Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 157032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 785(@200wpm)___ 628(@250wpm)___ 523(@300wpm)
“Hello,” they all yell and Owen cowers behind my leg.
“Hello.” I smile as I pull Owen out from behind me. “This is Owen.” I present him.
Joshua and Natasha’s faces fall when they see him, and Joshua instantly chokes up. The resemblance Owen has to me is uncanny. “Say hello, Owen.” I smile.
He forces a scared smile as he clings to my hand for dear life. “This is Uncle Joshua and Aunty Natasha, and this is Grandma, and this is Murphy,” I introduce.
They all step forward and shake his hand one at a time.
“You look like your dad.” Joshua smiles with a cheeky wink. “You poor thing.”
Mom bends and grabs him into an embrace and kisses him. “Oh, he’s beautiful, Cameron.” She smiles happily. “I’m so happy to meet you, little man.”
Owen wriggles out of her grip and comes immediately back to my side, grabbing my hand for reassurance.
Natasha smiles and puts her hand on her chest as she gets teary. “You’re gentle like your dad, Owen.” She smiles.
“We’re not gentle, are we? We’re tough.” I smirk as I swing his hand in mine.
“These are your cousins. Jordy, Ellie, Blake, Joel, and Jackson.” The kids all stand in a row as they sum up their new cousin.
“Hello.” They smile and Owen cowers deeper behind my leg.
“Come in. We’ve got lunch ready, haven’t we?” I smile down at him.
Owen stays silent as the kids all run off like maniacs through the house. It’s going to take him a while to get used to all this action. My family is full on.
It’s just gone 5pm and Joshua and I are sitting at the fire pit drinking a beer. Tash is inside with Murph, while Mom and the kids are all playing chase in the yard around us.
I shake my head. “She was there after I told her not to go.”
Joshua sips his beer with a murderous look on his face. “So, let me get this straight. You paid her rent for a year and told her not to go back to the club and she went anyway?”
I roll my lips in contempt. “Yep.”
He frowns. “What was her reasoning?”
“I swear, she just wants to piss me off.” I shake my head. “I don’t know. She probably worked in the Escape Lounge that night and fucked someone. How would I fucking know?”
He narrows his eyes. “She’s a hooker?”
I shake my head. “No.” I hate the thought of her being with anyone else and I blow out a deep breath. “But I don’t want her there. Simple as that.”
“But you told me you were in love with her only two weeks ago?” He frowns. “You said she was the one.”
“I thought she was, but then she springs this on me and she lied about it. How am I supposed to feel?”
He blows out a deep breath as he watches the fire. “Fuck, man.”
Mom walks out onto the back patio and calls the children
and our eyes flick up to her. “What’s Mom said about it?” Joshua asks.
I shake my head. “She’s hating Ashley’s guts.”
Joshua smirks. “She hated her before she knew any of this.”
I smile as I sip my drink. “Mom would hate anyone I dated, true, but...” I hesitate and smirk. “Well, she has a good reason with Ash now.”
We sit for a moment as the fire dances in front of us.
“And get this, yesterday she forgot to pick Owen up from preschool. I got an emergency call saying she hadn’t shown up and her phone was off.”
Joshua screws up his face. “What the hell?”
“I know, right? She was shattered from the night before and forgot she was picking him up.”
Joshua glares at the fire as it crackles in front of us.
“I need to pull her in line,” I murmur as I feel the fury I felt bubble under the surface.
“Yeah, you do. I wouldn’t be taking that shit with my kids,” he replies.
The children all come running over with marshmallows that Mom has just given them to toast on the fire. Blake picks up a drink can and throws it into the flame.
We all jump back from the fire in fear it may explode.
“What the hell are you doing? Blake, what the frigging hell are you doing that for?” Joshua growls as he stands abruptly.
“You do not throw things in the fire. Do you hear me?” he yells at the top of his voice.
The kids all stop for a moment and Blake nods “Sorry,” he murmurs.
They then carry on as if this is a normal occurrence, and when we know it’s safe, they carry on toasting marshmallows. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Owen standing back. His eyes are filled with tears and his little hands are clenched tightly up in front of his chest. I stand and scoop him up into my arms.