Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
He made his way out toward his bike, and Charlotte climbed on the back. Several of the brothers held their arms up and waved toward him. He acknowledged them, and then Charlotte wrapped her arms around him as he took off, heading toward the house she shared with Nancy. There was a time he did share this house with them, but that was long ago. He was always invited for every Christmas and family event.
They could get along, but as he parked, Nancy opened the door and held out an arm to wave to him. He nodded in her direction, and Charlotte climbed off the bike, kissed his cheek, and then walked up to the house with her head down.
Doc watched as she ignored her mother and brushed right past her. He wasn’t used to seeing his little girl so upset. Turning off his ignition, he made his way up toward Nancy, who looked worried.
“You’re going to have to give her some space.”
“I’m worried she’s wasting her life. I’ve never known her to be this flighty. She usually knows exactly what she wants, and it keeps her mind focused.”
“It’s a lot for a kid to deal with.”
“She’s eighteen!”
“Not all kids have a path mapped out for themselves before then.” He stepped back. “You want her to keep running away, you keep chasing her off. You want her to stay and talk to you, stop nagging her.”
Chapter Six
Maeve stood in line at the coffee shop.
She’d woken up late, and this never happened to her. There was no way she was ever a late riser. She loved to get up early, and stuck into her day. Lying in bed was never relaxing. However, she couldn’t help but admit it was one of the best sleeps she’d ever experienced.
She felt well rested, and that was what this break was supposed to be all about. After washing her face and doing her morning skin care, she’d made her way downstairs to find Razor already preparing Eden’s breakfast. Her little sister was already experiencing morning sickness, and she hated that Eden was going through that.
Razor suggested if she wanted coffee, she might want to try the local coffee shop. It had been too long since she last came here, so that was exactly what she was going to do.
She was rather excited about it.
A nice large mocha latte, or a matcha, or whatever they had to offer, with a sticky bun. That was in line for her breakfast that morning, while she tried not to think about Doc.
His warm, muscular arms felt so good wrapped around her body. She didn’t want him to ever stop holding her.
Just the memory of it felt so damn good.
“You know, I hear these have the best coffee, even better than the diner.”
It was like her thinking about him had magically escorted him to her. He stood right behind her, and she couldn’t help but turn her head and offer him a smile.
“Doc.”
“Maeve.”
He was close, but not too close.
She wanted his arms on her, but she held that yearning back.
Now was not the time to ... force this.
“Good morning,” he said.
“And to you as well.”
“It feels like it’s going to be nice and warm today.”
The queue was getting smaller.
“You want to talk about the weather?” she asked.
“Do you want me to talk about your snoring?”
She gasped and turned to look at him. “I snore?” She tried to keep her voice down.
He started to laugh and shook his head. “No, you don’t snore. However, I have a feeling if you did, it would be cute.”
It was her turn to order, and she opted for the mocha latte, with the sticky bun.
Doc ordered the same, and even though they paid their own separately, they found a small table and sat down.
She took a sip of her mocha latte, and she closed her eyes, basking in the taste. It did taste so good.
“This is delicious.” Tearing off a piece of sticky bun with caramelized pecans, she took a bite, and that was exactly what she needed. “So, what brings you to the coffee shop?”
“I told Razor to send you here.”
She looked at him a little wide eyed. “Razor saw you?”
“Yes, but don’t worry about it. He’s not going to give you a hard time.”
“What if he tells Eden?”
“Does it matter?”
“She’s pregnant and I don’t want her to worry,” she said. Maeve didn’t have a problem with her and Doc’s relationship. What she didn’t want was for her sister to worry about her. Pregnancy was a stressful time.
Doc reached out and stroked a finger against her hand. “Stop worrying. Razor’s not going to say anything. That is for you two to talk about.”
She also didn’t want her sister to meddle. Her previous partners hadn’t exactly been great, not that Eden knew about them. Maeve was glad she never introduced them.