Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
I want to understand what’s going on so I can find forgiveness for the havoc she’s caused.
It’s then, standing in front of the view I’ve stared at for years, that I see color for the first time. Green treetops dot the sides of the avenue, blue covers the sky as far as I can see, and bright yellow cabs and brown sidewalks. It’s not just gray anymore. That’s because of Delaney.
This is not about fighting against her tide or giving in to the wave as it crashes down on us. I’ve been coming at this situation all wrong. It’s not about acceptance or denial. It’s about compromise and riding the wave into shore. I can do that. For her. Give and take. No more secrets allowed. And I hope she returns the favor.
Two hours later, Jocelyn delivers a phone to my desk. “I updated it with your information and contacts. Photos are organized as they were, and your privacy is protected. Everything has transferred from the cloud and should work the same as your other one.”
“Thank you. That’s a time-saver.”
“Oh,” she says, pointing at the screen. “And there’s a text from Jimmy that came in as soon as the messages loaded.”
“I appreciate it, Jocelyn.” I look at my shiny new phone. It’s tempting to hug it to my chest, but yeah, that’s not going to happen. The reprieve from society was nice for a bit, but I missed having technology at my beck and call.
I tap on the message from Jimmy and read: Glad we had the bachelor party last month, since you’ve gone MIA on me. Two weeks until the wedding. I expect to hear from you before then, fucker.
I chuckle. If he only knew all that I’ve been through.
I haven’t forgotten about his wedding, but it hasn’t been on my mind. Two weeks. I reply with a zoomed-out sky-view description of the accident, avoiding the details, and let him know I’m back in action if he needs anything. But I find myself grinning like a fool when I let him know I’ll also be bringing a plus-one.
CHAPTER 25
Delaney
With a duffel bag of clothes and a few more pairs of shoes, I walk back into the living room to leave.
“Is it serious?”
“You’re such a creeper, Lorenzo. Why are you sitting in here in total silence?”
“Creepin’.” He chuckles but then holds up his phone. “Checking the emails for the restaurant. I’ve been running catering for the past month, not that you’ve noticed or that it’s any of your business, sis.”
I hold the handles of the bag in front of me with both hands, wishing I had made a clean getaway. In a family this size and an apartment this small, I was bound to run into somebody. My mom would have been a better choice. She doesn’t give me a hard time like my brothers do.
He leans back in dad’s recliner, kicking one leg over his other knee and sitting there with his fingers steepled. He really thinks he’s somebody when he asks, “So is it?”
“What are we talking about?” I look toward the window, as if the shadows of leaves from the trees outside, floating over the wall with the TV, will give me some semblance of the time of day. I lost the morning by going back to bed and woke up in a tear to get things done so I could be back before Warner gets home.
I applied for more jobs and took off to come home for more of my things.
“Have you already forgotten? The guy with the black eye you brought around last night. Ring a bell?”
“You’re so annoying. You can say his name. Warner.”
“Landers.” My stomach clenches as if the name itself causes fear. It doesn’t. Only what he represents. And my brothers finding out, which at least one clearly has. He redirects his eyes toward the large bay window. “Same guy trying to close us down.” When he looks back at me, he says, “Ballsy move bringing him around to break bread like he’s one of us, like he might be a part of the family one day.” He stands and walks into the kitchen. “You humiliated Mom and Pops by pulling that stunt. Mom cooked for him.”
“It wasn’t a stunt.” Not for them anyway. I can’t tell my brother that it was about showing Warner what could be lost if this deal goes through. “I wouldn’t do something like that, and you know that, so stop with the accusations when they’re not based in reality.”
“If they find out—”
“They won’t unless you tell them,” I gripe, tightening my fingers around the handles.
He pulls a soda from the fridge and pops the top. My brother is a big guy. Both are, taking after our dad. But they still made sure I earned my Bayetti stripes and learned how to stand up for the family. As the youngest, I was expected to handle a situation with a girl who was mocking the restaurant, calling its food terrible. I handled it. No fists involved, unlike how they would have. So he knows that family will always come first with me, and I’ll do anything, anything, to protect us. What he doesn’t know is what I’m currently doing, which was a sacrifice in the beginning. Now . . . it might be serious like he can plainly see.