Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Breakfast was easier than I thought it would be but I was happy as fuck to get it out of the way. I think I sweated more in the last hour and a half than I have at any time since my first job. When Alana took my arm and walked ahead of her mom when we left the restaurant I wasn’t sure what the fuck to expect.
“Please don’t hurt my mom, she’s really nice.” Well fuck, I had been prepared to give my all to the mother, I never once expected to be bowled over by the daughter.
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face the young girl who had so much of her mother in her little face. “There’s no way I can give you any guarantees, only time will tell if I’m legit or not, but I promise you the last thing I want to do is harm her.”
“Well what do you want to do with her?”
“I think I should discuss that with her first don’t you?” I couldn’t contain my laughter; she was one cheeky little baggage.
“Well why didn’t you tell her already? Why are adults so difficult?” She said that with all the surety of a preteen who knew it all already.
“Hey what’re you two whispering about?” Her mom hurried to catch up with us and I lifted my arm for her to fit under as the three of us made our way back to my jeep.
“We were plotting all kinds of mayhem.” I deadpanned making Alana laugh and relax just a little more as her mom gave us disbelieving looks.
“I’m not sure that’s not entirely true.” We joked and teased each other all the way back to their house. “Are you coming in?”
Alana had gone ahead of us into the house and I was standing in the doorway holding her hips in my hands. It was all I would allow myself for now, after holding her hand the whole drive back.
“Nah, you two need to talk without me here. About the call you made earlier, that was to reassure you that I’m one of the good guys. Everything else you’re gonna have to learn with time. Just know that I’ve marked you and as of last night roughly around eleven o’clock you’re no longer on the market.”
I kissed her then and turned and walked away.
Chapter 9
ILENE
“I really like him mom, but who is he?” Well isn’t that the million dollar question? What do I say, that I don’t know? Looking at it through her eyes, how would it appear to her?
This was one of the things I hated about the divorce. Mark had gone on with his life as though he had no responsibilities, leaving me holding the bag so to speak.
No one was looking at him too harshly for moving on with his life, but I knew as a single mother with a young daughter to protect, everything I do would come under a microscope.
“He’s someone who’s here on business and I think we like each other.” I found I didn’t know what to say to her. I’d never expected to be having this conversation ever, so I was less than prepared.
I think I was still in a bit of shock from the night before as well and my brain wasn’t coping too well on the few measly hours of sleep he’d allowed me.
“Do you like him mom?” She came over and rested against my side the way she had been doing since she was old enough to stand. I realized in that moment that I was scared. Scared of the answer to that question, afraid to hope.
After being so badly burnt, especially when it had come completely out of left field, I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to open myself up to heartache again.
When Janine had dropped Alana off this morning I’d filled her in a little on the night’s activities, which she was in total favor of. “I knew I was right about him. So when are you seeing him again? and don’t give me any of the one hundred reasons I’m sure you’ve convinced yourself of why you shouldn’t have this.”
We were interrupted by the girls and had to table the convo for later. Now I had someone else asking the hard questions. I looked down at her little face knowing that whatever decisions I made in the next few days, was going to affect her as much as they would me. Could I risk her little heart again after what her dad had done? Her elbow in my ribs reminded me that I hadn’t answered.
“You do don’t you? It’s okay if you do you know; I mean dad has a new girlfriend so…” She broke off and shrugged her shoulder as she ran her finger over the tabletop absentmindedly.