Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 53516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
At least, I hoped so.
She opened her little mouth as wide as she could, and a loud cry burst from her lungs. After a full minute—maybe three—of panicking, I made a quick bottle of the formula, but only after a quick Google search on how to do just that. She quieted down quickly and, after letting out a burp that would entertain any ten-year-old boy, fell asleep against my chest.
Again.
"Nate, I need your help." I didn't give a damn about the time or what he was up to; I needed his help, and I quickly explained the situation. "What the fuck am I supposed to do here?"
"Social services?" He laughed as if this were some kind of joke. "Are you sure she's not yours? I mean, the letter makes it sound like—"
"I know what it sounds like, but I don't even know a J."
"What you mean is you don't know the real name of any of the women you stick your dick into, right?"
Fair point. "She's not mine."
"But she could be," he teased once again.
"Get my lawyer on the phone and get some answers, dammit. Please."
"Holy shit, the monster has manners," he joked before a long silence fell between us. "I'll call Cummings and get back to you immediately. In the meantime, keep her safe."
"What the fuck else am I gonna do?" Someone dropped a baby off on my goddamn doorstep like she was Baby Jesus; the only thing I knew for sure was that I would keep her safe.
And I had to find a way to do that while also tending to my duties on the mountain. "I need another favor, Nate."
"I'm on it. I'll call you back soon," he promised and abruptly ended the call.
I nodded and held her close, inhaling her soft lavender scent and bouncing when she got a little fussy. I ate a bowl of stew one-handed and wasted three diapers trying to change her while I waited. I wasn't used to not being good at things, and this—taking care of a baby—was so far out of my wheelhouse that I felt useless.
But eventually, Nate called back with nothing but a name: Serenity Woods, who was supposed to be some kind of miracle worker. First thing in the morning, I called her and demanded she work a miracle on me.
Chapter 4
Rosalee
Seriously, who in the hell lived isolated on a mountain in the twenty-first century? I mean, why would anyone willingly live without modern amenities like Netflix, food delivery on demand, social media, and the internet? It didn't make any sense to me, but then again, it wasn't my place to judge, not when Serenity had called after what felt like an eternity since the party and said she had a placement for me, but only if I was willing to trek up the mountain to meet with the frantic parent.
Parent. That was her word, but it was doubtful the frantic parent was a mother because she would have gotten the hell off the mountain as soon as possible. Only a man, a father, would choose his way of life over what was best for his kid.
There you go judging again, Rosalee.
"Yeah, okay," I sighed and pushed the accelerator a little harder as the road inclined even more and the rain came down even harder. The sky darkened much faster than it usually did this time of year, and I flipped on my lights to illuminate the road. Minutes later, I had to flip on my brights for any type of visibility. The rain fell so hard that I could barely hear my windshield wipers as they swooshed across the window, doing next to nothing to improve my vision.
"Continue on this road for five minutes. Your destination will be on the left."
"Okay," I sighed and stroked the steering wheel. "Five miles. Just give me five miles, girl, and we'll be good for a little while." I hoped that was true as I slowed into a curve, yanking to the right when another car came barreling down the mountain at twice the speed limit and at least three times faster than the weather allowed. "Shit," I shouted as I returned my gaze to the road and found a tree directly in front of me. Though I wasn't going that fast, it was too fast to avoid hitting the tree, and the sickening crash dashed my hopes of making it to the interview in time.
My head throbbed from the impact on the steering wheel, but I wasn't dizzy, so I gave myself a minute to clear my head and look around outside before I pushed the door open. I didn't hear any other vehicles on the road, so I crossed it quickly, keeping off the road as I continued up the mountain.
The rain poured down in buckets, and less than a mile into my walk, I was soaked to the bone and shivering so hard my teeth clattered together violently. Golden light shone in the distance, but I couldn't be sure if I was really seeing it or if I was starting to hallucinate. "Help," I said, barely above a whisper, certain nobody could actually hear me over the rain.