Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Willow tosses her arm across the bed, letting out a loud huff and gripping the pillow. Her brow scrunches as she reaches out. Slowly, her eyes open and dart around frantically, softening when they find me.
“Shhh, baby. I’ll be right back.” I brush her hair away from her head and kiss her temple.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing, give me a minute.”
I try to temper the anger in my voice, stepping into the hall. I’m momentarily taken aback by the beautiful woman standing face-to-face with Sterling. She’s tall and thin, with long brown hair and green eyes burning fire. The resemblance to Willow is unmistakable. But unlike Willow, this woman screams bitch.
“He may not speak for her, but I do. You don’t keep your voice down, we have a problem.”
“Who are you?” she screeches.
“I’m not someone you want to fuck with. Last chance, control yourself or I’ll have you removed.”
She swings her head to Sterling, continuing her high-pitched tirade. “You wouldn’t dare kick me out.”
“I’m giving you respect because you’re the mother of my children. But Talon doesn’t report to me. He’s on his own.”
“Who the hell is Talon?”
“I’m with Willow and this is your last warning to calm your shit. You upset her, you answer to me. And, woman, you don’t want to answer to me.”
“This is unbelievable. You can’t threaten me. She’s my daughter and you’re not even family. I should have you removed.”
“Like to see you try that,” Sterling takes the words out of my mouth.
I catch a quick smirk before his expression darkens again.
“Wait, did you say you’re with Willow? Like with her? Are you her boyfriend?”
Stacy’s entire personality takes on a new tone and she clasps her hands together. “If this is true, why are we even standing here? Willow has moved on. This changes things.”
“This changes nothing, Stacy.”
“But Sterling, it does. Willow has moved on, which means Chase, Willow, and Rylee can finally be family again.”
“Rylee?”
Stacy’s eyes widen in alarm. “Yes, Rylee and Chase are Willow’s siblings. Surely you know this if you’re together.”
My silence is my answer.
“He’s met Chase,” Sterling offers.
“How convenient. Rylee does exist, no matter how you all treat her. She’s a part of this family and made some mistakes. But this doesn’t mean she needs to be ostracized and banished. Just because you broke up our marriage—”
“Enough!” he hisses. “We are standing in a hospital corridor because Willow had a severe reaction to something we can’t identify. This is not about Rylee, her mistakes, you, or your decisions. There is no banishment, and we are not discussing our separation here.” Anger laces in his words.
Stacy straightens, focused to my right. “Oh my…”
Willow’s peeping out a slit in the door. Her eyes are loaded with confusion and locked on her mother.
“What are you doing out of bed?”
She jerks, her attention swinging my way.
“I heard her voice.”
My own anger boils and I pin Stacy with a glare that has her gulping. “Don’t know the history here, don’t particularly care, but it’s evident you aren’t welcome. You disrupted her with this bullshit in the middle of the night. Now we have a problem.”
I slice my eyes to Sterling. “You can handle this?”
He tips his chin so I slip back into the room, lifting Willow and carrying her back to bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like a pincushion.”
“Understandable, you took a lot of pricks today.”
Her complexion is slightly flushed, and I scan over her for any other signs of distress.
“My throat feels better and the pain in my abdomen is more of a muscle ache. Like I worked out for the first time in forever.”
“That’s all good.”
“How long has it been?”
I check my watch. “It’s been six hours since your peanut dosage.”
“And no problems.”
“Agreed, but I’m not a doctor.”
“Me neither, but I know enough that is a long time for no reaction. I don’t think I’m allergic to peanuts.”
“Let’s err on the safe side for a while. Can I get you anything?”
She lies back and blows out a frustrated breath. “I want a shower and my pajamas back. This hospital gown is awful.”
If that’s what she wants, then that’s what she’ll get. Without a word, I lift her again and take her to the bathroom where her things are. “I’m not sure a shower is a good idea, but we can get you changed.”
“The nurse will be pissed.”
“Then let her be pissed.”
This earns me a small grin and she wiggles to get down. After a few seconds, she points to the door.
I stay put, crossing my arms.
Her eyes widen. “You can’t help me change.”
“Why not?”
“B-b-b-because,” she stammers, her mouth opening and closing. “Because it’s not appropriate.”
I bite my tongue to stop from grinning. “I disagree. Now that our relationship is moving forward, I can definitely help you change.”
“This will be the shortest relationship in history if you don’t get out of here.”