Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“Sweetie, you got flowers too?” Lily asked.
“Yes, pretty flowers,” she said, holding them up.
“Will you take Eagle to the table so we can start enjoying this food? It’s nearly done,” Lily said.
“Eagle, would you like to follow me?” She showed them to the dining room where her mother had already put everyone in place. They had a small table, so she and Alfie would be sitting opposite each other while Eagle and Lily did the same.
This was going to be so much fun. She kept her mouth shut though, so no one would be able to detect the sarcasm.
“How’s school?” Eagle asked.
“You’re talking to me?” she asked, pointing at her chest.
“Yes. Alfie tells me you and he are now friends.”
“Oh, no—” She didn’t get the chance to finish as he kicked her under the table. She pressed her lips together but so wanted to kick him back.
Instead, she forced a smile to her lips.
“We’re really good friends,” he said.
“Kicking a girl under the table doesn’t make you very good friends, Alfie. I taught you better than that.”
Chloe bit her lip, seeing the glare in the man’s eyes.
“We are good friends,” she said, quickly coming to Alfie’s defense. “In fact, he wanted to ask me out on a date and my mom said no. It’s why you got invited, so she can see we’re bosom buddies and all that.” Shut up, Chloe. “Without him you wouldn’t be trying my mom’s cooking, and believe me, you’d be missing out.”
She really needed to stop talking. There was no time for Eagle or Alfie to say anything as her mother came out, carrying the large wok filled with her coconut stir-fry.
Chloe’s hands were shaking, so she was more than happy to have her mother serve the food.
The conversation was rather dull, talking about school, work, something to do with the club. Chloe didn’t pay attention. She was more interested in her food and not thinking about Alfie across from her.
Between kisses, proposed dates, and him standing up for her, she was all over the place. It was much easier when he hated her.
After dinner, her mother served cake, and to get away from all the awkward tension, Chloe offered to do the dishes, leaving her mother alone with Eagle. It wasn’t the choice she wanted to make, but she had to make her escape.
At least she knew Eagle wouldn’t hurt her mother, or she hoped not anyway.
“You’re running away again,” Alfie said, following her into the kitchen.
“I’m not running away. These dishes do not do themselves.”
“Noted. We have a club fairy come and take care of them.”
“Of course.” She turned the tap on, heating up the water.
“Why did you save me in there?” he asked.
“I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did. You saw the way my dad was reacting, and you told him about us dating, and how you wanted to. You gave the sense that you did, and I know I didn’t win you over that easily.”
Chloe averted her gaze, not wanting to look at him.
“Look, I saw all those years ago. I saw him hurt you. I don’t know what you’d done, but I can imagine living with him isn’t easy.”
“I know you saw.”
She turned to look at him. “I figured it was one of the reasons you hated me.”
“It was, but what you don’t know is I deserved it.”
“No, there’s no way a child could deserve that.”
Alfie laughed. “I know my dad loves me. He’s president of the Satan’s Crew MC, and with that comes a whole load of responsibility. He has to make sure I’m a good man. The kind of man who can take over from him some day, and I will. That day I got that beating, Ian was locked in the old barn, and I was messing around with matches and I set fire to it. Nearly killed Ian. He got out, but he did suffer from smoke inhalation, died on the table for a minute before the doctors were able to bring him back. My dad, he got home and gave me a beating so I would know never to play with matches like that again. But you’re right. I hated you for seeing that. I’m sorry.”
He put a hand on her back, and she did no more than hold him close.
Chapter Seven
Chloe’s life over the next month and a half was surreal. The graffiti on her locker stopped completely, which she wasn’t going to complain about. People stopped trying to trip her in the hallway, and she stopped having things thrown at her, or put in her locker.
For the first time, she got to live a painless, happy time at high school.
Surreal as fuck.
Her parents’ divorce, against all the odds, was also going smoothly. Kurt didn’t contest it, and she hadn’t seen her dad since that time at the diner, which did suck. She had hoped he’d stop by to say hey. Even though most of his time had been spent at the club, he was still her dad, and she did love him.