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)
Or he could put his brain to use and find a way to nail him for every crime he’d committed. Levi might have a lot of powerful people in his corner now, but if he could find real proof, they would all back away. That was the trouble with powerful people. They often had a lot to lose.
“Are we going to stay here?” Roman asked. “Am I going to ever see my Uncle Francis again?”
His heart clenched at the fear he heard in his son’s voice. He knelt down beside him. “I don’t know that we’ll be going back to Malta any time soon, but I do promise that your Uncle Francis is fine, and you will see him again. In fact, when we have a secure line, your mom can call him.”
A look of relief crossed Roman’s face. “Good, because I think he’ll be lonely. So what am I going to do about school? I still have two weeks left.”
“I think we’re going to have to call it a year. In the States school is already out,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. Are you going to miss your friends?”
Roman’s face fell. “I don’t have a lot of friends. They think I’m weird.”
“It’s because you’re so smart,” Ezra replied as though they’d had this conversation more than once. “They’re jealous that you do so well in school and they struggle.”
“No, I think it’s because I’m weird. I’m not good at sports,” Roman said. “But I know lots of science stuff, and I apparently talk about it too much and use big words. I can’t help it that I have an expansive vocabulary.”
Ezra smiled Roman’s way, but his words were directed at Beck. “We do word of the day. We’ve done it since he was two years old. His teacher tells me he’s got the most mature vocabulary of any student she’s ever had.”
“Not that it helps me win friends.” Roman looked down at his eggs.
“You don’t need to win friends,” Ezra insisted.
“How many kids were you around before you started school?” Beck had an idea of why Roman didn’t fit in. Kim would have kept him close during those first years. She wouldn’t have dropped him off at a daycare or arranged playdates. She would have put everything she had into protecting her son. Their son.
“I didn’t really meet many kids until school,” Roman admitted. “Uncle Ezra was my friend.”
“Uncle Ezra was a geek. He is not the person who should be teaching you how to be cool. He was a geek in school, and when he gets the chance to pick a cover, he becomes a priest.”
Ezra sent him a death stare.
Beck wasn’t backing down. “You could have become anything. You chose priest.”
“It’s not a cover. It’s a calling, asshole.” Ezra frowned. “I’m sorry I cursed, Roman. Your father pushes me.”
“All I’m saying is making friends can be taught,” Beck explained. “The social aspects of school can be as important as the academic ones.”
“Can you teach me?” Roman asked.
He hoped he had the chance. He wasn’t sure how long they would be hiding. Once it was safe, he didn’t know if Kim would want to take their son back to Malta to resume their lives there. He would have to move. “Of course. I would love to help out. I’m around a lot of kids. All my friends have kids. Well, most of them.”
“Can I meet them?” Roman asked, his eyes bright.
“Sure. At some point. I don’t think we’ll be able to go back to Dallas right away. We need to make sure your mom is safe.” He didn’t know what Kim wanted to tell Roman about her situation. Somehow he didn’t think telling Roman that his mom could be arrested at any moment would make him any less afraid.
“Where do you think we’ll go?” The question had come from his brother rather than his son, but they were both looking at him like he was the authority figure in the room.
“Can we hide at the place that has all the Harry Potter stuff?” Roman asked. “We can dress like wizards and maybe Levi Green won’t know we’re there.”
A chuckle caressed his ears and went straight to his cock. He loved that husky laugh of hers. He turned and she was standing in the doorway, all soft and tousled. She was wearing the same clothes from the day before, but she’d washed the makeup off. She was gorgeous with or without makeup, but she looked younger like this, looked so close to the young woman he’d fallen head over heels for.
“I don’t think an amusement park is what your dad is thinking of,” she said, moving over to their son. She leaned over and kissed his head. “Did your dad make those eggs?”
Roman grinned up at her. “Yeah, and he saved some for you. He wouldn’t let Uncle Ezra have any.”