Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I can do it.” I wanted to ride my boy and nothing was going to stand in my way.
Not crazy pregnant ladies.
Not weird neighbors I’d never met.
Not cake I wasn’t going to get to taste.
I needed a fucking burger.
“Done. Go. Go. Go.” I heard someone call our names in a high-pitched voice but we pretended not to notice as we broke free of the front door. “Find Harley. We need to go because I don’t know who that was.”
If it was one of the pregnant one’s we’d never escape.
Santos was going to turn out to be the biggest sucker in the entire family.
“I found you.” Harley looked like we’d rescued him from jail as he peeked out from the side of the house by the garage, but he was smart and didn’t stop. “I did it. I got out. Your dad put me in a closet. He’s nice. I got to finish more of my flashcards. My app is great.”
“Lord.” Santos wanted to stop and bark at me again but he held himself back as we made it to the sidewalk. “Dally. That was…”
Harley seemed like he was trying not to giggle, but he was smart and held it back. “Papa. I made notes. I talked to people. I even frowned at them.”
I wasn’t sure it was the safest distraction but it got us to Santos’s oversized town car without him going bananas.
“Dally!!”
“Fuck.” It was the pincher. “In the car. Hit the locks. Hurry.”
Next time we were going to park closer even if we had to park on the lawn.
Safe.
Santos started driving as soon as the doors were closed but we managed to get buckled before we got too far down the road. That seemed to be his cue to start grumbling again, though. “Dally, I don’t even know where to start.”
Was that a good thing or not?
Thankfully, somehow Harley ended up in the front seat and could easily reach over to take his Papa’s hand. “James saved me. He showed me a closet and he said he liked me.”
He was so cute when he was manipulating us.
“I’m not ready to calm down yet, sweet boy.” Santos tried to be logical, but Harley aimed wide eyes at him as we came up to a stoplight. “That’s cheating.”
Yep.
It was cute, though.
“He said I was part of the family now and showed me his special spot.” Harley was so excited about that his Papa melted. “He even said I’d done a good job pretending to be tough. He said I was sweet.”
Pokey couldn’t seem to decide how he felt about that. “Dally, do I have to worry about your father trying to seduce our boy?”
“Not based on how many times he’s knocked up my mother.” But based on how many people in the family weren’t exactly straight…well…we’d just make sure my dad knew not to flirt with my boy.
Harley giggled but decided another distraction was in order. “I liked the closet but I didn’t get dinner.”
“Me neither.” And I was beyond hungry. “I don’t know how it happened.”
I was usually really good at avoiding my family and getting fed.
“I will be very glad to explain that in detail…after we’ve eaten because I didn’t get dinner either.” Santos didn’t like having to admit that, but the deep breath he took and let out slowly said he was ready to let some of his drama go. “How does burgers sound? Ones that aren’t burned, raw, or made of strange meat I can’t identify.”
“Perfect.” Then maybe he’d be a happier person.
I’d helped him escape, so I was going to need to be rewarded for that.
“Yes.” Harley seemed to have already forgotten the drama with the promise of burgers. “And chocolate milk?”
Hmm…too much stress after all.
“Will it come with a toy?”
Definitely too much stress.
But it’d made his Papa smile, so stress to the rescue…because sometimes family was chaotic and crazy but a little with a big heart and a sweet smile made everything perfect.