Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“A car like this has a mortgage, not a car payment.”
“Or, if you’re successful enough, it has neither. Years ago, I learned the hard way not to buy things I can’t pay for outright.”
He just about choked on his own spit. “You bought this with cash?”
“You’re sitting in it, aren’t you?”
He pressed his lips together because her question almost made him grin.
Now that he gave Aaliyah his wife’s name, he expected her to press for more details. How did she die? When did she die? How old was she? Where was she?
When she turned in her seat to face him, he ran interference so that didn’t happen. “Why does your car smell like chocolate chip cookies?”
“One, I love to bake. Pies are usually my go-to. Two, I bake cookies a lot and bring them to open houses. The smell of freshly baked cookies makes a house smell more like a home. It helps the buyer envision themselves living in the house. Three, somehow, I always get stuck making something for the school bake sales. So, if it isn’t cookies, it’s brownies. If it isn’t brownies, it’s Rice Krispie treats. And if it’s for my father, it’s his favorite… Sweet potato pie.”
“Sweet potato pie?”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve never had it?”
“No.”
“Think pumpkin pie but better.”
“Nothing beats a homemade pumpkin pie.”
“You’re wrong. But then, you haven’t had my sweet potato pie.”
And he doubted he ever would.
“But we’re not sitting in my car to discuss what a baking goddess I am, are we?”
“We can’t discuss it since I haven’t tasted your pie.” He realized what he said when her lips curved and her eyes crinkled at the corners. He opened his mouth to reword it, then simply shook his head. It was better to simply let it go. “Who’s your father?”
“We’re going to skip the foreplay and go right for the down and dirty?”
“I thought that’s what the pie discussion was.”
Her smile blinded him. “Well, Officer Lennox, I think you might have a sense of humor buried somewhere deep inside you.”
It was impossible to bury it completely when dealing with his brothers. They were relentless when it came to ball-busting. A sense of humor was required, otherwise, you’d be offended. Their ability to give as good as they got was what made their bonds stronger.
“It comes in waves, doesn’t it?” she asked.
He shook his head, pretending not to understand.
“Your moods. You have high points and low points. Right now you have more lows than highs. It’ll change. Just give it time,” she assured him.
He wasn’t sure it would ever change. He seemed to be stuck. But he wasn’t sitting in her car to discuss his moods. “Who’s your father?”
“Malcolm Moore…”
That name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“But he’s better known as Magnum,” she finished.
He stared at her as that information sunk into his brain. That name sounded a lot more familiar. In fact, he knew that name pretty damn well.
“The sergeant at arms for the Dark Knights.”
Aaliyah shrugged like it was no big deal. “The one and only.”
Thankfully, there was only one of him. “You’re tied to an outlaw MC.”
“By blood, I guess. I wasn’t raised in the club. In fact, my parents split up when I was very young and so were they. At the time, he had no involvement in any MC. That came later after he no longer had any contact with us.”
“Why didn’t he have contact with you?”
“That’s,” she sighed, “a long story that caused a lot of hurt for me and my brother. We’ve moved past it and have forgiven our mother for her lies. But that’s what it was. We were told a story that wasn’t true and, of course, being kids, we didn’t know any better. That wrong has been righted thanks to my stepmother.”
“What did she do?”
“She located me and made a point of making contact. She convinced me to give my father a chance. At the time, Devyn was only about eight weeks old, and Cait just had her first child with my father. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have mended the relationship with him. So, I owe her. And no matter what anyone thinks about my father, I’m grateful he’s in my sons’ lives.”
“You think the sergeant at arms of an outlaw MC is a good father-figure?”
“Like I said, I don’t care what anyone thinks of him. He loves his children, he loves his grandchildren, he’d give his life to protect them. If you saw him with his wife…” She sighed almost dreamily. “He’d do anything for her. That’s the type of love most people are searching for. Their relationship made it, despite being a bit controversial at first and doubts from others.”
“Why were there controversy and doubts?”
“Mostly because of their age difference.”
“Which is?”
“Sixteen years.”
That was quite a gap. “She’s younger?”