Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Ben stood and put a hand on his shoulder. “You, Niall, are a smart man. Now let’s talk about how you’re going to break into my daughter’s condo and be waiting for her when she gets home from her extended session with the girls to complain about men. It’s why we’re here. If we stayed it would turn on us.”
“I thought we should go to a bar or something, but Ben thought we should do some charity work.” Chase was right back to snarky. It seemed to be his true language.
But Niall had seen the real man lurking under his rage and sarcasm. He’d seen the man who loved his daughter and would open his home and heart to the people she loved.
He was going to be a hell of a father-in-law.
“I’m ready,” Niall said and reached a hand out to his best friend. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jensen took his hand, squeezing it tight. “You love her enough for both of us tonight.”
“Did not need to hear that,” Chase said under his breath.
Niall snorted. He wasn’t taking anything back. “Will do.”
He followed Ben out, ready to start the fight of his life.
Chapter Nineteen
Harlow sat in Ruby’s car, staring up at her building.
This was not how she’d expected to end the evening.
“Where did your dads go? How are you not worried about them disappearing?” Ruby sat in the driver’s seat of her SUV, her hands on the steering wheel.
She’d been a rock this afternoon and long into the evening. Ruby waited at the police station where she’d given her statement.
Then Ruby had taken her to her parents’ place where her mom and Greer and Gigi had been waiting with food and wine and willing ears.
Not that she’d used those. Everyone had tried to get her to talk about her feelings, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t be the dumbass girl who cried over the guy who’d left her twice. The first was reasonable. She hadn’t known what he could do. The second time she’d been very informed and still let the asshole into her bed.
“I suspect they went to tell Jensen and Niall to stay away from me.” She’d briefly talked to her fathers. Dad had been pissed she hadn’t called him in, and Papa had actually agreed with him but they’d dropped it pretty quickly. They’d hugged her and told her they loved her, and Dad told her how proud he was that she’d followed all her training and dropped the asshole with two to the chest.
“I thought Niall wasn’t the bad guy here,” Ruby prodded gently.
Her mom had looked worried when she left with Ruby, but Harlow promised to be back for breakfast in the morning and everyone had given her some space. It looked like her bestie was ready to push her.
“I know. He didn’t leave me, but I’m also not sure that it can work. They’ve been friends for a long time. Honestly, they’re practically brothers, and while Niall might be mad at Jensen right now, he will get over it.” She’d thought about it all afternoon. Ever since the moment she looked down and Niall was on the ground beside Jensen, holding his hand, following his instincts when she couldn’t give in to hers.
Ruby was quiet for a moment. “You haven’t forgiven him for spying on you for Jensen?”
She should have gotten out of the car faster. Harlow sighed and sat back. “I think I have. It wasn’t like he stalked me. He moved into my circle and hung out and tried to help me when he could. But that kind of makes my point. He moved his whole life when Jensen asked him to.”
“He seems like he loves it here,” Ruby replied. “I would be surprised if he doesn’t try to keep his membership at The Hideout. Are you going to ask the board to expel him?”
“No.” But how was she going to see him every weekend? She tended to spend most Friday and Saturday nights at The Hideout. Thursday nights, too. Sundays they usually had brunch at someone’s house, and all of the members were invited. Niall usually showed up and wolfed down pancakes and bacon and laughed with everyone. “I don’t think he should get kicked out. He’s a good Dom, and I think he needs the club.”
Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re going to pull away and leave it to him.”
Ruby knew her well. “I thought I should take some time off.”
It made sense. She needed to focus on herself and why she made terrible choices. She needed to focus on the business and her open cases and building a life without them.
“So you don’t want one without the other?” Ruby asked the harsh question, though her tone was sympathetic.
“It’s not like that. I do want him, but I don’t think it can work. I did for a second. I even told Niall I loved him. I do. But I saw him with Jensen.”