Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
He still had questions. A whole lot of them. But he remembered the words he’d said to her that last day in Paris. He’d literally told her he was happy they hadn’t had kids. He’d told her she wouldn’t be a good mother. He’d spent years telling her he couldn’t love her, couldn’t forgive her. His cruelty had sent her running every bit as much as Levi’s had, and he wasn’t making the same mistake again.
His brother, though… His brother was a completely different story.
He could be damn mad at his brother.
He believed Kim when she said she wasn’t interested in his brother in more than a familial way, but that didn’t mean Ezra wasn’t. He wasn’t sure what his brother was up to, but he intended to find out.
“Hey.” Jax came down the stairs as quietly as a big dude possibly could. He held a cell phone in his hand—one of the burners they’d brought with them. “I’ve got Big Tag on the line. He and Theo have worked out our next move. Rob’s getting everything lined up, but Ian wanted to talk to you.”
He bet Ian wanted to talk to him. He took the cell and stepped back into the kitchen, nodding Jax’s way. “Thanks, man.”
“Everything go okay?” Jax asked, looking over to where Roman cuddled up to his mom.
“He’s smart as a whip.” Beck felt a smile cross his face. “She’s done a great job with him. She’s kept him safe, and he seems open to having a dad in his life.”
She hadn’t put her anger at him on Roman. Because despite all the shit Kim had been through as a kid, she’d never taken it out on anyone else. While he’d put up walls, she’d opened her heart to him time and time again.
Could he get her to do it one more time? One more time, forever.
“You are handling this with grace, brother. I’m proud of you,” Jax said.
He didn’t want to think about how much those words meant to him. If he did, he might break down. For years after Ezra had “died,” he’d closed himself off. Becoming part of this weird family had softened him up for good. “She had her reasons. Watch over them for me, please.”
Jax nodded and sat down on the stairs as Beck walked toward the back of the small house Ezra had guided them to. According to his brother, this place, like the boat they’d taken, were owned by wealthy members of the church Ezra worked with.
His brother was a priest? That was what he’d been told. The people who’d loaned them the boat acted like Ezra was some kind of saint, though he wasn’t sure what they’d said because he didn’t speak Italian. He’d definitely heard them call him Padre. Was that a cover? Because the last time he’d checked his brother had been a soldier, and a damn good one.
Or had that been an illusion? All their lives Beck had been the rebel and Ezra had been known for his good choices. His perfection. Ezra had been the one who did everything right, the one he was supposed to look up to.
He shoved the thoughts aside and put the phone to his ear. Contemplation would have to wait.
“Hey, Ian. How are the others? We’ve tried to keep our communication limited in case Levi’s kissed enough ass to get someone to point a satellite this way so he can listen in on us.”
“Did I or did I not tell you to use a condom?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” But he was laughing, trying to hold it together because he should have known that would be Tag’s reaction. “And if I had I wouldn’t have a super-smart kid and an excellent way to get back into his mother’s good graces.”
Tag was quiet for a moment. “You’re really not upset about this? I was worried about your reaction. Finding out you’re an instadad can be stressful.”
“Upset about my son? No. Maybe it’ll hit me later on that I lost all those years with him, but right now all I can think about is how much time we’ve got ahead of us. I’d given up hope of us having a kid. Hell, I didn’t even know if I would ever see her again, much less have a chance at a family.” He paced the hallway. “It’s not that I’m not upset. I am, but I’m also excited at the thought of him. So I have to choose which one is going to win. I think I’m going to go with being happy to have a kid. But it’s a cautious joy. Levi knows about him.”
“Yeah, I was told he’s on Levi’s radar.” There was a pause over the line that let him know Ian was being careful about what he said next. “How is your brother?”