Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
I could never say no to her anymore
“You take your meals in your room. I’ll pay you minimum wage and deduct board.”
“That’s fair.”
“Hardly,” Red snipped.
I ignored her.
“You answer to Brett. He says you’re out of here, and that’s it. You fuck this up, I’m taking you down,” I said to Chase.
“You won’t regret it,” he assured me.
And to this day, I hadn’t. In the year he’d been with us, I’d seen the changes in him. He’d worked hard to fit in, and now he was simply one of us. Meals weren’t boring—I never knew who was going to be at the dinner table anymore, and the bottom line was, it didn’t matter. He had proven himself to me and everyone else. Brett had started teaching him how to work on cars, and the kid was a natural.
As usual, my wife had been right.
Not that I admitted it. Charly already had enough power over me.
I shook my head and returned to the present. I was looking for Charly. She wasn’t in the garage much these days, although she snuck in more than she was supposed to.
I headed out the side door and toward the side of the house, smiling at the sight of the gazebo I had built in the yard. We had gotten married in it, one bright fall day. It was simple and perfect. A few friends, Red in a pretty dress and me in a suit. Vows that meant something were exchanged—rich and special to each of us. Food prepared by Stefano’s family, who had taken us into their fold and treated us like their own. Our wedding cake was a pie. Lots of pies. It was a day of laughter and happiness.
And at the end of it, Charly was my wife.
It was all I needed.
I entered the house, grinning at the smell. It was pie day. Fillings were bubbling away on the top of the stove, and I knew Mary would be here shortly. Soon, an abundance of pies would appear. It was one of my favorite days of them all. I hadn’t been sure it was going to happen this month, given Charly’s condition, but she had insisted.
She was seated at the table, a glass of water in front of her, her feet propped up on a chair. I crossed the room and bent over, kissing her head. She looked tired.
“Why the hell are you not resting?” I demanded.
She opened her eyes, smiling as she rubbed her hand over her swollen belly. “Someone is far too active for me to do that.”
I dropped to my knees and pressed a kiss to her tummy. “Hey, little man, give Mommy a break.”
She patted her belly. “I think he wants pie as much as you do.”
I shook my head. “You’re eight months pregnant, Red. You shouldn’t be doing a pie marathon day.”
“Mary will be here soon. I did everything slowly. Once I roll out the crusts, she’ll fill and bake them. I won’t do any lifting or bending.”
“Stubborn woman,” I grumbled.
“Fussy husband.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and growled. She chuckled and fanned herself.
“Don’t go getting all growly and sexy, Maxx. You know what happens when you do that.” She rubbed her stomach again. “I end up pregnant.”
I had to chuckle. “It was your outfit that caused that to happen if I recall right.”
She sighed. “My leather vest didn’t last long.”
“Neither did your skirt.”
The day we were opening the new restoration area, she came downstairs and asked my opinion about her outfit. She had been sex on legs, wearing a tight leather vest with nothing else under it and a matching skirt. Leather boots completed the look.
“I thought it was perfect for the opening. Biker-chick-ish.” She smiled widely, already knowing what my reaction would be. I gaped at her, unable to believe she really thought I would allow her out in public wearing next to nothing, when it dawned on me. I had been so busy with all the details, I had been neglecting her. Stressing over other things. It had been days since I had made love to her. She wanted me back in the moment.
And I was right there with her.
I stalked toward her, shaking my head. “I don’t think so, Red.”
The sexy, no-one-is-ever-seeing-that-outfit ended up on the dining room floor a few moments later, torn to shreds. I chased her into the living room and took her over the sofa, growling and showing her exactly what my opinion was on the subject. The leather boots stayed on, though.
A few weeks later, the morning sickness started, and I found out I was going to be a dad. She’d handed me a little wrench, tied with a yellow ribbon. It took a moment to sink in before I reacted. I was dumbfounded, excited, and scared all at once. Then I kissed her until she was breathless. Until she knew how much her news meant to me. How much she meant to me.