Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
“Want Kody.” Her little body is wrapped around me, legs like an octopus and hands cupping my cheeks. “We play again?”
“I promise we will.”
“Otay, see you water tater.” I smile. Jameson really does have an amazing daughter.
“Come on, sweetheart. Time to let Kody go.” Jameson’s voice is deeper with an edge to it, and while his behavior is that of a wild boar, I can’t help but wonder what his voice would sound like in a different place and time.
“See you around.” This time, it’s me who pulls away, giving them my back, looking both ways before I jaywalk across the street and taking a few deep breaths to get over the tremble that has yet to leave my body.
9
JAMESON
“Daddy mean to Kody, Nan Nan,” Josephine tells my mother the second I open the door to drop her off for the day. It’s too fucking early, and my nerves are still on edge from yesterday’s scare. Jesus, there’s no way I would have survived if something happened to Josephine. And while my daughter is currently tattle-telling on her father, she isn’t exactly wrong. I was an asshole both times Kody was near. It’s no fault of hers either. I’m blaming it on my damn cock. The fucking thing won’t go soft whenever she’s around, and it turns me into a person I’m not. Maybe I need to get laid. It’s been too many months to count. I don’t see that changing anytime soon, especially since my cock seems to only want the one woman it shouldn’t.
“Oh, really?” Mom arches an eyebrow at me. There’s no getting out this now. “Why was your father mean to Kody?” Josephine may be young, but she has quite the vocabulary and has no problem taking her time to get the story right either.
“At park. He, hmm…” She thinks about the words, sticking her tongue out, while I rock back on my heels, knowing that my mom is going to tear into my hide. Even now at my age, she’ll have no problem boxing my damn ears. “I wanted to pway.” Another pause, this time a finger going to her lip as she draws out the conversation. “Daddy said no wif Kody.”
“Well, we can make that happen. Should we call Kody and ask if she’d like to come over with her mom today?” I roll my eyes. As if a thirty-year-old woman is going to willingly come over and play with a two-year-old. My mother is off her rocker, but she will also do anything for Josephine to make her happy.
“Pwease, pwease, pwease!” She claps her hands, holding them together in a prayer motion, and wiggles her body around. Josephine doesn’t even have to do that in order to get her way.
“I’ll make sure it happens. Pops is about to head to work. Make sure you go say hello while I talk to your mean daddy.” Here Mom fucking goes. I’m never going to get out of the house now.
“Hold up. Give me some love. I’m heading out the door with Pops, too.” I squat down since Josephine was hell on wheels about not to be held while walking into the house. My heart was in my throat, eyes locked on hers the whole fucking time. The only reason I was even remotely allowing her to walk instead of carrying her was if she held my hand the entire time. Yesterday was a damn fluke. I was chasing after her, and she bobbed and weaved around the kid in front of her, leaving me no other option than to stop in my tracks, further giving her more time to locate Kody and run after her. A lesson I never want to experience again, which is why I ordered her swing set and jungle gym combo last night. All I have to do now is ask for my dad, brother, and Shaun to come over and help set it up.
“Otay!” She waddles her cute little self into my open arms. I may have been mean to Kody in Jo’s eyes, but the same can’t be said for my own. One word comes to mind, and that’s protective.
“I love you. Be good for Nan.” I pull her tight to my body, more for me than for her.
“Me will.” She pulls back, hand going to my cheek before kissing me on the other. “Wove you, too!” I’m going to hate the day she starts talking correctly. Instead of the cute way she talks, in its place will be my little girl growing into a little lady. When she’s done, I stand up and watch as she runs toward the den, where Dad has his own area set up so the two of them can watch what they want without arguing.
I walk toward the kitchen, heading to where my travel mug sits empty. I can always count on my parents to have a full pot on at all times. I’m going to make another in order to get through what I’m sure is going to be a lengthy question-and-answer session. “Let’s get on with it. Kody helped me out yesterday. I didn’t handle the situation well.”