Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
She purses her lips and just stares at me, but I’m not giving up. “And I acted that way because I know your mom hates me and I didn’t want to add any pressure to you, that’s all. I mean, have you even told her about us? It doesn’t seem like you have.”
Before she can answer me, I keep going. “Look, if we’re going to do this, you need to know a few things. To this day, there’s still people in this town that think I’m a piece of shit. Your own mother hates me. Before you tie yourself to me, you need to know that.”
She laughs. “How long are you going to hide behind your past, Dominic? Are you just looking for a reason for this to be over?”
“Hell no.”
“Hey! The baby is here. Come on, Dom.” Chrissy is so excited it takes her a second before she looks at Lucy. “Oh, hey, Lucy! You coming to meet the baby?”
Lucy smiles, but it doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “My mom is waiting for me. I should go.”
“Lucy, come on, I want you there. Come with me.”
I hold my hand out to her, but she just shakes her head. “No, this is for family… I’ll check in on Haven in a few days. Send them my love.”
She holds her arms against her chest and walks briskly away.
Chrissy comes over to me. “What happened, Dom? You okay?”
I feel like my heart is shattering in two. “I’m fine. Let’s go see our niece.”
“Dom, stop. You are always here for everyone else while you hold everything in. Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“I fucked up. That’s what’s going on. Lucy and I are seeing each other.”
She shrugs. “What? Is that supposed to be some earth-shattering news or something? I know you guys tried to sell the this is a fake date or whatever, but seeing the way you two look at each other isn’t fooling anyone.”
“Well, her mom hates me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Her mom hates half the town.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “How am I supposed to be with her and come between her and her mom?”
Chrissy puts her hand on my arm. “That’s not for you to decide. All you can do is love her, Dom. You can’t take her decision from her this time. You love her and then let her decide what she wants to do.”
I suck in a breath and look down the hall where Lucy walked away. Chrissy nudges my arm. “You want to go after her?”
“No. Let’s go see our niece.”
We are walking through the halls, and Chrissy is filling the silence. “The baby is perfect. I could look at her all day.”
“Oh no, is this what they call baby fever?”
She stops in the middle of the hallway and turns to me. She has a worried look. “Do you think I’d be a good mom?”
Her face is scrunched up, and she looks like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. “Do I think you’d be a good mom? You’d be the best, Chrissy. Look at how you always took care of us.”
She opens her mouth, and I shake my head. “Don’t try and deny it. You may be the baby, but you always took care of King, Gabe, Holden, Ledger, and me. There’s no denying you’d be a good mom. Where is this coming from?” There’s a weight on my chest. “Shit, are you pregnant?”
She gasps and smacks me on the chest. “What? No! But I’m going to have a baby. I may never get my happily ever after, but I want a family, Dom. I want my own family.”
I can’t even argue with her because I know exactly how she feels. “Whatever you need from me, I’m here for you. But don’t do anything crazy.”
She rolls her eyes. “Have I ever done anything crazy?” She shrugs her shoulders. “Let me correct that. Have you guys ever let me do anything crazy? I’m good.”
I throw my arm around Chrissy. “Come on, let’s go meet our niece.”
She just laughs. “I’m taking bets on which of you are going to be the first one in jail. You guys are so protective… I’m just glad it’s going to be directed at someone other than me from now on.”
“Oh honey, you’re my little sister. I’m always going to be protective of you.”
She leans into me, and as we walk into the room, I see my family… everyone but Ledger, who is on a mission on the other side of the world.
Gabe comes over and stands beside me. I release my hold on Chrissy, and Gabe instantly pulls her into his arms. I walk over to Haven and King and look at the baby in Haven’s arms. “She’s beautiful.”
King wipes a tear from his eyes, and I’m stunned because I’ve never seen the man emotional like this. “Congratulations, brother.”