Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
I swore I caught Jo cursing a few times.
The corners of my lips twitched upwards.
Yep. Shit is about to be better for us. I’ve been busy hooking us up.
TT was the first to spot me. With a gasp, she pointed and started sprinting towards me. “Moni!”
It didn’t take her long to get to me either.
“TT.” I braced myself for the impact as she slammed into me and flung her arms around my neck.
“You were gone forever!” she squealed into my ear.
I released a breathy chuckle, hugging her tighter. “I missed you so much.”
“Me too. I didn’t look at any of the new Max and Maddy episodes without you.”
I hated that cartoon and only watched it because she liked it, but I grinned anyway. “Awesome. We’ll catch up later this week. Okay?”
Before TT could respond, two more bodies crashed into us, laughter bubbling from their throats.
Jo and Chloe hugged me so damn hard I struggled with breathing. But I didn’t move or stop them, I could have died right there, suffocating in their love.
Jesus. I had no idea how much I’d missed them.
Like sure. . .I understood that I had wanted to see my sisters, but with them now next to me, I felt like a hole in my chest had been filled.
Tears welled up in my eyes. “Hey, guys!”
Chloe let me go first and whispered like it was a big secret, “Did you know you were on TV?”
“Yeah. I’ll explain more of that after the cookout.”
“Oh.” Jo looked around. “I thought Banks had messed it up about it being a cookout and you were really doing a carnival for us.”
“So. . .they’re uh. . .extravagant here in the East.”
Chloe parted her lips in shock. “There are mermaids! Oh my God. I love mermaids! I’m getting some pictures by them. Jo, come on over real quick so we can take a picture—”
“Girl, I’m not your photographer and you already took about fifty selfies on the helicopter.” Jo still hadn’t let me go. “And we’re just seeing Moni. Chill out.”
TT climbed off me. “Snuggles loves this place already.”
Jo finally let me go and gazed into my eyes. “Are you good?”
“I’m doing great.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“I saw that shit on TV today with the tea. Girl, you know you don’t know how to make no tea.”
I laughed.
“Anyway, the cool old dude, Leo, he said right on TV that Mom knew his wife and there was a picture and everything in the background.”
Oh shit. I forgot they would have seen that too.
I let out a long breath. “So. . .yes. That picture is real. Mom was here in the garden, but I never knew—”
“Moni, that doesn’t make any sense—”
“Jo, I’ll explain later—”
“I need you to explain now—”
“Mom was really here? No way.” Chloe looked around the garden. “How would she have gotten here?”
“Look. It is a long story. I will explain later.”
Jo’s eyes watered. “If Mom was really here, then I want to go to the spot where she was at. Right now. Fuck a cookout.”
For some reason, those words hit me hard.
Chloe went silent telling me that she agreed.
TT stared up at me.
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll take you three there, but first let me introduce—”
“And that’s where I’m going to be the whole cookout. Wherever Mom was at is the place I’m standing.” Jo appeared to be struggling with not crying as she crossed her arms over her chest. “But first I need proof that she was really here and an explanation—”
“Look. Give me like ten minutes or so,” I gestured toward Lotus Blossom, “I want to introduce you to everyone then show you our new house where. . .you all will be moving in today—”
“What house?” Jo quirked her brows.
I pointed at it. “That one.”
Jo gave me a skeptical expression like she would believe it when she truly saw us all moving into the spot.
Meanwhile, Chloe leaned her head to the side. “But then, where do we sleep and live? Is it on the third floor or second or—”
“The whole house is ours.”
“Moni, that’s not a house.” Jo scowled like I was lying to her. “That’s a fucking mansion.”
“Stop cursing and just. . .I’ll explain everything.”
TT tapped my side. “Moni, who are all the people behind you? I know one is the Mountain Master. I did some reading on the East’s system and that is the Deputy Mountain Master. I forgot which one is the Red Pole.”
Chloe smirked. “The Red what?”
Of course TT would know all the titles by heart.
“Mountain Master?” Jo kept those arms crossed over her chest. “I’m not calling him that. I don’t know that man.”
Oh, God.
All three of my sisters stared off behind me, clearly curious and perhaps a bit overwhelmed.
“Alright. I want you all to be on your best behavior.” I glanced over my shoulder.