Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“He won’t hurt her, right?” Andy asks as we make our way back to my apartment.
“Nah. Piss her off, sure, but he’s not going to hurt an innocent. Besides, we’ve been wondering why headquarters has been so bare.”
“I meant to ask you. Josie said something, and it slipped my mind with everything going on. Are you going to look into it?”
“Probably?” I sneak a glance at her. “Does that make you unhappy? Because I won’t do it if you don’t want me to.”
“Really?”
“I love you, Andy. That means I want to make you happy. I think that’s my whole purpose in life. To protect you and my mom and Julie and to make you happy.”
She lets out a little laugh. “It’s so weird to hear you say you love me. I’ve never heard that from anyone except my mom.”
“You believe me, right?” She stops me and rises on her tiptoes, her hands resting against my chest.
“I absolutely do.” She beams up at me with full trust. “And if these Pipe assholes are up to something, it should be handled if they are hurting and killing people. I’m starting to really understand that in life people like the Riders are needed. They’ll push back against them when the cops are busy looking the other way and getting a cut from them. Even the girls at the club. Life is better there too because of the Riders.”
She’s right, and Bam and I will dig more into it. Bam is already going off about staying with the Josie girl. Andy is always shining a light on things I feel are all darkness. Showing me that it's not. She doesn't think the Riders are this dirty gang that needs to be off the streets.
As much as I enjoy bashing a few skulls from time to time when needed, I also like when we can do some good. The Riders did save my sister, after all. Not only that, but they have filled my pocket with cash. I'd never worked a minimum wage job while in school. In fact, I think they can help pay for a lot of things to work toward all the things Andy and I want in life.
The Riders aren't the threat. They actually might be the answer. My girl sees that, and because of her, I'm seeing it too.
I kiss her, right there on the sidewalk. I pull her tight against me, shove my tongue in her mouth, and kiss her until her cheeks are red and her breath is gone and nothing in the world exists but her and me.
Epilogue
ANDY
YEARS LATER
One of my favorite parts of the day is coming home. It has nothing to do with being excited about getting out of work, either. I love my job. I worked my ass off for my degree and the position I have at the hospital. It is truly what I was meant to do in life.
I’ve only been an RN for a year, but before that, I did internships and have worked at the hospital for years now. I was guaranteed a nursing position upon graduation, but I was still surprised that I’d gotten the charge nurse posting so quickly.
Niki wasn't surprised in the least, of course. He thinks I’m the smartest person on the planet. That man has always been my number one supporter. Niki held down a lot of our life while I bulldozed my way through school with not only determination for myself and Niki but for our whole family. I wanted to make sure we could afford to lead a better life.
Right now, the plan is to stay in the ER but keep working toward being an OR nurse. Maybe one day I’ll go back to further my degree, but right now, I’m content. I love getting up and having breakfast with my family and spending lazy Sundays together or bickering over what show we will watch.
I pull my SUV into the driveway, hitting the button for the garage. I’m barely in the door when Julie is on me.
“I got it! I won!” Julie is jumping up and down, holding out her award for best creative story in her grade.
“Of course you did!” I wrap her in a tight hug. I can’t help the amount of pride and happiness I feel. Memories quickly flash through my mind of the first time I met her and we read about dragons. She has grown so much since then.
“I can’t believe it. I need to write a part two.”
I smile, putting my things down. “What will the second part be?” I usher her toward the kitchen so that I can wash my hands and see what possibilities we have for dinner.
“I have so many ideas. They're all packed in here.” She points to her head.
“Why don’t you tell me some of them while I start dinner?” For the next twenty minutes while I dinner prep, Julie rattles on about her ideas for a second part. These moments are some of the best of my life.