Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Chapter 31
Whatever Cash expected, it wasn’t this. He surveyed the room where he sat. Dev’s mother’s dining room reflected the overall house in that it was both spacious and yet somehow homey. It was a beautifully decorated room full of chic, modern furnishings, sprinkled with photographs and mementos, showing the love and history between her and her children.
A complete spread of holiday themed food, probably enough to feed the entire bike club, was both artfully arranged on the table and overflowing in the kitchen.
Including Dev’s two children and himself, six people were at the table. One spot left open, not at the head of the table, for Dev’s father who hadn’t yet arrived. Fox wasn’t necessarily late. They started Thanksgiving dinner early, without him. The food was ready. That simple.
The weirdest part for Cash wasn’t the absence of the bikers he had hoped to begin indoctrinating himself with, but instead the inclusion of children. He had never really been around kids. He had no brothers or sisters, and as a child, he hadn’t attracted those sorts of friendships. He’d been homeschooled since his accident. His church family consisted of the stragglers his parents connected with. His work in law enforcement required a cloak of secrecy.
Having a five-year-old girl plastered to his side required him to think differently. To concentrate on her constant engagement. To listen to her words and try to understand the speak of a small child. Yes, she was adorable. Sweet and overly attentive. A very pretty little girl who had the makings of being a beauty when she grew up. Petite compared to her equally impressive older sister.
Mae may be more outgoing than Abi since Mae chatted nonstop, open with her love of life and family, while Abi was solidly marked with the Fox blood. Anytime she looked at you, you felt like she was making fun of you inside her head.
Both girls were crazy about their father therefore curious about Cash. Abi made Dev work a little harder to gain her attention than Mae did, but she seemed to do it on purpose. Probably a trait she learned from her dad.
“He’s the one Daddy kissed when we were at the apartment,” Mae burst out, giddy with joy. Her hands rushed to her lips, covering her mouth as if she’d dropped the biggest secret of them all.
“I knew she couldn’t hold it,” Abi said, using her fork to pick at the cornbread dressing on her plate. She had proclaimed to the table she didn’t like onions and picked every one out of each bite. “You owe me five dollars.”
“I do not. I didn’t make that bet, you did,” Mae shot back. Since each girl sat on either side of Cash, Mae was almost in his lap when she spouted off at her sister.
“Not at the dinner table,” Dev said. He sat to the left of his mother, directly across from Mae and reached over, tapping the side of the plate with his fork. “Mae, eat.”
“I wondered if you were the one,” Carly, Dev’s mother, said. “She’s been talking about you more than she’s talked about her new puppy. She’s taken with you.”
Cash glanced down as Mae wiggled her hips to scoot closer to him in her seat. Her big eyes stared at him. She wore a bigger smile now and a happy shiver encased her whole body.
“Momo says boys can marry each other. Do you have tattoos?” she asked, not waiting for his response, she continued, “I didn’t see any the other morning.” She turned back to her grandmother as if they were having the conversation. “He wasn’t wearing his shirt when he was in Daddy’s apartment. That’s why I think they’re gonna get married. Wait.” Her finger came up as if she had a great idea. She looked at him again. “Was that line going up your chest a tattoo?” Again, she didn’t wait for his answer when her curious gaze shifted to her father, not missing a beat. “You can fix that tattoo, right, Daddy? It wasn’t very good.”
“Mae,” Dev warned, looking at her then her plate.
“I’m all done,” she answered, pushing the plate away. “Daddy can give you tattoos.” She moved her hand over her body then down each arm. “He’s gonna give me tattoos when I’m fifteen.” She looked back at her father for confirmation.
“Eighteen,” Dev said and extended a hand to push the plate back closer to her. “Eat more green beans. They’re good for you.”
“Eighteen,” she confirmed proudly. “I’m gonna do a sleeve of all the princesses. Daddy can draw them. He drew them once when I couldn’t sleep.” As she spoke, her eyes grew bigger. He could practically see another lightbulb moment gaining momentum. “You can have all the superheroes. You look like one. You can draw them, can’t you, Daddy?”