Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
“I bet.”
“I told him I’m only putting more minutes and data and shit on it once a month, so hopefully he’ll ration it until then, but I’m not holding my breath. But with me working so much more and all of the kids out of school, I wanted them to have a way to reach me if they needed to.”
“Good thinking.”
“He deserves it.” I yawned. The vibration of the truck was so relaxing. I’d spent the week barely sleeping, and I was beat. “He tries to act like he’s a little delinquent, but he keeps a close eye on things when I’m not there. Saoirse does too, but her nose is usually pressed so tightly into a book, a bomb could go off, and she wouldn’t even notice.”
At some point I must’ve fallen asleep because I woke with a start when Richie turned off the engine.
“Home, baby,” he murmured, running his fingers through my hair. I was laid out across the seat, my head resting on his thigh.
“How the hell did I end up here?” I asked in confusion, pushing myself up.
“You were falling over, so I pulled over and got you situated.”
“Sorry.” I grimaced. “It’s been a crazy week.”
“No worries.”
“Are you coming in?”
“Nah, I gotta get home. I’ve barely been there lately, and I gotta keep my mom happy if I’m going to keep mooching off them while we save up for a house.” He grinned.
“Damn.”
“I’ll come by tomorrow.”
“Alright, sounds good.” I leaned up to kiss him. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Thanks for dessert,” he replied against my mouth.
I burst out laughing when I realized what he meant. When I pulled away, his hand found my thigh and clamped down, holding me in place.
“Just a sec,” he murmured, reaching for the glove compartment. He rummaged around for a moment before pulling something out of it and then slamming it shut. When he pulled his hand back, I could see a little black box in his palm, and I froze.
“Jesus Christ.” My mouth fell open.
Richie laughed. “It’s not that. Five years, remember?”
“I think I just had a heart attack,” I breathed as he handed me the box.
I opened it up to find a delicate gold chain with a little A pendant hanging from it.
“Graduation present,” he said quietly.
“Richie—” I stared at the necklace. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You didn’t go to graduation—” He lifted a hand to quiet me when I opened my mouth to speak. “That shit about the cap and gown was bullshit. You know I’ve got my old one in a closet somewhere. My mom keeps everything.”
“Don’t tell the kids,” I ordered quickly.
“I won’t.” He smiled. “You didn’t do the whole graduation thing, but I thought you should have something to commemorate it. You spent high school raising four kids, working, and still got good grades and finished. That deserves some recognition.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my nose stinging with tears.
“You’re welcome,” he replied gently.
“Well, fuck, now I really want you to come inside,” I grumbled.
Richie laughed. “I’ll text you later, and I’ll come over in the morning.”
“Sounds good,” I said, my tone clearly indicating that I wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, baby.”
After one last kiss, I hopped out of the truck and hurried toward my front door, the necklace clenched tightly in my fist.
If I’d known what I was walking into, I would’ve hidden it safely in my pocket.
CHAPTER 5
Aoife
The moment I walked through the door, I knew something was wrong. The kids weren’t anywhere to be seen, but I could hear voices in the kitchen, and they didn’t sound happy. Hurrying in that direction, I caught sight of my mom’s back, most of it bare.
“Just get the fuck outta here.”
“I’m your mother—”
“You’re not my mother,” Cian spat. “You’re just the woman who gave birth to me.”
“Exactly.” Mom cackled. “What do you think a mother is?”
“The person who gives a shit,” Cian replied tightly. “The one who makes sure there’s food in the fuckin’ house, and homework is done, and we have clothes that fuckin’ fit!”
“You’re thirteen years old, I think you can figure stuff out for yourself, for Pete’s sake.”
“Right.” Cian shook his head. “Just go.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, striding into the room.
Mom was wearing a pair of jeans that were so low I was surprised I couldn’t see her c-section scar from when Aisling was born. Her halter top just barely covered her breasts and ended in fringe above her belly button. Her makeup was flawless, and at some point during the day of drinking in her room, she must’ve painted her nails because they were cherry red.
“I’m going out,” Mom announced.
“Okay?” I looked at Cian in confusion. I didn’t understand why he was so pissed.
“Ro and Ash asked her to play a game with them. She can’t be fucked to play one fuckin’ board game.”