Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Go figure.
Hours after that, when visiting hours were finishing up and the only ones left were me, Janie, Rafe, new baby Abrielle, and Janie’s father, James, Janie and I sat on the couch with our heads pressed to James’s chest. We were all staring at Rafe across the room trying to change Abrielle’s diaper.
“He looks lost,” I told Janie.
Janie reached for some of James’ fries that he’d brought to eat since he’d just gotten off shift.
“We’re all lost, honey,” James replied. “I thought I was going to fuck up y’all’s lives so many times. Dougie made me promise that I wouldn’t.”
Anytime James talked about my father, it was bittersweet.
But it was also something I soaked up like a sponge.
I had very little memory of my father. He died while he was on a mission, and James had been with him at the time.
I loved hearing about my dad. I loved hearing the stories that he and his unit—made up of Sam, Max, Gabe, Jack, Elliott, and James—got up to. I loved the good stories, and the bad.
I especially loved the ones that had me in it.
Janie giggled. “You haven’t fucked up our lives, Dad.”
“No,” I agreed. “You haven’t. You should get a sticker.”
James snorted.
“Sometimes, you are so much like your father that it hurts.”
I stole his last chicken nugget and popped it into my mouth, causing him to roll his eyes.
“You used to steal your father’s chicken nuggets like that,” he teased. “Then mine. I guess I should’ve known and brought double.”
I shrugged and chewed.
And smiled when Rafe started to curse. “How do you get it out of all these folds?!”
Chapter 4
Life is soup, and I’m a fork.
-Yes, it’s that bad
Parker
“I don’t know why you make me come to this,” I said, sounding as disgruntled as I felt. “You know they hate me. I should be sitting in the section that my nephew managed to grab tickets in.”
Sterling, my best friend who I met during my Navy SEAL days, ignored me. Instead, he continued packing shit into his bag.
“And swear to God, if those kids of theirs accidentally spill their beers on me again, I’m going to lose my shit,” I continued as if he’d agreed with my assessment.
“Listen,” Sterling said. “Y’all are literally going to be like thirty seats apart. I got the entire fucking row. And my seats are better than the ones Gunner got you, and you know it.”
That was true.
Gunner was still new to the game. He’d only been picked up by the Lumberjacks last season. Not that he had even played yet. This would be his first game actually stepping into the batter’s box and attempting to swing in the big leagues. Though that was due to the Lumberjacks’ first baseman, Manny Star something or other, pulling a hamstring.
But that was life, and unfortunately for Manny but fortunately for Gunner, he was ready and able to step in.
I didn’t normally go to the games.
Not with the Dixie Wardens MC in attendance.
The MC was a brotherhood of bikers, and I’d hurt one of their own. I’d been a kid when I did it, and Loki hadn’t even been part of the MC at the time. But he was a member now, and they knew I’d harmed him.
Hence the reason I tried to stay away whenever they were near.
I always feared for my life when they were around. As if I’d turn around at any given time and find one of them ready to stab me in the back.
“You ready?”
I nodded.
While I waited for him to say goodbye to his wife and children, I made my way outside to my truck.
I’d be giving Sterling a ride to the field then running a few errands in town while I could.
I’d been living in Hostel, Texas for about eleven months now.
It was purely a coincidence that my nephew got picked up by the Longview Lumberjacks last year.
I’d been worried about him. Understandably. So I was glad that he wasn’t too far away. Meaning I could drop in on him and make sure he wasn’t too far gone like he had been for the first year after Jett’s death.
There’d been a time that I’d really been scared for him. Scared of what he might do when nobody was paying attention.
“Yo,” Sterling said. “We leaving or what?”
I flipped him off, but unlocked the doors to my truck anyway and got in. He followed suit, and shortly we were heading down the road to the field.
“You’re quiet.”
I shrugged.
“You still worried about Gunner?”
I nodded. “Not sure I’ll ever stop,” I admitted, the fear for my sister’s son adding a slight shake to my voice.
Despite not spending much time with him during his childhood thanks to being in the Navy, I’d more than made up for it in his early and late teen years.
“I had a chance to meet with him yesterday during practice. He looked good,” Sterling offered.