Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
While he hadn't actually explained why he was given the nickname, I was able to put two and two together on my own. Something bad had happened to him, probably more than once, and it had left him needing stitches. I looked out the window as I confessed, "My momma had to get stitches one time."
I figured he would ask me why, but he didn’t. Instead, he considered what I’d said and gave me a slight nod. After several quiet moments, he asked, "You think we should call her? Tell her you're at the special spot?"
"Yeah."
Stitch had just started to reach for his phone when there was a commotion at the front door that caught his attention. His eyes widened, and a strange look crossed his face. I couldn’t make out what was being said behind me, but it was clear that something was wrong. Curious, I turned to see what was happening and was both surprised and relieved to see that it was my mother who was causing the disruption.
Her face went pale as soon as she turned to look in our direction. Frozen in her stance, her dark brown eyes slowly drifted over Stitch, and with each second that passed, she appeared more and more frightened. As soon as she reached our booth, she knelt down next to me and placed her hand on my knee.
Even though she tried to hide it, I could tell that she was worried when she whispered, “Hey, Buddy. Are you okay?"
I nodded, then told her, “This is Griffin. He got me some chicken nuggets, but I'm done now. Can we go home?"
"Hi, Griffin. I'm Wren.” She gave him a forced smile, then turned her attention back to me. "Yeah, buddy. We can go. You did a good job getting here. I'm so proud of you.”
"I went down Tucker Street and turned right on Main,” I replied proudly. “Just like you showed me."
"You are such a smart boy.” She brushed my long hair out of my eyes, then looked back over to Stitch as she explained, "I know this looks bad… really bad, but I'm doing the best I can. I'd tell you what this was all about, but it would take a lifetime to explain. Right now, I need to get him home. How much do I owe you for the food?"
"Don't worry about it. I got it," Stitch told her.
"Thank you so much for looking out for him.”
Without giving Stitch a chance to respond, she took me by the hand and helped me out of the booth. Stitch stood up along with me, but he didn’t follow us as we started towards the front door. We were just about to go outside when Mom stopped and rushed back over to Stitch. She reached for his hand and whispered something I couldn’t make out.
Moments later, she made her way back over to me, and we left.
I thought that would be the last time I saw Stitch.
It wasn’t.
Our brief encounter was the first of many to come.
Over the next twenty years, Stitch and his brothers became an integral part of my life—my mother’s, too. They showed us both what it was to truly trust and to love unconditionally, and by doing so, they helped mold me into the man I am today.
CHAPTER 1
Elsie
In just one moment—one thoughtless, irrevocable moment, my entire world was turned inside out. It should’ve been the end of my story, but thanks to the brothers of Satan’s Fury, it was just the beginning.
My life had never been what you’d call easy. It seemed I was always fighting an uphill battle of some kind, but one way or another, I’d always found a way to manage. It was a talent I’d acquired from my parents. Neither of them had a college education, but they’d worked hard to provide a good life for my brother and me.
My dad was a longshoreman and worked countless hours loading and unloading the ships that came into the port. He did fairly well for himself and tried to convince Mom that she didn’t need to work, but she never listened. In fact, she often cleaned three or more houses a day just to make sure they had enough to cover the bills and put money into savings.
Together, they gave Brantley and me everything we could want and more. I couldn’t imagine things being better, and then, everything fell apart.
My brother had just turned fourteen when they discovered he had a life-threatening brain tumor. Even though they didn’t have good insurance, they refused to let that stop them from getting him the best care and took him to every specialist they could find. The bills started piling up, and it wasn’t long before they’d drained their entire savings and were living solely on credit.
Even after everything they’d done, my brother was only getting worse.