Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 49239 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49239 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“This will be you someday,” I remind her. “Times two.”
“I know, and I fully expect you to laugh your ass off.”
“Do not let on to him that I told you. He’s humiliated enough.”
“I won’t.” She holds up a white sock, the bottom of it stained brown. “Why do I even buy shoes for the little monsters when they just wear their socks outside?”
“Hey, have you heard anything else from Jake?”
Her expression turns worried. “I got a weird voice mail from an unknown number.”
“What did it say? Was it him?”
She looks over at her sons, building something out of Legos while they watch a show on TV. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
I’m immediately worried. This Jake guy sounds unhinged, and the fact that he won’t go away makes me wonder if he’ll do more than just call my sister to get her attention.
She’s filed everything she can for a police report and applied for an order of protection, but it is impossible to get one because the police can’t figure out who he really is. The detective she’s working with said the last name he gave Cam is probably fake.
Now I’m even more worried that this is the kind of man we’ve seen on TV shows about kidnappers and murderers. I won’t hesitate to protect my family, but I can’t be with every family member every minute of the day.
The doorbell rings and there’s a little flip of excitement in my stomach. Tate and Sam look over at us because they know they aren’t allowed to answer the door. I set down the T-shirt I’m folding and walk over.
After unlocking the door and opening it, I see Dom standing there, a big, long white box cradled in one arm. He’s holding the handle of a large brown paper bag in the other hand.
It takes me a second to unlock the new storm door, which I’m not used to. He gives me an approving smile as he steps inside, probably for keeping it locked like he told me to.
“Noodles!” Sam says happily, springing up from the floor.
“What do we tell Dom for bringing us dinner?” Cam asks from the kitchen.
“Thank you,” the boys say in unison.
“You’re welcome. There might be some chocolate chip cookies in there, too.”
He stops next to me and gives me a questioning look. “Kiss on the cheek or keep on walking?”
Damn, he’s cute. I was so pissed at him earlier, but he caught me off guard with his sincere apology. He owned his bad behavior like a grown-ass man, and that’s new to me. Every other man I’ve known would have been defensive.
I smile and give him a small peck on the lips. Right after, he meets my gaze and mouths, I’m sorry.
“I know.”
He passes me the box and I peek inside it, finding a dozen beautiful, long-stemmed red roses.
“Ew, Aunt Tess kissed him!” Tate says to Sam.
“No, she didn’t.”
“I saw her! She kissed his mouth!”
Sam looks at me accusingly. “Did you?”
Dom laughs under his breath and looks at the boys. “Let’s go see what’s in all these little white boxes. I ordered both of you a box of broccoli.”
“No!” Tate practically wails.
“Maybe you’ll get lucky and it’ll have chicken lo mein in it instead.”
“I wanted noodles.” Tate’s sullen now, buying into Dom’s joke.
I call upstairs to Hannah about it being dinnertime and downstairs to Zane. When Zane walks into the kitchen, he won’t even look at Dom.
“Beef fried rice and two egg rolls,” I say, passing my son his order.
“Thanks,” he mumbles.
“Thank Dom, he brought it.”
“Thanks,” Zane says, still not looking at him.
Zee takes his food and goes back downstairs. I usually make him eat in the kitchen, but I’ll make an exception this time. Dom meets my gaze and then takes his food downstairs, too.
“Can we watch a hockey game?” Sam asks.
“What’s with the sudden interest in hockey?” Cam asks him.
“Because we’re going to a hockey game.”
“Okay, that tracks.”
“Can we watch it while we’re eating dinner?”
That’s also something we usually don’t do, but it’s been a day, so why not?
“This one time, we can,” I say.
The boys settle in front of the TV, eating right out of their carryout boxes.
“Where’s Zee?” Hannah asks.
“Downstairs with Dom.”
“I got an A on my math test.”
“Great job.”
“Also, I want to go to the winter dance with my friends, can I?”
Ugh. That’ll mean a Saturday spent scouring thrift stores for a dress and shoes, plus the cost of dinner out with her friends. But she’s a good kid, and I don’t want her to miss out on anything.
“Of course. With your friends?”
She shrugs. “Maybe, unless someone asks me to be their date.”
“You’re twelve.”
“So?”
Just the thought of my daughter alone with a horny teenage boy is enough to make me want to break out a baseball bat. She may not have a protective father, but she’s got one hell of a protective mother.