Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Hey, sweetie,” Allie says while bending down, leaning over the sofa.
Scrubs aren’t supposed to look good on an ass, but I find myself biting back a groan.
My eyes dart up immediately. No way in hell should my mind be wandering there… again.
“Hey, Mommy. Do you know some penguins mate for life?”
I choke on air as Allie chuckles, and I shut the door, wondering if maybe the Discovery Channel was a bad idea. Are they showing how they mate? Christ. Nothing is safe anymore.
“I did. Mommy and Wren are going out back to discuss something. Will you be okay in here for a minute?”
She nods while moving her eyes toward me and smiling. I can’t help but smile back. Allie motions for me to follow her, which I do. But then I quickly turn around and lock the door.
“Don’t let anyone in,” I whisper to Angel on the way by.
“Don’t worry. I don’t like your ex, so I won’t answer the door.”
I just snicker, until I see Allie glaring at me. I don’t think we were talking loud enough to be heard, but I swallow like a scolded child and follow her outside in silence.
We reach the gated, outdoor patio, and she takes a seat at one of the tables. The tiled top is warmed by the sun, despite the slight chill in the air, and I rest my elbows on top while keeping my silence.
Allie’s light jacket makes me smile, because the less skin she shows, the better. The last thing I need is to let her know how she affects me, considering she’d probably slap the hell out of me for daring to think of her like that.
“So, you really want to keep her more, and you think you could manage that with your hectic schedule?”
Right to the point. No foreplay whatsoever. I also notice that the money issue is still being avoided as opposed to getting addressed. She’s going to get my damn money whether she likes it or not—including back child support.
“Yes. I know I can. Most of the things I do are things I can do from home. I’m more of a silent partner in the majority of my businesses. I can do this, Allie. The companies I run for my mother are actually handled by others. I just make the big decisions, which I do through conference calls usually.”
The mention of my mother makes the image of Ray Drivel in a pink robe flash into my mind, and I fight hard not to grimace and give Allie the impression that it’s meant for her.
She sits quietly for a minute, but then she blows out a breath—defeated or defiant breath… not sure which. “I have no reason to try and stop you. You’ve done everything almost perfect since you met her. I’ll send you a school schedule. She has to be picked up from school, or you have to fill out a form for the bus to drop her off here.”
“I don’t mind picking her up,” I say quickly, uncaring about how eager I sound.
“Don’t be late. I’ll send you all the information. I’ll email you a pickup schedule. If you really want to, you can start picking her up on Tuesdays and keep her until close to bedtime. You’ll have to make sure she’s showered, fed, and ready to go when I come to pick her up. You can also get her on the days that I have to work over. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.”
I want to jump up and down or fist pump the air, but I remain calm and collected. This is the first time she’s had a conversation for longer than a few minutes since the day she ran over me in the market—the day I found out I had a child and had royally fucked over this woman so many years ago.
“What about nights? I know you have to go in early a lot of mornings, so I could keep her on those nights.”
Her body tenses at the mention of that. Damn. Pushed too far.
“Let’s slow this down. I ceded a huge chunk of time. You’ve been patient, and you’ve done as well as you said you would. But I’m not ready for her to spend the night. Bella and I live together, so she stays with her those mornings. We adjust our schedules so she can help out. But usually my schedule is pretty stable.”
Bella hates me just as much as Allie hates me. Fortunately, I’ve only had to see her a couple of times.
“Okay. I’ll take what I can get.”
She stares at me for a long time, to the point I start to grow uncomfortable, but she finally looks away, moving her gaze to the door. When the doorbell starts ringing over and over, a small smile curls up on her lips.