Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Can you get away from the window, sweetheart, please?” I stand up, ready to rip her away if need be. Emmy moves but not toward me. She moves her body quickly, too, yanking open the door and going off in a sprint.
“Emmy, Emmy baby, stop, please stop!” I yell out for her, following in her footsteps. I swear if David hurts her, I’ll be the one in jail, going down for murder, and I’ll file my nails while sitting there, too, if it means he’s out of our lives for good.
“Nix! Nix! Nix!” He spins around, ignoring the questioning of the police, his focus on Emmy and opening his arms as she leaps into his. I watch as her body quakes. Rory’s stops abruptly, right along with me, hand finding mine. The girls may act like they’re big and bad, with an independent streak a mile long. Can’t imagine where they get that from. When it all comes down to it, the comforting touch we all give one another is sometimes all we need.
“You okay, sweetheart? I wish you had stayed inside with your mom. About gave me a damn heart attack, Emmy girl. That being said, any time you need me, you come to me. I’ll always be here.” Nix carries my baby girl in his arms as he walks to the bottom step on the front porch. The day is getting to me, because damn, all I want to do is crawl into his arms and fall apart like my daughter is.
“I love you, Nix,” Emmy says between hiccups.
“I love you, Em. I love all of you.” He holds Em to him with one arm, clearly understanding that we could use him as well, pulling the rest of his girls into him. Sure, there’s chaos brewing around the four of us once again, but we wouldn’t know. We’re cocooned in our own world with the man I know now was always meant to be mine, who’s loved me for as long as he’s known me, and whom I’ll love with all of my being for the rest of eternity.
31
NIX
“Okay, family talk time,” Rosaleigh says two days later after the shit with Douchebag David died down. The fucker got cocky, coming back here to confront Leigh while also hitting some hiding spot where the rest of the drugs and money were. It seems David wasn’t doing his job as a police officer, or what the cartel was paying for him to do. This was bigger than Abalee’s sheriff’s department. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was here, as well as the Drug Enforcement Agency. It was a shit show of a night, reminiscent of that night nearly a year ago but less intrusive this go-around.
“Oh God, you know what that means. Madre is doing the family meal planning, and I guarantee you it’s going to be another sandwich,” Emmy groans but throws herself in the stool beside me. Leigh is standing on the other side, a cup of coffee in her hand. Everyone is off for the week, me included, and I was the one who mandated it. No fucking way were we going to navigate dealing with a media circus.
“Har, har, har, Emmy Lou. Would you like a tuna sandwich or peanut butter and jelly?” Rory gags beside Leigh. The girl hates anything tuna out of the can. I’m the exact same way. The smell alone is enough to have me backing up.
“Neither. Nix will save us, and good. You just put your pen and paper away. The big guy and I will go grocery shopping instead.” I quirk my eyebrow at her. Is she really trying to throw me under the bus, drive over my body, back up, and do it again? Emmy may not know it, but Leigh holds all the power. Rocking the boat is not on my radar. I sleep beside the woman. She likes my cock, and I love her cunt. Nope, I am not pissing her off.
“Mom, I’ll eat whatever sandwich you make—fried, grilled, bacon, no bacon, tomato. I’ll even eat onion on my dinner, but for the love of pizza, no tuna,” Rory begs. Now, that I can get down with.
“I’m with Rory on this one. Em, you got some learning to do. That’s not how you get on your mom’s good side, unless, of course, you start helping in the kitchen more.” I wink. My goal is to get Rory and Em both in here to help. No way do I want them moving out of the house and living on sandwiches, Ramen, and pizza.
“Okay, I hear you loud and clear. I do the best I can, you know. I don’t see my two daughters coming to my rescue and helping cook or meal plan. Hell, I can’t even get a request on what to have. You get what you get.”