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 couldn’t take it anymore. I reached forward and caught her hand. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
Her watery brown eyes tipped up and her gaze caught mine. “I think you are biased.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “For some reason, you’re actually talking to me. That’s just…weird. And since you feel some sort of obligation to talk to me since you ran over me with your truck, you got to know me. Maybe you know I’m not a bitch, and you feel like you should spread the word or something. I don’t know.”
“One, you’re not an obligation.” I linked my fingers through hers. “Two, you’re not a bitch. And have never been a bitch. Three, you’re the reason that I have my sister in my life right now. For that, you’ll have my devotion for the rest of my days. Even if you hadn’t already had it before you brought her back into my life.”
She tilted her head. “What are you talking about?”
Before I could answer, the diner’s doors opened and four laughing people, and one only barely smiling, came inside.
Romeo, Mable, Vito, Grace, and Cody.
Romeo’s gaze caught mine the moment they came through the door, and his smile dropped.
“Your regular table is open, dear.”
That regular table just so happened to be right next to ours.
Mable, Cody, and Grace didn’t notice us until they were about to sit down. Vito caught their gaze only after he took his seat and saw them watching.
Romeo came up to me and offered me his hand.
Since I would’ve had to let Birdee’s go to take it, I fisted my hand and held out my knuckles to him with my free hand.
He changed directions fast and knocked his fist against mine.
“Hey, Birdee,” Romeo rumbled. “How ya doin’?”
“I’m fine,” Birdee lied.
She wasn’t fine. She was tired, and you could tell. She had dark circles under her eyes, and even though she was wearing long sleeves, you could still see the medical tape coming out from under her sleeve.
Romeo missed nothing and eyed her carefully. “Are you sure?”
“Yep,” Birdee chirped.
Romeo eyed the dressing peeking out of her sleeve, and Birdee hastily tugged it down over her hand.
Romeo’s eyes came to mine, and I shrugged at his questioning gaze.
“What the hell are you doing here right now?” Vito barked. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
I moved my stare from Romeo to Vito before I said, “I know you’re not barking at her like she’s in trouble. She’s a grown-ass adult.”
Vito snorted. “I wasn’t barking at her.”
“You kind of were,” Mable interjected. “It was pretty loud. Plus, what’s it matter if she’s not at work?”
Vito scowled at her. “She told me that she was strapped for cash when I invited her out a couple of months ago. Figured if she needed the money, she’d be at work.”
“Vito,” Grace warned.
“What?” Vito asked.
“You’re taking out your anger on her, and she’s not even who you’re upset with. We talked about this.”
Vito muttered something under his breath, but we were saved from replying by the waitress coming back with our food.
The only problem was, Grace’s purse caught up on the waitress’s legs, and the plates in her hand started to teeter in our direction. Specifically, right at Birdee’s injured side.
I reacted before I could think, standing up and all but shoving Romeo into the way of the teetering plates.
The plates crashed down once they bounced off Romeo’s back, but Birdee was luckily spared.
Though, she did jolt suddenly and twist so that she could brace herself for the impact.
“Fuck, fuck. Baby,” I said as I slowly, carefully started to roll Birdee’s long-sleeved shirt up her wrist. “Are you okay?”
“I think I’m fine,” she whispered, voice quivering.
“Fuck,” I repeated. “Let me see.”
She gingerly handed over her arm, and I inspected the dressing with a hawkish gaze, missing nothing.
“Does it feel okay?” I asked, cupping her arm in my hands.
“I think so,” she said. “My heart’s pounding right now, but I think I was just scared.”
“I think you’re okay.” I grumbled. “Let’s go.”
“I’m okay…”
“I think I’d feel better if we went back to my place. I’m closer to the hospital just in case.”
“What happened?” Romeo asked as he peeked over Birdee’s shoulder to stare at her arm.
“Can incident with her artery,” I muttered. “Happened at her new job. She’s okay, but she has to baby that arm for a while to keep her from ripping that repair open all over again.”
“Whoa,” Mable said. “What happened exactly?”
Birdee gave them a very quick rundown of what happened.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
Birdee blinked. “Why would I?”
Vito looked like he’d been shot.
“Shit,” Grace whispered under her breath.
“I’m your dad,” Vito pointed out, getting angry.
“I’m so sorry,” the waitress apologized. “I’ll get these redone as soon as possible. And I’ll make them to go. They’re on the house.”
I helped Birdee to her feet, but left the sleeve where it was so I could keep an eye on the bandage.