Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Is Sage…”
She placed them down and looked up at Gentry, a look of such all-encompassing hurt on her face that I felt like I’d been sucker-punched in the chest.
A cry left her throat, but she closed her mouth and walked fast toward the door.
She had the door closed behind her when I looked at Gentry again.
“You okay, Gentry?” I asked.
Gentry looked like he’d seen a ghost.
He swallowed hard before he rasped, “No.”
Then he was gone, leaving Weaver and me alone again.
“What was that about?”
Weaver watched the closed door for a long second before he said, “I’m not the only one with a fucked-up past.”
Meaning, he wasn’t the only one that’d escaped prison and left someone behind.
I could read between the lines just fine.
“What’s his story?” I asked.
“Just know that he was in prison for about the same time as me, and Apollo got him out,” I said. “We try not to talk about it too much. The more information we share, the more chance there is of it getting out.”
Understandable.
“What’s in that bag, Weaver?”
Weaver shot me a thankful grin, clearly happy to change the subject. “Let’s find out.”
Eighteen
Neighbor said hi again. I’m just gonna move.
—Weaver to Eddy
Weaver
I was waiting at the airport for my daughter and Nettie to arrive, and it was snowing.
We weren’t in for a big snowstorm or anything, but we were in for enough of a go of it that I knew that Boston would be ecstatic.
She loved snow, and sadly, we didn’t ever get any back home.
We’d gone on a few skiing trips that she’d found out she loved all things winter.
Sadly, those trips hadn’t happened since she was a child.
I just knew her smile would be huge the moment she stepped off the plane and saw it.
I was practically bouncing on my toes as the door to the private plane opened and I could see the brown mop of my daughter’s curls bouncing behind the flight attendant.
The moment she stepped out of the way, Bossy was tearing down the steps and launching herself at me.
I caught her with ease and pulled her into my arms, burying my face into her hair as all sorts of emotions assaulted me.
Love the most overwhelming of all.
We talked a lot.
So much, in fact, that I knew more about her now than I did when she was a kid.
But talking and seeing were two very different things.
“I’m so happy to see you,” I whispered against her hair.
She squeezed me tighter, and a sob caught in her throat.
I picked her up and started walking toward the covered awning over the private airport lobby.
When we were under the awning, I took a seat on the metal bench and held her while she cried.
I might or might not have shed my own tear or two by the time she was finished bawling.
When she pulled back and looked into my eyes, I felt struck stupid.
My little girl was gone, and in her place was a young woman that I barely recognized.
“You grew up on me, Bossy.”
She beamed, and that crooked front tooth that I used to find so damn cute was gone, in its place was a row of straight white teeth that I’d paid for but hadn’t gotten to see the end result of.
“I missed you, Daddy.”
“Missed you, too.” I squeezed her to me tight for a long moment before pulling back and narrowing my eyes. “But you better not run off like that again.”
She winced. “I can’t deal with Philippa anymore.”
For Boston to be calling Pippa by her given name meant that she was done with her.
She’d always been Pippa from the moment she was young and could form words. Boston had always called her the same.
Even Stanton had called her Pippa.
I hadn’t heard the name “Philippa” in so long that I’d mostly forgotten that was her name.
“I know you can’t,” I said. “We have a few solutions we think might work.”
“As long as you don’t send me back, I’m down.” She fisted my shirt, as if expecting me to contradict her statement.
“No going back,” I said, explaining what Apollo and I had come up with.
She relaxed instantly.
“Not that I don’t love this sweet reunion,” Nettie said. “But it’s freakin’ cold out here, I have four bags in my hand, and I want to check on my sister.”
I helped Boston stand, then caught all the bags but one from Nettie’s hands. “Your sister’s looking forward to seeing you.”
“Is she okay?” Nettie asked.
We drove to the hospital as I told Nettie all about how Eddy was doing.
“You like her, don’t you, Daddy?” Boston said when we pulled up in front of the hospital. “Like, really like her.”
I thought about denying it seeing as Nettie was very clearly listening to every word, but chose to tell them both the truth. “I like her a lot. I even might love her.”