Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“Does Lily own your heart?”
“I don’t want to talk about this now. You don’t fucking say anything. You be good.”
“I will.”
He had his own agenda to work on.
Arriving at Lily’s place, he saw Chloe as he’d never seen her before. Even though the weather was starting to turn cold, they had a freak heatwave over the weekend, which was why he knew they were planning on doing all the necessary yard work.
Chloe was dressed in a pair of shorts and a black crop top. Her long blonde locks were pulled up into a bun, and she had on some kind of head scarf.
She looked … sexy.
No. There’s no way he was thinking in terms of sexy.
She wasn’t sexy.
This was all in his head, and he was imagining it.
As he shook those thoughts from his mind, she looked up to see him and his father climbing out of the truck.
“Alfie, Eagle, what brings you here?”
“I saw the yard was in serious need of being mowed. I figured we’d come and help.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, sweetie, does that thing even work?” Lily asked. “Oh, Eagle, Alfie, hi.” Lily gave them both a smile.
“Wanted to come and help.”
“Really?”
“Mom, I can’t get this thing to work.”
“Your dad was supposed to fix it. He broke it the last time. Let me look.”
Lily bent down, turning the mower onto its side.
Alfie watched as she gathered the rotting grass off the bottom. “I have no idea what I’m looking for,” she said, laughing.
He smiled. Lily had always been nice to him. Everyone at the club adored her.
Glancing over at Chloe, he saw her nibbling on her lip, glancing over at Eagle. He had to remember that she wasn’t stupid. It was why she didn’t trust him. Not that he could blame her. He wasn’t trustworthy.
“I’m going to go and weed the bushes,” she said.
“Okay, sweetie.”
“Here, let me have a look at this,” Eagle said.
“I’ll come and help you.”
His father must have been waiting as patiently as he could for Kurt to fuck up. It was the only explanation for all of this.
“Hey,” he said. “Do you feel like kissing me again?”
“Oh, please, why are you and your dad here?” Chloe asked, entering the back yard.
It was a small yard, and it had been left to overgrow.
Chloe bent down, picking up some gloves and a trowel. He couldn’t help but notice the curve of her ass.
Why hadn’t he ever noticed her curves as being sexy rather than being fat? He was tempted to cup them, to touch them and to make sure his eyes were actually seeing what was really there.
“Earth to Alfie,” Chloe said.
“We wanted to help and do the neighborly thing.”
“I can see your dad has the hots for my mom,” she said.
“Has the hots?” Alfie couldn’t help but smile. “It sounds so cute. I’m sorry.”
“Seriously?”
“Look, I think he does have a little crush, but for the most part, it’s harmless.”
She folded her arms. “There’s no way that can be harmless. My dad is still begging to be accepted by your club after all these years.”
He liked how she called it his club. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Exactly. You don’t see it.”
“I see it, Chloe. I’m not stupid. For years your father begged to be part of the club, and rather than let him, my father broke him, piece by piece, until his wife left him. Now, he’s looking to get into his place as man of the house. Not that he wants this house. He wants Lily. I get it.”
“And you don’t care. You know what it means if they get together, right?” She pointed at the two of them.
“We wouldn’t actually be related.”
“I know that, but I don’t want to be your step-anything.”
“You’d come between your mother’s happiness.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing that, and you know it.”
Alfie held his hands up. “I’m not here to start a fight.”
“Then what are you here for?”
“To help you clean up and to say, leave them alone. Let them figure this thing out. It’s not up to us to make this right.”
“I know it’s not, but you saw how my mom reacted the other day when you called her Mrs. Decker. She’s not ready to commit. She will always love my father, and Eagle will have to handle that.”
“You’re nervous,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you be? My mother is getting a divorce. She feels like a fucking failure because of it.”
Alfie did something he never thought he would. He stepped up to Chloe, wrapped his arms around her, and held her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m letting you know it’s going to be okay.”
“You’re kind of creeping me out right now.”
“I know, but every now and then, someone needs a hug.”
She started to laugh. He held her a little tighter and detected the hint of vanilla coming from her.
She pulled away first, and he knew he’d have to make her more comfortable around him.