Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 199(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 199(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Christopher took a deep breath. “He wanted to be here when I got some test results back.”
I could see the confusion swirling in both men’s eyes as they looked between them and Christopher and then even to me. It was heart-wrenching to see the moment when both realized what was happening.
“Christopher?” Gio whispered.
Christopher dropped his eyes briefly, but when he lifted them again, I was so fucking proud of him. His eyes latched onto King’s.
“I’m sick, Uncle King.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHRISTOPHER
The moment my uncle put his arms around me without saying a word, I knew everything would be okay. Sure, I’d get barraged with questions by him and other family members as I told them, but this—this moment of quiet as someone shared their strength would ultimately be what saw me through.
I couldn’t say how long King held me for, but when he reluctantly released me and put some space between us, I asked, “I know you both have a lot of questions, but can you ask Uncle Micah and Con to come over first?”
“I’ll take care of it,” King said without hesitation. I turned and went to Rush, who wrapped his arms around me.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, Christopher,” he murmured.
I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I didn’t want the first time he heard the words to be under such chaotic circumstances. I’d been on the verge of admitting it to him while he’d had me pressed down on the table I’d never see the same way again, but we’d been interrupted.
“I need to talk to Gio,” I said. “Can you two not kill each other while we’re gone?” I asked as I looked between Rush and King, speaking loudly enough so my uncle could hear me.
“I can’t kill him if I can’t see him, and since my retinas burned up at the sight of my nephew being mauled on a table…”
I rolled my eyes and pressed a quick kiss to Rush’s mouth before heading for Gio. As I passed my uncle, I said, “Maybe now you’ll knock on doors like a normal person instead of picking the lock.”
King did the Boy Scout salute but winked at me in the same beat, so I knew the man had no intention of changing his notorious ways. I shook my head at him. But damn if it didn’t feel good to just settle back into old roles. I could only hope Micah and Con would be as forgiving.
Once I reached Gio, I wrapped my hand around his. He followed me without hesitation up to my bedroom. Once we were upstairs, I released his hand, but as soon as we looked at each other, we were hugging again.
“I’m so sorry—”
“Christopher—”
We both laughed, and then I led Gio to the bed. We sat on the edge of the mattress but turned so we were basically facing each other. I wasn’t surprised when Pip reached a tiny paw out from under the bed and took a swipe at my pant leg. I reached down and wiggled my fingers so he’d come out, then picked him up and deposited him on Gio’s lap. Thumper appeared from under the bed almost immediately, so I picked her up and held her in my lap.
“A rabbit?” Gio said in surprise. “Does your family not like traditional pets?” he asked.
I laughed because he was right. My sister, Rory, was the one who’d decided our menagerie should be mostly comprised of things that slithered or hissed or had more than four legs. It had started with Stella, the bearded dragon King himself had given to her years earlier.
“I can’t take credit for Thumper,” I said. “She belongs to Rush. Along with the other four rabbits that are currently mowing the backyard.” I nodded at Pip. “That’s Pip. He’s mine, but I haven’t had him long.”
We both fell silent for a moment as we stroked the furry bodies in our respective laps.
“Gio, I owe you an apology. A lot of them, actually,” I began.
Gio immediately shook his head and dashed at his eyes. He was older than me by only a couple of years but had one of the softest, kindest hearts of anyone I knew. “No you don’t. I wish I could take it back, Christopher. That night. The club. I just wish I could take it back. We shouldn’t have been there. You tried to tell me that—”
“No, I didn’t,” I interrupted. “I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t.”
“You were being a good friend,” Gio murmured.
“Actually, no, I wasn’t. A good friend wouldn’t have let you go into that place. A good friend would have helped you deal with your anger and hurt so you wouldn’t do anything rash. I didn’t say anything because I couldn’t. Not wouldn’t… couldn’t.”
I paused and then dropped my eyes. “In my house, you didn’t make a sound. You didn’t do anything to get noticed. But Uncle Micah was never silent. He couldn’t be because he needed to protect me and Rory. I always thought of myself as a coward, but I think it had more to do with guilt. I never spoke up for the man who raised me. I never stood up for him. I allowed myself to hide in stories where I could be something different. Whether I was Pip in Great Expectations learning important lessons,” I said as I motioned to the kitten in Gio’s lap, “or I was waiting for my hero to come rescue me in some sweeping love story, I chose fantasy over reality because it was easier. I blocked out the things that didn’t fit into my happily ever after story.”