my mom. “Who is she?”
“Lori’s tryin’ to get under my skin. I’m not seein’ anyone,” I said, and started out of the nursery. I glared at Lori as I went.
“He’s lyin’” she said, driving my secrets to the forefront.
So what did I do now? Lori was playing with fire over something she knew nothing about.
“Mace, stop,” my mom called. I didn’t until I made it into the cooler part of the house and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. “Why are you hidin’ it from us?”
I continued gulping while my mind raced. What did I say in return? No lie sounded believable. “Lori’s bein’ purposefully mean. The guy that owns the big house y’all cleaned, I’ve been hangin’ with him. He might invest in the refuge. Which, if he did, that would come with acreage from his land for me to lease. His land butts up against Natalie’s. I’d be able to take in horses.”
“Mace, that’s great. You needed to get out of your own head.” My mom scooted onto a barstool, sitting directly across from me on the other side of the small island. “Who is he?”
“I think he’s successful in the stock market. He doesn’t want to be identified here but I don’t think anyone would know him.” I stopped speaking for fear all my rambling would give away the parts that were lies.
“I was messin’ with Mace,” Lori announced as she waddled into the room. “I’m sorry I said that.”
She stared at me and I shot laser beams back at her but kept my mouth closed.
“I noticed you were participating more with life. It’s encouraging, son. After so much time, we thought this was your new normal,” his father added, following Lori. “You need friends and a purpose. The sanctuary will give you that. We’ll free you up at the bar to give you time.”
“It’s the guy that ordered all the alcohol. We met them when they came to pick it up. He bought Mace’s rockin’ chairs. We delivered them, and it turns out, it was a match made in heaven. The guy’s friends were here to go campin’. Mace fit well with them.”
There was zero question in my mind that Lori knew my truth.
How did I feel about that?
My focused gaze landed on my sister again. She mouthed another quick apology.
“That’s great,” my mom said, still staring at me. Her face morphed into one of deep concern. My father’s did too. I didn’t know what it meant and didn’t like the way I regularly put that same look on their faces over the years.
Change of subject.
“If my refuge gets off the ground, it’ll change everything for me.” I felt reasonably sure this was a great diversion. I crossed my arms over my chest. Maybe that would be enough to ping their worry into something positive.
The sweet smile my mom gave eased the anxiety and worry. “That’s excellent, son. How can we help?”
I pushed off the counter, deciding this was the moment I’d leave, heading back to my shift at the bar. “I need you guys to give me room right now. Lori was wrong to say anything to you until I was sure all this was gonna stick.” I dug my hand inside my pocket, reaching for my truck keys. “I’ll update you myself. I promise. Like everything we do, I’ll need regular help and support. Rest now ’cause it’s comin’.”