Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 597(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 597(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
I cut my eyes at Scarlet, and she shrinks back under the weight of my glare.
“Where will you go?”
Nora’s eyes flit up to Scarlet’s in surprise. “Oh, um. I’m sure I’ll think of somewhere.”
“Of course, you will. You seem resourceful.” Scarlet nods along, like what Nora’s saying makes perfect sense. She better course correct, or I swear to God, I’ll boot her out the front door without a shred of remorse.
“What about food, though? No offense, but you’re pretty underweight.” She pointedly lowers her eyes to Nora’s midsection. “Especially for someone eating for two.”
Nora’s hands fly up, protectively cupping her small bump. “I-I, um, we’ll be okay.” She sniffles, and the sound cuts across my skin like the blade of a knife. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“I told you I’d keep you safe, Pip. I can’t do that if you’re not here.” I plead with my eyes for her to understand, to believe me, to stay. The mere thought of her leaving, of her being out there with no one, makes me gnash my molars together in frustration.
“Atlas, please. I don’t want to be a burden.” She sounds like she’s on the verge of tears, and I hate it. I. Fucking. Hate. It.
“If you go, I go.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Have you seen a doctor?” Scarlet asks, reminding me that this isn’t a private conversation.
Shame colors Nora’s cheeks as she shakes her head.
“Do you know how far along you are?”
She squints one eye closed, her lips moving silently as she figures out her reply. “Um. Maybe two or three months. I’m not really sure.”
Fuck. I don’t know much about having kids, but even I know she should have seen a doctor by now.
Sensing my internal panic, Scarlet takes charge of the situation. “Sweetie, that’s not good. I work for an OB, and most women have seen the doctor two or three times by this point. Why don’t we all go talk in the living room, and we can figure this out together.”
“Head on back to the living room,” I say to Scarlet, needing a moment alone with Nora. “We’ll be right there.”
Wordlessly, she turns and heads down the hall, giving us some much-needed privacy.
“What’re you thinking, Pip?” Despite standing still, my heart is racing as I wait for her reply.
Logically, I know I can’t keep her here—that would make me as shitty as my father, to hold her against her will—but the thought of her leaving, being on her own and struggling, tears me up inside.
I meant it when I said if she goes that I’m packing a bag and tagging along. Her safety is my sole focus right now, and I have vacation days banked if I have to use them.
She shrugs. “I don’t know, it just feels like I’ve turned your whole world upside down. You’re fighting with your—” I don’t miss her rough swallow or the way she balls her tiny hands into fists. “You and your girlfriend are fighting because of me. I’m not worth this kind of trouble.”
“Wrong. So, fucking wrong.” I hold up my index finger. “One, Scarlet’s not my girlfriend—not really.” I hold up another finger, mentally adding a talk with Scar to my mental to-do list. “Two, you’re not trouble, and even if you were, you’d be worth every bit. None of what’s happened is your fault. I know I can’t make you stay, but I hope you believe me when I say I want you here with me.”
My words hang between us as Nora mulls them over. I send up silent prayers to every deity I can think of, offering all kinds of deals for her to stay.
“Okay,” she finally whispers, “I’ll stay.”
“Good. That’s good.” The evenness of my voice surprises me, because on the inside I’m doing a victory lap. “Why don’t we go out there and talk with Scarlet now? It’s probably not a good idea to leave those two unsupervised for long.”
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon.” I tip my head toward the hall. “You’ll see.”
“Overreact much?” Scarlet is saying as we enter the room.
“I’m not overreacting.” Ellis glares at the feisty blonde who knows how to push all of his buttons so very well. “You’re just insane.”
“Me?” Her eyes narrow. “I’m insane?”
“Did I stutter?” He rises from his recliner and stomps over to where Scarlet’s cozied up on the couch.
“Should we stop them?” Nora asks, looking truly alarmed.
“Nah. This is just what they do.” Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d think this was some weird kind of foreplay for them.
Nora and I watch, riveted as he kneels in front of her “Since your parents failed to teach you any kind of manners, I’ll do it for them.” He grabs her right ankle and pulls her shoe off.
“What are you doing?” she screeches, trying to kick his hands away, but Ellis’s hold on her is solid.