Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
I didn’t doubt that he could.
“You’d do that to your own daughter?” I asked incredulously.
“I’ve been doing it to my own daughter,” he countered.
I shifted on my feet, suddenly furious. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Because I can, Carter. Because I fucking can.”
Then he left, and Scott went with him, leaving me in the middle of the SWAT training room with an ever-growing lump of uncertainty growing in my chest.
Noise from the other room had me moving before I was ready.
With my head down and my eyes downcast, I wound my way through the maze of hallways in the inner police department.
It was only when I’d made it back outside to my truck, with the doors closed and the truck running, that I let out a string of curses.
After I’d calmed down enough to speak without yelling, I reached for my phone and canceled the date I’d made with Maven only hours ago and hoped that she wouldn’t hate me forever.
What I didn’t do was give up.
This wasn’t the end. Only the beginning.
If we fuck louder than the voices in my head, this might work.
—Maven to Auden
AUDEN
I scanned the menu later that night, staring blankly at all the options for food, but not really comprehending what I was seeing.
“How about you invite your girl?” Atlas teased me for the fourth fucking time.
It’d started when I’d gotten out of my truck alone and hadn’t had a certain someone with me at our impromptu family golf night. Then, when I hadn’t said more than ‘got busy’ he’d continued, and like always, Atlas never could read the fuckin’ room.
“Would you get off my fucking back?” I snapped at my twin. “Goddamn.”
The snarl of words had my entire family turning toward me to stare.
We were at the country club’s restaurant we frequented because it was easy to get in with a ton of people, and their food was good. The only problem was that the tables were crammed into the space, and I could probably sneeze and hit fifteen tables with the spit spray.
Luckily, since we’d gone to grab a bite a food at an odd time, there weren’t many people in attendance. But still.
“What’s your fuckin’ problem?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and said, “I’m sorry.”
I really was, but he needed to fuckin’ quit. I just might lose my fuckin’ shit if I had to explain it in here with all these people around to listen.
“You fuckin’ should be,” Atlas grumbled. “What the hell is going on?”
My dad and brothers, who’d joined me at the golf course that afternoon so we could take Dad for his annual golfing birthday a day early, were all staring at me with various looks of concern.
“Bad fuckin’ day,” I grumbled, really, really not wanting to expound.
“Well, how about you share why it was so bad so we can figure out how to help?” Dad suggested.
I looked at him, wondering if there was anything he could say or do that would fix this for me.
“I don’t know that it matters,” I admitted. “I’m not sure you can fix this one.”
Quincy, who was wearing his baby in a sling on his back, said, “Well, how about you at least share, and we can see.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Does Hollis know you took Dalia to a golf course for the day?”
“Not exactly,” he hedged. “She just said she needed time off, and I gave it to her.”
My lips twitched at that. “She’s going to kill you. Did you at least put sunscreen on her this time?”
The last time he’d brought her out here, he’d forgot, and she’d gotten a sunburn on her tiny little hand from where she hadn’t been covered up by her clothes and hat. Hollis hadn’t made him feel anywhere near as bad as Dalia’s little cries had later that night.
Poor thing.
Hollis had promised that she would never let him take her out on his own again to a golf course, and for the most part, Quincy hadn’t disagreed with her.
Until today, apparently.
“She’s aware-ish.” Quincy smiled. “And yes, I did. I carry the shit in my golf bag now for such occasions.”
“Tex and Addie wanted to come, but I wouldn’t let them.” Keene, my brother-in-law, winced. “I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it now that there were other kids here.”
Cam and Peyson, my brother Quaid’s children, were also here. Though they’d made a run for the nursery because they had a pretty sweet golf simulator in there. Quinn’s daughter, Catherine, was also here with them.
“You’ll definitely never hear the end of it.” Dad laughed. “But that doesn’t explain why you have her in this carrier and not in the nursery, which I pay a pretty fuckin’ penny for, where she’d have more fun.”
“Well, she was running a fever this morning and I didn’t want them sending her back out to me.” Quincy shrugged. “Plus, she’s been pretty fuckin’ clingy today. That’s why I said Hollis kind of knew where she was. She was under the impression that I was dropping her off in the nursery. She’s not aware that Dalia has a fever. I didn’t tell her because she’d just sit there and worry while she’s at work.”