Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“Of course you can.”
“And my unicorn shorts?”
By “unicorn,” she meant they were pastel sequin-looking shorts.
“Yep, those too.”
I was, and had always been, the epitome of a tomboy. I’d grown up on a ranch, spent all my free time in nature, in the dirt, climbing trees, ripping clothes, plucking leaves and brambles out of my hair. That love of the outdoors simply never faded, just transformed to hiking and camping as I got older. And hiking and camping and full-glam or pretty dresses simply didn’t mix.
Somehow, though, I’d produced the girliest girl known to mankind. She loved picking out her outfits, buying clothes, putting on accessories, and occasionally playing dress-up with makeup.
“Finish up your apple so you can take your shower.”
While she was in there, I loaded all our food into the mini-fridge in the room, glad to have a small freezer to re-freeze our ice packs. Then I cleaned all our plates and cutlery in the sink while dreaming of having a real sink again. Or, in a dream world, a dishwasher. And after brushing out Denny’s hair and putting her in bed with the TV on, I dreamed about a washing machine that didn’t require quarters.
Once the clothes were hung up, I made my way back out to find Denali had already passed out in the middle of her show.
I double-checked the locks before going into the bathroom to lean against the wall and sigh.
I really needed the trip to the zoo to go well. I needed York to be charmed by his daughter and want to do whatever he could to help her. Because I didn’t know what the hell to do if he decided to wash his hands of us.
CHAPTER FOUR
York
A child.
I had a child.
A whole human being that was walking and talking and experiencing the world for the first time. And I had no idea.
I had to keep clearing my throat, like something was lodged there. My heart, maybe.
I was a father.
Not by practice—yet—but by blood.
I couldn’t really wrap my head around it.
I’d been bracing myself for running into Velle in the morning. With his concerned eyes and “I’m here for you if you need to talk.” All well-intentioned, of course, but not what I needed right then. I was trying not to overthink things before the trip to the zoo.
But it wasn’t Velle waiting for me to come down.
It was Huck.
He leaned back against the counter, a mug in his hand, nodding to me as I came down into the kitchen.
“So, it got around, I guess.”
“You didn’t really expect news that big to be kept a secret, did you?”
“Guess not,” I said, beelining for the coffee pot.
Understandably, I hadn’t done much sleeping. My eyes were sandpaper, my mind soup. I was hoping some caffeine would help.
“You had no idea?”
“Nope. It was a one-night stand. I used a condom. I had no reason to assume I had a kid out there.”
Huck sure as fuck had a reputation before he found his woman and settled down into monogamy. If anyone understood a one-night stand, it was him.
“But you do,” he said. “I’m not gonna ask you to get all heartwarming and share your feelings with me.”
“Thank fuck.”
“But I am going to give you a dose of reality.”
“Alright.”
“Doesn’t matter if you meant to have a kid. Doesn’t matter if you didn’t even want a kid. You’ve got one. It’s your job to be there for it now. Financially, but also in a more meaningful way. There’s no excuse for a man to walk away from their kid.”
“Her. Be there for her.”
He nodded at that. “The boys are fun,” he said, being a father of both genders. “Get to be rough and do crazy shit with them. They look to you to teach them how to be good men. But the little girls wrap their tiny hands around your heart and squeeze.”
“Maybe. When you’ve been there from the jump.”
“Nah, trust me. It won’t matter how late you came to the party. Does she know about you?”
“Runa told her I’m a friend. Told me she didn’t want to promise a father if I was going to be a dick.”
“That’s fair. Heard you’re going to the zoo.”
“Yeah. Runa wants to talk. She figures Denali will be distracted by the animals, so we can get a little privacy.”
“She’s, what, five?”
“Around there, yeah.”
“That’s a good age. I get that it might be awkward. Especially because you haven’t even spent much time with the club kids. But try to interact with her, not just her mom.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Did Runa say why she showed up now?”
“She said she finally got a tip about where to find me.”
“But?” he asked.
“But there was something she wasn’t saying.”
“Well, when has a woman ever shown up in the vicinity of this club without some kind of trouble on her heels?”