Total pages in book: 174
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
Daisy didn’t have anyone else. Had lost every fucking person in her world.
Lightheadedness suddenly swept through my brain.
The guilt strangling.
She believed I was someone different than I was. She didn’t know what I’d done. What I was responsible for.
She sure as hell wouldn’t be here asking this of me if she knew.
Needed to tell her, but I knew it would send her running. She’d hate me forever, the exact way I deserved.
But there was no chance I was going to leave her alone and unprotected, so for now, I had to carry this. The weight of what I’d done. Couldn’t give it to her until I hunted this motherfucker down and brought him to his end.
My breaths were shallow as I followed Theo through the store.
“You gettin’ weak on me or what, brother?” he teased.
No question, he heard the pants coming from my mouth.
He had no idea where the weakness was coming from.
I only grunted in response.
He chuckled since he knew me well enough that I didn’t speak unless necessary. He continued on like it was any other day. “Appreciate you lending a hand.”
Wasn’t like I was going to say no when he asked for help. Dude was excited as hell since Piper had a new clothing line debuting at Ivy Threads.
I’d needed an excuse to get out of that house, anyway. Some time to clear my head.
My house was locked up tight, but I had Silas send over one of his guys to sit as security just to be sure.
I was positive no one could touch them there, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t itching to get back to see for myself that they were safe.
Theo basically pranced out into the middle of the store where Piper and Emery were setting up.
“You got them!” Piper beamed at Theo as he sauntered up to her. Piper was tall with a mane of white, long hair.
He dipped in and pressed a kiss on her mouth. “What, did you think I wouldn’t? What my girl asks for, my girl gets.”
Dude was smitten as fuck.
Head over heels the second Piper, her son, and her grandmother had come to Moonlit Ridge right before Christmas. Never thought I’d see him fall the way he did. But I was pretty sure all it took was a look and he was a goner.
He married her four weeks after he moved her into his house. He said he didn’t want to imagine his life without her, so they made it permanent.
Signed and sealed.
Theo set the mannequin down at the same time as I did mine, and he looked around the shop that Emery, Kane’s wife, had opened last winter.
She and her sister’s dream that had finally come to fruition. Piper had been working with her from day one.
“This it?” Theo asked them.
“Yep,” Emery peeped. “This is going to be epic.” She reached out and squeezed Piper’s hand, her brown hair swishing around her shoulders.
All four of my crew’s girls had become the best of friends.
Sisters.
I was fucking happy for them.
Didn’t mean I could be any true part of it. I was there to protect. To take care of the innocent.
I counted it atonement for all that I’d done, though there was no chance that I could ever truly make amends.
The blood on my hands had seeped too deep.
“I’m so excited!” You could feel that excitement radiating off Emery as she looked at Piper.
Hell, it was straight-up joy they were emitting.
“I know. I really can’t believe this is happening. That you’re trusting me with this.” Piper held tight to Emery’s hand.
“Are you kidding me? Those clothes are going to fly off the racks. And probably off these mannequins.” Soft laughter rolled out of Emery.
Theo wrapped Piper in his arms. “So damn proud of you.”
“I’m so happy,” she returned.
“Me, too, baby, me, too,” he murmured against her forehead.
Itching in discomfort, I roughed a hand over my head, unable to stand in all the sweetness.
Hit with the urge to flee.
To flee from the questions. From the pressure that made me feel like I might explode.
“Listen, I gotta run,” I mumbled.
Could feel the concern wind through Theo. My whole crew had been watching me extra close the last two weeks. Picking up on something, even though I hadn’t given them a hint.
Needing to figure this shit out on my own.
I couldn’t handle his speculation right then.
Turning on my heel, I moved for the closest exit—the main entrance out front.
I whipped it open and strode out onto the sidewalk that fronted Ivy Threads. My boots thudded below me, like echoes shouting that I couldn’t escape any of this.
I heard the bell of the door jangle before I sensed the movement coming from behind.
“What’s up with you, man?” Theo shouted at my back.
I didn’t slow. I just gave a harsh shake of my head as I kept going. “Nothin’.”