Total pages in book: 189
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
Taking Jace’s plump hand in his, Moon stared at the tiny hand that held his heart in such a small grasp. “I’ll never let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Jace blew bubbles up at him, wiggling his hand away to shove it in his toothless mouth.
Moon laughed. “If I switch the channel to Karate Kid, you going to tell Mama on me?” Taking his chance Jace wouldn’t, he changed the channel. Then he picked up his phone and called Train.
“You finally decided to call?”
Why was Train breathing so heavily?
“Have they left yet?”
The music in the background was cranked up so loud that Moon took the call off speaker phone, not wanting to keep Jace from falling asleep.
“Who?”
“Who in the fuc … do you think I’m talking about? Have Larissa and her family left yet?”
“I can barely hear you!” Train shouted. “You could have been asking if Jesus or Keller had left.”
“Have Larissa and her family left?” he repeated irritably.
“Brother”—Train sounded as if he was moving away from the music—“Larissa left about fifteen minutes ago. She should be home in twenty.”
“Thanks. Talk to you lat—”
“Brother.” Train’s voice stopped him from disconnecting the call.
“Yeah?” Moon adjusted Jace’s head so it rested more comfortably on his arm.
“Larissa left, but her family is still here.”
His grip tightened on the phone. “How’s she getting home?”
“Jesus offered her a ride.”
“Why didn’t”—he started to yell, but Jace’s eyes popped up. Giving him a gentle smile, he watched as Jace’s eyes gradually closed again—“you call me?” he said in a softer voice.
“I’m not going to lie. Killyama caught me sending pictures to you, hid my phone, and threatened she’d whip their ass if anyone gave me theirs. I just found it when you called.”
As angry as he was, Moon still had to ask, “Where did she hide it?”
“She was sitting on it.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Holding on to Jesus’ waist, she saw the lights of her house ahead. Finally, she was almost home.
The ride home on Jesus’ motorcycle had been as much fun as going to church on a pretty Sunday—you wanted to go, but you knew you’d rather be doing something else. Or be with someone else, she clarified. Any joy of exhalation of riding that she had imagined experiencing with Moon had fallen short with Jesus.
He drove as if every bump in the road would send her flying off the motorcycle. She could have jogged faster than he drove.
As Jesus pulled into the driveway, Keller’s motorcycle pulled in next to him. Both men turned their bikes off as she climbed off.
“Thank you, Jesus. I appreciate you both cutting short your evening to bring me home.”
As she thanked Jesus, she saw his eyes move from hers to over her shoulder.
“No problem. Moon, how’s it going?”
Turning, she found herself chest-to-chest with Moon. The look of rage on his face made her take a step back. However, Jesus’ hand on her back kept her from toppling over onto his lap.
When he saw that Jesus was touching her, Moon pulled her into his arms.
“What’s wrong?” Larissa asked.
“You want to tell me how you left with your family yet ended up coming home with Jesus?”
Stunned that he was showing her a high and mighty attitude after she had caught him riding with Saffron today sent her blood simmering.
“They weren’t ready to leave, and when Killyama saw Jesus and Keller were leaving, she asked them if they would bring me home so Mom and my sisters could stay.”
“You should have called me, and I would have come and got you.”
Her hands went to her hips. “Why on earth would I have you take the baby out to pick me up”—Larissa pointed at the baby monitor in his hand—“rather than me accepting a ride from Jesus?”
“Because he has the morals of a fucking alley cat, and he knows you’re my old lady. Your ass has no business being on any motorcycle except mine.”
She gaped at him. “You big hypocrite!” She angrily whacked him on his arrogant chest with her purse. “You’re making a big deal of me riding with Jesus, yet you were all kissy face with Saffron!” she screeched at him.
“Yeah, I am!” he snarled. “And I was not all kissy face with Saffron!”
Her anger reached a boiling point. Normally, she would run a mile to keep from having an argument, but Moon being so blatantly unreasonable was more than her pacifist soul could take.
Spinning around, she faced Jesus. “Does this look kissy face to you?” Before Jesus could jerk his face away, she pressed her cheek to his.
“What the fuck!”
Feeling Moon’s hand on her forearm, she whacked him with her purse again as she stepped away from Jesus.
“Ouch! That fucking hurts,” Moon complained, moving out of her reach.
“Good.” Giving him a look of pure satisfaction, she turned back to the two men on their motorcycles. “Well?” she snapped.