Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 73230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“You can’t do that right now. She’ll think you’re doing it out of pity,” Esme said softly.
I nodded. “I know.
“Which is why I’m telling y’all this. I wanted to be the one to tell her…but the more I got to thinking, the more I realized that maybe coming from someone she trusts right now might be best.”
“That’s why you left her alone all this time?” Gustavo guessed.
I nodded solemnly.
“Yes,” I agreed.
“You’ll never leave her like that again?”
I shook my head. “No. Never,” I promised fiercely.
He sighed.
“If you hurt her again, I’ll kick your ass. I’ll shove my foot so far down your throat that you’ll feel my balls on your chin,” he insisted.
I blinked, surprised by the pure surety in his voice.
“I’ll never hurt her. At least not purposefully,” I promised.
“You better not. Or I swear to Christ.”
“You’ll have to win her back. My girl holds a mean grudge,” Esme swore.
I grinned. “Oh, that I know all too well. But, trust me, I’ll get in there,” I promised. “But…will you call me and tell me how she takes it?” I asked.
At their nod, I continued.
“He’s in custody and won’t be released on bond due to the possibility of him being a flight risk,” I cleared my throat. “I would appreciate it if you kept her with you tonight.”
“We will. Promise.”
***
Gustavo
“It’s true,” I promised my little girl.
Tasha looked up confusion and devastation swimming in her tear-filled eyes.
“You’re lying,” she said again.
I shook my head.
“I wish I was. But I’m not. I even called The Jones’. They confirmed that it was all a ruse to break y’all up,” I explained. “They said that he was suicidal, and they thought it was best for him to be involuntarily admitted into a treatment facility. He wasn’t cleared for discharge until about a year ago. Once he was discharged, his parents never saw him again.”
She moaned.
“Why?” she cried.
I wrapped my arms around her front, and Esme cuddled close to her side.
“I wish I knew, baby,” I whispered into her hair. “I wish I knew.”
“How’d you find out?” she whispered so softly that I wasn’t sure that I heard her correctly.
“Casten.”
She trembled at the mention of his name.
“You’re sure?” she pushed.
“I’m sure,” I reaffirmed.
She started to shake as sobs wracked her body, and I made a promise to myself that I would never, ever allow this to happen to her again.
Not my baby.
Casten better be careful, because I was going to watch every step he made.
And God help him if he fucked up.
Chapter 19
I can’t adult today.
-T-shirt
Tasha
I stared at the picture on my screen.
It was a picture of Casten and me.
A selfie that I’d practically forced him to take.
I was on the back of his bike with my arms up over his shoulders holding the phone out in front of both of our faces.
He had a scowl on his face, but I could read his gray, expressive eyes.
And they were anything but upset.
They were happy.
“Do you want to go out to eat breakfast with me and Alison in the morning?” my sister asked.
“I don’t know, maybe?” I replied, setting the phone down to turn to my sister. “You ready to go?”
She nodded.
“Yep. I’m ready. This should be a lot of fun,” she whispered, looking down at her outfit.
She was in much the same as me.
Short black shorts, black sports bra, and black racerback tank.
We were going to play mud volleyball for the Breast Cancer Awareness benefit that The Uncertain Saints were putting on.
The volleyball game had been my offering to the benefit, before Casten had officially broken up with me.
But it was for a good cause so there was no way that I wouldn’t go through with it, even though I was still hurting.
I wasn’t hurting for the same reasons as I was when I left Casten in that hospital room, though.
I was hurting because he was staying away from me because he thought it’s what I needed after learning the truth about Jet.
Although Jet had been a huge part of my life when I was a younger, I was no longer that girl. I was a grown woman.
One who was in love with Casten.
I wasn’t in love with Jet anymore and never would be again. My whole heart now belonged to a stubborn man who refused to think I was over whatever he thought I needed to get over.
Although, I was getting this information second hand, seeing as Casten had still yet to talk to me.
It’d been a little over two weeks since he’d found Jet.
Two weeks since Jet had been put in jail for attempting to kill not only Casten, but also the little three-year-old girl Casten had been holding. Jet was looking at felony charges.
He hadn’t been granted bail, and I hadn’t bothered to go see him yet, even though my sister thought I should.