Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
She walked right up to Ari and rubbed along her legs, nearly taking me out in the process.
“Walk me to the bus, baby?” She looked down at Coco.
Coco bumped her nose against Ari’s thigh and the two of them disappeared into the bus that was just past the tent we were all standing in front of.
I waited until she was gone to say, “She’s coming with me for the next two weeks. She can’t do anything strenuous.”
Hades’s back immediately went up at my words.
“Wait, we have a show!” Hades called out, trying to make it sound like the show was the only reason that we needed to stay.
I ignored her.
Not liking that I refused to engage with her, she stomped off in the opposite direction of Ari.
In truth, it was because she was a selfish little bitch who only wanted her sister’s attention for herself and didn’t want to share.
“Cancel the shows for the next two weeks. She can’t perform anyway,” I called back, suggesting to Hades what I’d already suggested to Keene at the hospital.
Fuckin’ bitch.
“You’re mad.”
I looked over to find Simi in a chair sipping water.
“I’m a bit over mad,” I corrected her. “Honestly, I’m kind of incensed. Y’all allowed that,” I pointed at Hades who was now arguing with some worker that had bumped into her.
Simi stared at Hades for a long second before saying, “Family’s family here. We had to rely on each other because our dad didn’t like it when we came to him. For anything. Food, basic life necessities. Nothing. So we only had each other.” She paused. “I’m not excusing her behavior. It’s been atrocious. But I’m saying…we love each other. Faults and all.”
I gave her a look that clearly said what I thought about her explanation. “If that child you’re carrying had someone do to her what Hades has done to Ari, would you be upset?”
Simi snapped her mouth shut so fast that it made me want to laugh.
“We wouldn’t be okay with it.” Coffey appeared, holding out a brown paper sack. “Food for the road.”
I took the bag just as Ari came back out, lugging her essentials.
I stood up and caught it up before holding out my hand to her. “You ready?”
She leaned into me before saying, “As fuck.”
CHAPTER 20
Not the worst dad.
-Slone’s secret thoughts
SLONE
It was hours later when we were in the hotel bed, that I broached the subject of her sister again.
We’d had a good night.
We’d eaten until we were so full we couldn’t stand it.
We’d watched a movie.
We’d done all the things that normal couples did on a random day off.
But tomorrow everything would change.
I’d have to be back to the real world, meaning endorsement contract discussions with my lawyer, a few game tape watchings with the team, and a few other odds and ends that I had to do before I could be “off” for the day.
The day following that we were flying to Kansas City to play the Chiefs the following night.
Needless to say, as much as I loved doing nothing with her, that wasn’t always an option. Not with my work, anyway.
“What’s the story here?” I asked. “Are we just going to assume that your sister is going to fix herself up? Are we going to deal with it? I’ll follow your lead here but…I need direction.”
She sighed and buried her face in between the gap of my pecs.
I pulled her up tighter into my arms and said, “It’s going to be okay.”
She sighed, long and loud, then leaned her head back and looked at me with her heart in her eyes. It made my own heart start to beat heavily in response.
“I kind of love you, Slone.” She gazed at me, her eyes intense and filled with what I now saw was love.
I freed one hand and smoothed the hair out of her face as I said, “I love you, too. More than I ever thought possible.”
She closed her eyes, as if she needed to hear those words, before saying, “As for my sister…I don’t know. But something needs to change.”
“Yes,” I agreed.
Either they made it change, or I made it change. And I wasn’t sure she would like how I found a way to change it. Not that I knew that way yet…but I’d figure something out. Someone had to put Ari first.
“I’m going to highly recommend to the others that she needs to get professional help, and be in some sort of therapy, for the next couple of months.” she groaned. “But I don’t know what else needs to happen. I don’t have the right answers to this, as you can see. I’ve been dealing with it for so long that it’s just become a part of my life.”
I rolled her over so that I was hovering over the top of her and stared down into her eyes.