Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
But now that I was, although the not touchy or affectionate thing was in the con column on the pros and cons list of Do I Want to Explore This with Hugger, that was definitely a pro.
Neither of my long-term boyfriends helped out around the house, and I’d lived with both of them. There were excuses—tee times, ballgames, trips to Lowe’s to pick up stuff to fix things I wasn’t sure were broken, and when they pitched in, they did a shitty job at it.
When I heard the term “weaponized incompetence” it rang the top bell for me with both of them.
Hugger didn’t just run the vacuum here and there to make a show of doing something, he actually vacuumed.
And he tidied the couch every morning, putting the toss pillows back like I liked them and everything (and I didn’t have to ask him to do that either).
Now, he was offering to go to the store, and it was partly because I couldn’t, but I was thinking it was mostly because that was Hugger.
Yes, this was definitely a pro.
Even so.
“I could also order them online so Pete doesn’t have to go back out,” I suggested. “You need to try to catch more sleep.”
“We’ll talk about it when Big Petey gets back.”
I agreed on a nod.
“Now let’s talk about you. How are you doin’ with all of this?” he asked.
“I’m thrilled to pieces she cried. I’m thrilled to pieces she got the chance to get that emotion out, I think that will help start the healing, and I don’t think she’s been anywhere near doing that. I’m further thrilled to pieces her parents know she’s okay, or at least she’s still of this world and they know where she is. I’m also thrilled this is moving forward, she obviously trusts me and she feels safe with the guys being around. Last, I’m thrilled to the absolute beyond I know her name.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, then asked, “Is it fucked that I’m glad she’s nineteen and not seventeen? I mean, it’s totally heinous, what was done to her, no matter her age. That’s not what I’m sayin’. But—”
I shook my head and really wanted to touch him, since he appeared so awkward, saying what he was saying, and it was sweet and cute, but no one liked to feel awkward.
“No,” I cut him off. “I think back to when I was seventeen and when I was nineteen, which was when my incident happened to me, and I can say it would have been way harder to deal if it happened earlier.”
His voice was deeper, rougher when he asked quietly, “You were nineteen?”
“Mm-hmm,”
His lips thinned again and there was a scary air charging out of him, and again, I really wanted to touch him.
“I’m okay, Hugger. And I kneed him in the balls before it got too far, and when he was dealing with that, I punched him in the dick so I could be sure to get away.”
Hugger did a slow blink. “You punched him in the dick?”
“Well, yeah. I had to make sure he was incapacitated when I ran to get the RA.”
Abruptly, his hand darted out, caught me at the back of my head and slammed me face first into his wide chest.
That chest was shaking, and so was his voice when he said, “That’s my girl. Don’t leave a job half-finished.”
I couldn’t believe it, considering the subject matter, but I was laughing too.
And it felt nice he called me “my girl,” not to mention he was touching me.
He one-upped his own self when he pulled me onto the couch, curling me into his arms and holding me close.
“You been through a lot this morning too,” he remarked.
I loved he understood that.
Still.
“Really, I’m okay.”
I snuggled deeper anyway, because if my chances at this kind of time with Hugger were going to be limited, I was going to take full advantage of them when I had them.
“You don’t always gotta be going hell bent for leather to take care of everyone, Di,” he stated. “You can take some time for yourself too.”
“Well, we need to talk about that, because not only does Dad want me to come over for dinner on Wednesday, he’s invited you too, and warning, this is so he can size you up, judge you and find you lacking.”
Hugger did a masculine eye roll at that, and if you don’t know what that is, it’s mostly a side-eye, but his eyeballs were aimed upward too.
It was kinda funny and kinda hot.
I didn’t have time for either. I had to smack him with the fullness of honesty about Dad.
“I will share, this will be about you being a biker. But it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t, he wouldn’t like you. He never liked any of my boyfriends.”
“Dads have a knack for bein’ like that,” he said. “Don’t know if I’ll win him over. Do know, I don’t care if I do. The only person who’s gotta like me is you.”