Total pages in book: 174
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
My chest tightened.
Wasn’t even sure what I was feeling right then.
Fear.
Regret.
Grief.
And something else that I couldn’t.
But it was there, pressing beneath the surface of my flesh like a seed trying to sprout. Did my best to tamp it down, but he turned that adorable smile in my direction.
Morning sun rained around him and tossed his warm brown hair into a glittering radiance. The cinnamon hues glinting in the rays and illuminating him like he was one of those angels you’d never know you entertained.
“You think I can get another one?” he asked.
“Yeah, buddy, pretty sure you can get another. What would you think about us finding you a pack around here?”
“I already got one.” He hiked a shoulder.
So damned innocent.
Not completely understanding the situation they were in. I knew Daisy had tried to explain it to them the best that she could, but I doubted they could fully grasp that they were never going home.
They had to establish a new one.
Somewhere.
Maybe here. Down by the park or near River, Charleigh, and Nolan’s house. Where they could have friends. A support group. Family, the way Daisy had never really gotten to have.
Then I could keep an eye on them after everything went down.
Yeah.
That sounded like a good plan. Made sense.
“Thinkin’ you might get another for while you’re here.”
It might be fucking painful, but I was gonna do this. Set Daisy at ease. Show her that no matter what, her children would be cared for.
Then I was going to end that motherfucker long before he had a chance to get to them.
I’d figure out the rest after that.
“That sounds like a pretty good plan,” Colin rambled easily.
I hesitated, wondering what the hell I was doing, drawing them deeper into my life, but I figured if I was actually going to marry Daisy, I needed to play the part.
So I forced out the confession, “I have a nephew who’s a bit older than you. His name’s Nolan. A niece named Maci who’s really close to your same age, too. Then we have two little ones…Finn and Luna. Luna is just a tiny baby.”
Their faces flashed through my mind.
I kept my distance from them as much as I could. Had done my best at not getting too close.
Dedication was one thing. Loving was an entirely different story.
But there was no stopping the affection that pulsed through me when I thought of them. What it would be like to introduce Daisy’s children to the family.
I immediately regretted allowing myself the vision.
Something so beautiful wasn’t meant for me.
Excitement streaked through Colin’s expression. “What? You got kids you didn’t tell us about?”
Amusement rolled through me.
Kid was fuckin’ cute.
“Well, they’re not really mine. They belong to my brothers.”
Brothers not by blood but by the loyalty we’d forged.
“How many brothers you got?”
“Four,” I begrudgingly answered.
I didn’t dish this kind of intel on my life.
And this kid seemed to have the power to pluck it right out of me.
Colin gave me an emphatic dip of his head. “Well, we should probably get some friends if we’re going to live here, so I think we should go meet ’em.”
Yeah. Introducing them seemed like a solid plan.
“And what about that pack?”
“As long as I get a patch for helping you, I think it’s a good idea because you’re really big, and I think you probably have the best ideas. But I don’t even need a patch because I just like helping you.”
Emotion gripped me.
Fuck me.
I knew right then I’d embroider him that patch and sew it on myself if I had to.
Addy poked her head through the sliding door. “Get your booties in here and eat! Breakfast is served!”
She looked at me in that wary way, though this morning it was a bit different, more curiosity shining through. Her brown hair fell around her shoulders, face dabbled with the same cinnamon-colored freckles as her mom. A little spitfire with so much sass and that sweetness underneath.
Without reservation, Colin hopped onto his feet. But rather than running for the door, he turned and stretched out his little hand. “Come on, Mr. Cash. We gotta eat so we can get some energy to finish our job.”
Warily, I looked at his offering, then I took it. I didn’t put any weight on him as I slowly pushed to my feet. Though he was grunting and gritting his teeth and yanking with all his might, like he was the sole reason I could make it to stand.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Cash. I got you.”
If I wasn’t careful, he would.
All of them would.
Colin beelined for the door, and Addy held it open as she waited for me as I edged across the porch. Felt like I was wading through landmines, each step bringing me closer to destruction as I moved back toward my house that once had been filled with silence and now echoed with a brawl of movement and voices.