Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“Daddy, this is Dixie. Dixie, this is my father, Vick Paxton,” Mary finished introducing us.
“I’m Roger, her brother.” He paused. “Though you already know that, don’t you?”
He was a bumbling idiot.
I liked him.
“Sure, Rog.” We’ll act like we never met before. I lied.
Roger let out a relieved breath before backing up to say, “Dad, Mary was just covering the bar for a moment because I have the bubble guts.”
The bubble guts.
Jesus.
“You’re such a fuckin’ child,” Vick snarled at him. “When you’re done here, get the fuck back home.”
I gritted my teeth, and had intended to keep my mouth shut, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“Please stop cursing in my ol’ lady’s presence,” I said very carefully.
His eyes narrowed, but again his gaze flicked behind me before saying, “Beer’s on the house tonight.”
There were several grunts behind me.
Vick left before he could say anything else to piss me off.
“Get out of here, Mary,” Roger suggested. “Make it look like we didn’t just pull that out of our a…” his gaze caught mine. “Butt.”
I nodded at him.
He winced and started to clean the bar.
I caught Mary’s hand in mine and gently pulled her with me. “Want to talk for a second outside?”
She let me take her hand, and I led her out of the bar, around the corner, and to my bike.
She walked over to it and ran her finger down the handle bars.
“My dad used to be a good guy,” she mused. “But he’s changed a lot since my mom died.”
I couldn’t imagine that.
“Does he treat you okay?” I asked.
When she didn’t say anything, my stomach soured.
“Mary?” I asked.
“He treats me about as good as can be expected, I guess.” She looked up at the darkening sky. “I’m going to leave soon.”
“And go where?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Anywhere that’s not here.”
I leaned forward. “I can take you anywhere that’s not here.”
Her eyes flashed to mine. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered.” I held out my hand. “When you want to come back, I’ll know the way back.”
She slipped her hand into mine again, and the rightness of it nearly overwhelmed me.
“Oh,” she looked at our conjoined hands. “What do you do for a living?”
“I was in the military,” I admitted. “Recently got out due to some hearing loss in my right ear.”
She frowned. “How’d that happen?”
“Bomb went off near my face,” I admitted. “Now I’m back to my club. We own a bike and body shop in Tuscaloosa. It’s a great place to hang your hat.”
She looked at me with worry on her pretty face.
I hated that worry.
I wanted to wipe it away by wrapping my arms around her and telling her everything would be all right.
“I don’t know…”
“Go,” I heard.
I looked up to find Roger standing there at the edge of the building. “He’s just getting worse. If you’re not careful, he’ll hurt you. And I would never be able to live with myself after that.”
When she still hesitated, I said, “I’d never hurt you, Angel Face.”
She licked her lips. “You promise?”
“I promise,” I said. “I’ll never let anything hurt you ever again.”
She seemed to deflate. “What if you get tired of me?”
I outright laughed at that one. “Angel Face, there’s never gonna be a time that happens. I saw you the moment I walked into this bar and knew you were about to change my life.”
She wilted.
“You want to get out of here, sweet cheeks?” I asked Mary.
She looked at me with the biggest smile I’d ever seen before saying, “Only if you tell me your club name.”
That’s when my smirk came in full force.
“Oh, sweet girl.” I laughed, a deep belly laugh. “I don’t need a club name when my real name is as good as it is.”
“Dixie is good?” she pushed.
I patted my flat belly. “It is when your last name is Normus.”
It took her a moment.
It only ever took a moment.
But then her eyes widened and she whispered, “You’re joking.”
I winked at her. “Nope.”
Her gaze roamed down my body, and her cheeks flamed when I caught her in the act.
“Come on, darlin’,” I urged, holding out my hand. “Let’s ride.”
Chapter
Three
Sweet but twisted.
—Dixie’s secret thoughts
HOAX
My fucking heart hurt.
My grandfather, the man that I’d looked up to my entire life, was dying.
He’d known it for a while.
I’d been taking him to doctor’s appointments on and off for a year, but today was the first day he’d shared it with us.
The day before Christmas Eve.
He’d called Bayou and I over so he could talk to us about it before the rest of the family descended.
Not that Grandpa didn’t want everyone else to know.
He did want them in the loop, but Bayou, Grandpa and I were the closest.
He’d wanted to digest this information before he let the others know.
He said it was because he needed someone in his corner tomorrow when he let everyone else in on the prognosis.