Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“He’s heard that voice before,” Jaxon explains. “Oh wait, sorry, that was your father”—he points to Ariella—“who lost his shit when we told him we were pregnant.”
“This isn’t about you, Jaxon,” Ariella mutters between clenched teeth.
“Oh my God,” my father says, his hand going to his mouth, “are you pregnant?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not pregnant. It’s like herding cats,” I mumble and then slip my hand into Zane’s. “How are you doing?” I whisper to him and he looks down at me as my parents go to Jagger, who smiles at them.
“I feel like my hair is on fire,” Zane confides to me, his thumb rubbing mine.
“It’s going to be okay,” Nico says, slapping his shoulder. “He had three hours to calm down.” He smirks. “Also, nice game last night.”
“Thanks,” Zane mumbles as my mother holds Jagger, with my father kissing his neck and making raspberries.
He then turns to look at Zane and me. “What the fuck are you two thinking?” he asks with a forced smile on his face, because Jagger is holding his hand as he moves it up and down. “Like, what the actual fuck?”
“Dad,” Jaxon scolds, “can we tone down the F-word?”
“Yes, because he said the s-h-i-t- word yesterday because of your son.” Ariella glares at my father.
“Wow!” I exclaim. “You’re both just winning at the father of the year club.” I look at my dad.
“You’re pushing it,” my mother warns me.
“Okay, you guys go and talk,” Jaxon urges. “I’m going to take Jagger out to the park, even though it’s not even noon yet.”
“I don’t know if I should come with you or stay here to play referee,” Nico states, looking at my father with a grimace. “I’m going to stay,” he tells my brother.
“Can we do this calmly and rationally?” I ask my father when the front door opens and then closes. “Or are we just not going to do it?”
“We are going to do this calmly,” my mother states, looking at my father. “Right, Manning?” I pull Zane into the living room and sit down then pull him down next to me.
“It’s fine,” I mumble to him as my mother pulls my father in, much like I did with Zane, and sits down on the couch in front of me. Nico comes over and sits in the lone armchair in the middle, folding one leg over the other.
“Okay, so how should we start this?” Nico questions. “It’s safe to say we were all surprised with the article that dropped this morning at 4:00 a.m.”
“That’s how you guys got here so fast.” I slap my knee with my hand. “I thought for sure I had like a six-hour window.”
“You knew this was going to happen?” Zane asks me.
“Well, I knew that it was a high probability.” His mouth hangs open in shock. “But you were already going through the freak-out moment, so I didn’t think it was a good time to say that my father was on his way here to maim you.” I hold up my hands. “I figured he might, but I couldn’t say for sure.”
“Victoria,” he hisses my name.
“It’s fine.” I throw my hand up and roll my eyes, trying to get him to calm down, or at least get some color into his face.
“I’m going to need you to stop saying that it’s fine,” my father snaps, “because it’s not.” He looks at me and then at Zane. “I just don’t understand.”
“There really isn’t much to understand,” I start to explain. “I met a guy. We hooked up.”
“Victoria,” Zane hisses when my father puts his hands to his hips and looks up at the ceiling.
“What?” I extend my hand. “I’m twenty-five years old. I’m old enough to be hooking up with guys.”
“Okay,” my father snaps, “I’m not discussing that.”
“Sounds good,” I reply, winking at Zane. “See. Already won round one.”
He can’t help the smirk on his face, and I lean into him and look up at him to kiss me. “He already knows we slept together.” I don’t know if Zane kisses my lips because he wants to or to shut me up.
“When did this all start?” Nico asks, trying not to be amused by this whole thing.
“Seven months ago,” I answer and everyone gasps. “We met one night. I had no idea who he was; he had no idea who I was.”
“That’s what he’s telling you?” my father hisses. “But he knew who you were.”
“Yeah,” I snort, “because getting involved with me is making his life better.”
“I can assure you I had no idea who she was,” Zane counters. “Not a clue until I came here one night for dinner, five months later, and saw her picture.”
“What is up with our kids and one-night stands?” my mother mutters to my father.
“I think it’s the apple and the tree.” Nico chuckles, earning a glare from my parents. “Anyway, you met; you did what grown-ups do.” He motions with his hand in a circle to move it along.