Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“You were holding his motherfucking hand!” I growl. “You can either get your ass over here right now, or I’ll carry you out of here. The choice is yours, woman.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hisses.
“I think you know me better than that by now, Peaches.”
“Skylar?” her mom questions, her gaze darting toward me and then back to her daughter.
“Look what you’ve done!” she hisses. “I told you I didn’t want to upset them until after the funeral.”
“The funeral is over.” I look at her parents. They’re both staring at me, but they have differing expressions. Sky is a mixture of shock and anger. She’s not going to be on my side. That’s a sure bet. Bull’s is a little more retrospective. Which is probably good. It’s definitely better than him wanting to kill me. “Get your ass over here, Peaches.”
“I have a newsflash for you, Torin. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to and right now, I don’t even want to look at you. You’ve embarrassed me. Not to mention the fact that you broke our deal!”
Dragon laughs. “My kid may be named after you, Bull, but somehow your daughter sounds just like my woman.”
“She kind of does,” Nicole laughs softly.
“Skylar, honey, when you and Joker have kids, you need to make sure they have my name. It’s only fair.”
“Shut your fucking mouth, Dragon. You have grandkids named after you. It’s my turn,” Bull says. I look at the man. You can tell he’s in pain. He’s struggling with everything he has.
“All of you shut up. My daughter is not living her life in the club. She’s going to medical school, and she will not be around the violence of this damn club!”
“Doc,” Bull murmurs.
“No! Don’t you dare tell me to calm down, Bull. This club has taken enough from me! I’ve lost my son,” she cries, tears pouring down her face. “I won’t let them take my baby, too! Especially to another man who can’t keep it in his pants!” she cries and then takes off running toward one of the houses.
“Mom!” Skylar cries. “Do you see what you’ve done? Why couldn’t you just do as I asked?” she says, big tears rolling down her face as she looks at me accusingly.
“Peaches—”
“Shut it, Kyla,” Bull says, his voice hoarse. “The man has been running away from you for three years. You’re the one that didn’t stop tempting him till he caught you. You’re lucky he didn’t interrupt the funeral and tear you away from Carlos. He’s not like those asses you’ve dated from time to time. Me and Matt both warned you two years ago that you were playing with fire. Do you remember what you told me?” he asks, shocking the hell out of me.
My woman’s cheeks deepen in color. Her eyes dart toward me and then back to her father’s. “I remember,” she says, her voice soft to the point it’s almost a whisper. The only difference is that the words seem too full of emotion—so much that she can’t even begin to contain the syllables. It’s overflowing, and it seems to wrap around my heart.
Bull shakes his head. “Tell me what you said. Let Joker hear it.”
“Dad …”
“My baby girl has fire like her mother and the stubbornness of her father. She’s a warrior. Don’t chicken out and let me down now, Kyla.”
With a swift motion, Skylar runs her hand through her hair. She swallows and my gaze is drawn to the way her throat moves, before I slowly look back at her face. She’s staring at me, and I swear to God she’s never been more beautiful than she is this very minute.
“I told you that from the time I was in kindergarten that I decided I wanted nothing more than a man like my daddy. Someone who took care of me, protected and loved me, and put me on the back of his bike. I wanted someone who made me feel special every time he looked at me.”
“I don’t know how you ever thought I did that for you, sweetheart. I know I’ve failed you and made you cry—”
“Daddy, no—”
“But I’ve always loved you. You’ve got yourself a good man here. I’m thinking he’ll do every single thing you told me you wanted way back then. I also know he’ll never hurt or betray you because if he does, I’ll kill him.”
“She’s safe with me, Bull. I love her.”
He claps me on the back. “Don’t think too bad of Doc. She’s broken right now. It’s not truly about you.”
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Mattie’s going to come back to us. He’s a fighter. That’s why we haven’t found him yet. He’s going to come back,” Peaches says, conviction in her voice.
Bull walks to her and places a kiss on her forehead. “I’m proud of you, baby.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”