Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“I figured we’d go get a bite to eat before the storm hits,” he said. “I’m off for the next week. Major’s covering my area.”
Before I could say that I was fine, that I could eat something at his place, he was backing out of my drive and talking about the diner.
I opened my mouth to argue, but he spoke over me, talking and talking and talking.
He spoke about his sister.
He spoke about her coming back to Montana.
He spoke about the club.
He spoke about his work.
He spoke about his entire freakin’ life, and by the time we ended up at the diner sitting in the parking lot for a solid half hour as he chattered on and on, it was cemented deep into my soul.
I was one hundred percent, irrevocably, romance novel worthy, in love with this man.
He was the one. He would be the only.
And he would never know.
Twenty-Two
Why take the high road when you can take the psychopath?
—Creed to Birdee
Creed
I spoke until I was hoarse, and then spoke some more.
I didn’t stop when we got into the diner.
I just kept talking, telling her everything that I could think of, giving her me in hopes that she would forgive me for my sins.
And they were big ones.
Needless to say, I spoke when I was nervous.
And she gave me one hundred percent of her attention.
She didn’t look away.
Not when she spoke to order her drink.
Not when she spoke to order her food.
Not when the waitress asked if we needed anything.
Not when I told her my entire life story, from beginning to end.
Those brown eyes that I was so totally in love with stayed on me until I finally ran out of things to say.
When I stopped talking, the silence was almost deafening.
But that smile she gave me when she realized that I was done was blinding.
I loved her slightly crooked teeth. The slight points of her incisors making her look like she had baby vampire teeth.
It was cute.
And all Birdee.
“I love your teeth,” I found myself saying. “It looks like you have tiny little fangs.”
She snorted. “Those two teeth were the bane of my existence in high school. When I was thirteen or fourteen, Mable found out that they bothered me. And she called me a blood sucking whore from about fourteen on. I’m not sure when she actually stopped. Probably around the time that the school started to adopt the moniker.”
I blinked. “Why did she call you that?”
“I wasn’t a whore, if that’s what you were thinking,” she hurriedly said. “In fact, I’m a…”
She quickly cut herself off, her cheeks heating.
“Tell me.” I leaned forward. “I just told you everything about myself. I told you when I lost my virginity, for Christ’s sake. You can tell me this.”
She shook her head, almost as if she couldn’t believe what she was about to do, and then admitted, “I’ve had one sexual experience in my life. And it’s not even that kind of sexual experience. It was one time in college, I fooled around with a boy-man when I was nineteen or so. I didn’t like the way he made me feel, so I asked him to stop. The end. That’s the end of my experience.” She winced. “So for Mable to call me that felt like a slap to the face.”
“Didn’t I once hear you dated Mable’s ex-boyfriend? Slept with him or something?” I hurriedly held up my hands to try to do damage control when I saw the indignation on her face. “I know that you didn’t do it.”
“Mable’s ex-boyfriend, or fiancé, whatever you want to call him, was a serial cheater.” She sighed. “Morris was sleeping with every woman that would spread her legs open for him. I used to go to the country club a lot—it had the best Wi-Fi in town—and I’d see him taking so many women into the janitor’s closet. I was so sick of it, so I just…let the lie pass. I wanted her to know that he was a dick and that he was cheating on her. And she already hated me anyway, so why would I care if she thought I did it?”
“You’re a good person, Birdee,” I said softly. “I’m not sure why you let everyone think you aren’t.”
She shrugged. “My dad is a pretty popular person in this town. Mom was, too, in her own circles. Mable’s beloved by everyone. It’s hard to kick the stigma of being known as the town ‘bitch.’ Sometimes it just seemed easier to let it lie. I mean, even if I did defend myself, who would believe me?”
I tilted my head slightly sideways and asked, “Then why’d you stay?”
She looked out the window. “I don’t think a daughter ever stops wanting her father’s attention. I guess I figured if I stayed, maybe one day he’d give me the time of day.”