Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 136048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Everything’s fine. You don’t need to worry,” she tells me. “I just had a conversation with Jonah the other day and I guess . . . I don’t really know. I wanted to run something by you and see what you thought.”
My brow arches. This is definitely not about the meds.
“What’s going on, doll?”
“Shit. Okay, I wasn’t expecting to feel so nervous about this,” she says, prompting me to shift my hands to her thighs before watching the way she visibly begins to calm at my touch. She takes a minute, her face scrunching a million different ways before finally taking a shaky breath and giving it to me straight. “I was talking to Jonah about Mom’s situation with the baby, and he mentioned that if Mom wasn’t willing to provide a more . . . stable home life for our sister, that maybe I should consider taking custody. You know, assuming Mom does what Mom does best and only thinks about herself.”
I stare at her for a moment. “You want to adopt your baby sister?”
“I, ummm . . . I’m not sure. I didn’t consider it as an adoption, just that I would claim guardianship over her and raise her in a home where she’s treated right and valued. That way she would know how it feels to have love and light in her life. I don’t want this baby to have the same upbringing I had. And I know I’m getting way ahead of myself because, as far as I’m aware, Mom really wants this baby, but I just don’t see it happening once Elias is dealt with. Mom will want to move on to her next billionaire, and she’ll leave this innocent little soul to fend for herself. I’ve seen it too many times. I’ve been that baby, and I just . . . I want better for her.”
“Are you ready to be a mom?”
She shakes her head. “No, not even close. I want to be a crazy midtwenties loser who drinks on the weekends and doesn’t have to worry about anything except trying not to get herself killed by psychopaths. I’m not ready to be someone’s mom. I don’t want to think about having a baby of my own until years down the track, but I do know that if it came down to it, I would want to give this little girl a home.”
I nod, with her right until the end. “Okay,” I tell her. “Whatever you decide, that’s the road we travel.”
“Huh?” she grunts. “Just like that?”
“Yeah, just like that.”
“You’re not even going to try to argue about this?”
“Why would I want to do that?” I ask. “My only purpose in life is to make you happy, to give you everything you deserve, and if taking custody of your baby sister is what you feel is right, then we’ll do that without looking back. We can raise her as our own, or as your sister. That choice can be yours. But no matter what you decide, I will be right here, ready to catch you if you fall.”
Harper visibly swallows as her eyes fill with unshed tears. “It terrifies me, Knight.”
“I know,” I say, pulling her against my chest. “Change is supposed to be scary. It’s uncharted waters, but that’s how we grow. It’s how we learn and better ourselves. Don’t fear change, embrace it. Fear the moment you stay the same.”
Harper nods against my chest, her face squished against my shirt. “Is there a toilet roll with all of these inspirational quotes written on it somewhere, or are you just getting wise in your old age?”
“I might be getting older, but I could run circles around you,” I tell her. “How’re those pull-ups coming along?”
“Oh shit,” she says, glancing at her watchless wrist. “Would you look at the time? I gotta jet.”
“Uh-huh.”
As if on cue, Ace’s truck pulls into my driveway, and not a moment later, he practically flies out the door, strutting across the grass sporting a bruised jaw, courtesy of Diesel. Their fight in the bar the other night was a mess. It was sloppy, but Ace got what was coming to him, though that’s how it usually ends between Ace and Diesel. Whoever is the first to throw a punch is generally the first to submit, and it was no different on Saturday night. The only problem is, Ace bruises like a goddamn peach, while Diesel has been strutting around looking as fresh as a fucking daisy.
Ace comes striding straight through the front door, not bothering to wait and knock, but what’s new? “Yo, Harper. You ready?” he calls from the foyer. “Diesel bet me I couldn’t get you to the hospital in under nine minutes.”
“Yeah?” she says with a smirk, her eyes lighting with excitement. “I bet we could do it in eight.”