Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
And with that, he rushed toward Charlotte, cupping her face, stopping her from climbing into Maeve’s car.
“I’m going to take her home,” he said, looking toward Maeve.
The other woman looked shocked but just nodded her head. This was not how he wanted matters to end.
Taking hold of Charlotte’s hand, he walked over to his bike and swung his leg over the seat.
“You don’t have to do this,” Charlotte said.
“I do, because I love you, and I wasn’t lying to you, babe. I love you, and I see a life with you.”
Chapter Fourteen
“What the hell was that?” Nancy asked, pointing her arm in the direction of the outside.
Doc glared at his ex-wife. He was still holding onto Savage’s jacket and reeling from Charlotte’s outburst. They had both betrayed him. He didn’t know how long this had been going on, but Charlotte deserved better. She should be with a man that was not a fucking biker.
“I’m trying to take care of our daughter, while you want to pimp her out to every single fucking loser that walks in that door.”
“Are you fucking insane?” she asked. “Are you even thinking straight?”
He looked toward Maeve who was also in his office, and she offered him a smile, although it didn’t quite reach her lips.
“We’re not going to talk about this,” he said.
He was done talking. Right now, he wanted to deal with the fact he had just lost a good man, but he had also lost his freaking daughter.
“You know, one of the bullies from her high school sent you that video,” Nancy said. “I knew you were a hothead, but I didn’t think it would come at the cost of your own daughter!”
“Nancy, I suggest you give it a fucking rest,” he said, no longer in the mood to entertain her antics.
“A fucking rest!” Nancy let out a scream. “She’s our only child, Doc. That may not matter to you because you’ve got a new woman and all that, but Charlotte is still our girl.”
“I love our daughter,” Doc said.
“You know, you have a bad way of showing it, and I am going to leave now, because you might want to cut our daughter out, but I’m not a fucking asshole like you. I love her, and whoever she wants to be with, I will learn to accept it.” Nancy stormed toward the door and turned back to glare at him. “Fucking waste.”
She slammed the door, and Doc turned toward Maeve.
“You’re quiet.”
“I’m just listening, and observing.”
“You’re judging,” he said.
She shook her head. “I’m not judging. I know Charlotte had a hard time of it, and the way it took four of us to pull her off that kid who was apparently her bully, that is a lot of repressed rage. I am curious, though,” Maeve said.
“About what?”
“If not Savage, then who would you have in mind for Charlotte?”
“I ... someone good. Someone who will treat her right, who puts her first, and will love her.”
“So, someone exactly like Savage. You’ve said yourself he’s a good man. Loyal, hardworking, and you trust him with everything, or nearly everything, since you don’t trust him with your daughter. However, I would say that man showed that he is completely, one hundred percent committed to your daughter,” Maeve said, getting to her feet and rounding the desk. She put her hands on his shoulders, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. “And trust me on this, you are going to regret pushing them away. You love them both, we know this.”
She kissed him again.
And he knew his woman was right.
****
The following morning, Charlotte got up early, used the bathroom, and snuck into the kitchen, where she got the coffeepot fired up. She and Savage hadn’t said a lot last night. They had made love well into the night, but words hadn’t exactly been necessary. One brief look at him, and she saw he was covered in bruises from her father, and she couldn’t help but wince. No matter what was going on with her and Savage, her father shouldn’t have done that.
Opening the fridge, she grabbed breakfast sausage and eggs, as she had used the last of the bacon yesterday, and she needed to run to the store.
She was partway through cooking the sausage and beating the eggs, when Savage walked out of the bedroom, and she winced. He had a lot of bruises.
He’d pulled on a pair of sweatpants and ran a hand down his face. “Hey, beautiful,” he said, moving around the kitchen and wrapping his arms around her. “How are you feeling?”
“How am I feeling? Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? You’re the one that got the life beat out of him.”
“Yeah, I know, and it fucking sucks, but I’m here now. The bruises will fade.”
“I don’t know how you can be so calm,” she said.