Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Okay,” he hesitated, leaning his backside against the porch railing and crossing his legs in front of him. “So give it to me already. The wait is worse than the actual act, I’m sure.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I muttered darkly under my breath, turning my back on him as I said it.
“What?” Drew asked.
I turned to him, the whole distance of the porch separated us, and finally said it.
“Your daughter told your ex-wife that she was pregnant, and she kicked her out,” I blurted quickly.
Drew blinked at me, then he started laughing.
“The girl was always creative; I’ll give her that,” he said, a smile on his face. “So Constance blew a gasket, then dropped her off. Why’s she over here? She has a key.”
I winced.
He thought I was joking.
Oh, shit.
“Drew,” I started, but he interrupted me, raising his arms to grab a hold of the porch’s roof.
The move had his shirt riding up over his belt, exposing the taut expanse of his lower belly.
“She could’ve just gotten away with telling her that she didn’t want to live with her, though. Constance knew it was going to happen eventually.”
I bit my lip, knowing this wasn’t going to go over easily.
This whole thing was about to blow up in my face, and I was right.
The moment I didn’t smile, and he finally caught on to what I was really trying to tell him, his eyes grew intense.
Then he cursed, turned on his heels, and stalked across the street to his house.
He disappeared inside, leaving the door to his house open, and stayed gone for less than a minute when he came back out with a pair of running shorts and a pair of tennis shoes on.
Despite the cold weather, as well as the fact that it was about to rain, he ran.
And all I could do was watch until he disappeared.
Chapter 16
I hate it when I plan a conversation out in my head, and the other person doesn’t follow the script.
-Aspen’s secret thoughts
Drew
I ran as fast as my legs would take me.
I’d been going a solid forty-five minutes, and I had passed my usual stopping place not once, but twice.
I’d legitimately ran out of steam about a mile past, but then I saw my daughter’s crying face, and kept going.
A loud roar from an engine had me turning my head slightly, surprised to see a car coming up the wrong side of the road toward me.
But they didn’t try to hit me.
They were going too slow and were too far away for that.
But what they did do ended up enraging me.
“Hey, old man!” A boy from the backseat of the truck called obnoxiously. “You look a little hot!”
Then the familiar taste and smell of a fire extinguisher was sprayed at me, covering me in the familiar dust.
“Motherfucker!” I growled once the dust had settled.
I’d at least had the sound mind to close my fucking eyes and mouth, thank God.
Otherwise, I’d be in a different position right now.
I cleared my eyes free of the dusty chemicals with my sweaty palms, then narrowed my eyes at the truck that was hauling ass down the street.
Which meant I didn’t see the next truck come up behind me, yet another teenager hanging out of the window, until I was being sprayed once again.
Luckily, this time it was one with compressed water instead of the chemical.
It was no less upsetting, though.
Which was why I was stupid and tried to follow the stupid trucks.
I knew as soon as I rounded the corner that I wouldn’t catch them, but that didn’t stop me from trying.
I slowed once my legs refused to cooperate, and I doubled over, my hands on my knees, as I breathed in and out heavily.
“Fuck me,” I growled, straightening and throwing my hands up over the back of my head.
My fingers crossed, and I glared at the ground under my feet, so fucking pissed off I could barely stand it.
My fingers tightened in my hair and I nearly shouted out my frustration.
I probably would have had I not already looked fucking terrible.
“Drew,” the neighbor that lived at the top of my street said when I finally made it back to my road. “It start raining on your run?”
I shook my head.
“No, Dolores,” I answered grimly. “Stupid kids thought it’d be funny to spray me with a fire extinguisher.”
Dolores’ eyes went wide.
“You mean those boys?” She pointed at the car that was at the very end of the block.
Right in front of the house that was directly next to mine.
The one that Aspen said belonged to a couple that had a lot of domestic disputes.
Ideally, I shouldn’t have gone over there.
It wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Surely, all I would be able to find out about the ones that owned the truck was that they were a couple of teenagers, and wouldn’t do it anymore.