Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
And I’d arrived just in time to hear my twelve-year-old son ask a man I barely knew to forge marriage documents between me and Riot.
“Caleb!” I gasped, finally finding my voice.
All three males whipped around to face me. Knight looked mildly amused, Riot looked like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and Caleb… my son simply gave me a steady look, not in the least repentant.
“Mom, it makes sense,” he said, his voice perfectly reasonable. “If you’re legally married to Riot, Dad can’t touch you.”
I stepped into the room, my legs shaky beneath me. “That’s not how this works, Caleb. You can’t just decide who I marry.”
“Why not?” Caleb crossed his arms. “You didn’t decide who you married the first time.”
His words hit me like a physical blow. I flinched, and immediately Riot was at my side, his hand warm and steady at the small of my back. “That’s enough, Caleb,” Riot said, his voice gentle but firm. “Your mother deserves to make her own choices, especially about letting another man in her life.”
Caleb didn’t back down. “Are you telling me you don’t want to be with Riot, Mom?”
“I don’t know what I want, Caleb.” I tried to keep calm, but the fact was I was reeling on the inside. Not because Caleb had, apparently, found me a husband, but because I wasn’t as opposed to the idea of marrying Riot as I should be. Not because I loved him. I didn’t know Riot well enough to love him. Riot represented safety and security and all the gentle, tender things I’d needed for so long but had never had. He was also unfailingly kind to me and seemed willing to give me anything he thought I needed.
“Yes, you do.” Caleb didn’t flinch. “Or are you telling me he climbed into your bed without your knowledge or consent? Because if he did, Dad’s not the only one I’ll make sure has a miserable life.”
“OK, this is really getting out of hand.” I tried to use my sternest voice.
“Mom, it was out of hand the first time Dad put his hands on you. Now it’s time for you to belong to someone who protects rather than hurts.”
“Caleb --”
“No, Mom.” He was more forceful now, an Alpha male in the making. “I heard every conversation you’ve had with Riot. I know the best way for the rest of the men in this club to get involved in making Dad stay away from us is for them to see you as Riot’s woman.”
“We can’t expect these people to risk everything to help us. They’ve done more than enough already.”
“Then do it for me, Mom. Marry Riot. I don’t know if Knight could do something to have Riot adopt me and make it all legal and stuff before Dad catches on or not.” He gave Knight a sneaky glance. Knight narrowed his gaze. I wasn’t sure if it was because he knew he was being manipulated or if he was incensed that Caleb would doubt his skills. Could be either. “If he can’t, at least he’s making it so Dad has no rights to me.”
“I can do any fucking thing with a computer,” Knight said stiffly, straightening to his full height. “Anything.”
“Then marrying Mom and Riot and making Riot my legal parent shouldn’t be a problem for you.” Caleb didn’t back down, giving orders like he was not only an adult, but the adult in charge.
“I don’t know whether to strangle you or be proud of you,” I muttered.
“Be proud,” Riot said with a grin, giving my shoulder a little squeeze.
“I’m assuming you ain’t supposed to be given the opportunity to protest this union, Riot?” Knight turned to his keyboard and started doing computer shit without looking in our direction.
“Nope,” Caleb said. “He lost that right when I caught him in my mother’s bed. Cuddling her.” He made a face. “That’s just gross.”
I couldn’t help but laugh despite myself. “We were just sleeping, Caleb.”
“Uh-huh.” His skeptical tone made me want to simultaneously hug him and ground him for life. I never had been able to get the upper hand on this kid. Mainly because everything the child did, and I mean everything since he was old enough to realize something might be wrong with me and his dad, was to make my life better. How the hell did you argue with a kid who was that observant and empathetic?
Riot cleared his throat. “I think we need to slow down here.” His voice was steady, but I could feel the tension in his body where his hand now rested against my back. “Marriage isn’t something you rush into.”
“You don’t want to marry my mom?” Caleb challenged Riot, his eyes narrowing.
“Not what I said, kid.” Riot’s jaw tightened. “I happen to think your mom deserves to be wooed properly before she gets hitched again.”