Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
There’s nodding through the room.
“I’ve known for a bit,” Graham announces. “This is hardly shocking. I support Tallie fully and hope you all will her too.”
The family patriarch nods. “Hardly a big deal. If this is going where I think it’s going, both Tallie and Lucy are going to be as Rough as anyone else. Families start with blood, but they don’t have to end there.”
Bart strokes his chin. “What if the father wants Lucy?”
“We’ve already looked into that,” Graham says. “I will support Tallie in any dispute over her guardianship.”
“The hell do you mean by that?”
He sighs. “I don’t want to spill Tallie’s whole life story to everyone until she’s ready.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “I don’t need to keep it a secret how much of an ass Marcus is.”
“Marcus?” Meadow echoes.
“Lucy’s...uh... biological father.” I never wanted to dignify him by calling him her father. “My sister’s ex. He’s a cruel and violent man, very manipulative. My sister had only recently gotten free of his hold on her, although he was still attempting to manipulate her.”
Graham paces about. “He has felonies on his record, and as of last week, a restraining order keeping him from Tallie and Lucy. I don’t usually call in favors from the judge, but here? I’m using everything I can to protect Lucy from a man who would not care for her, but might want to try for custody anyway out of narcissism and spite.”
“He loathes me. Always has, because I kept telling Julia how bad of news he is. He would gleefully deny me my niece, even at the cost of his daughter’s well-being.”
“Well then. He sounds like a horrible person,” Graham’s mother declares. “I do hope he has a come-to-Jesus moment and knows to stay far, far away from my newest granddaughter.”
I laugh. “Your newest granddaughter? You know I’m not married to Graham, right? We’re not... really... anything yet.”
Graham looks my way, smiling as he sips his beer, as if he knows something I don’t.
What are we? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Benefactor and beneficiary? Friends who have absolutely fantastic sex and awkward yet tender conversations about whether it’s too crazy to say we love one another so soon?
Still, it’s sweet to hear Mama Rough say those things. To be so accepted by the whole lot of them, despite my flaws and circumstances. Is this what having a family is truly like?
I wouldn’t know, as I never had much of one, but if it is?
I’m enjoying it.
11
GRAHAM
Through all of the tragedy, heartache, and soul searching, I still have to deal with the fact that my day job is to be an officer for Home PD.
I took a few days of paid leave initially to help Tallie and Lucy settle in, but after the funeral, I still wanted to be there for them, so I took my vacation next. Then my sick days.
Now, I’m back on patrol. Everything is pretty typical, really. Nothing much happens in Home, and when something does, everyone knows about it. Public shaming is a pretty huge deterrent to antisocial behavior in a small town, but I’m there if it isn’t enough.
The most serious call I get on my first day back is a wellness check on a scatterbrained older woman who hadn’t called her family for a while. She had simply forgotten, and told me she’d let them know she was okay immediately. It made me thankful for the closeness of my own family, as I know not everyone enjoyed the luxury of having their mother live five miles down the road.
I clock out and head home, looking forward to seeing Tallie and Lucy again. The sweetheart has grown on me. I’ll admit that at first, I fell in love with the gorgeous woman caring for her, but now when I look at Lucy, I see someone who needs care in her life, and it’s poking at that latent ‘Dad’ part of my brain. I never thought of myself becoming a step-father, or step-uncle, or whatever she ends up calling me, but I’m determined to be the best whatever that is that I can be.
I roll onto my road, and toward my home. There’s already a car in my driveway, and it’s not one I recognize. My brothers all have Jeeps and pickup trucks, and Lemon’s sedan has a very specific color I’m used to seeing.
This? This car is missing both its front and rear bumpers and its tail pipe is dragging on the ground. It looks like it would fail every emissions test in the country.
Whose car could this be?
A chill runs down my spine at the thought of a stranger in my home.
I park and get out, my hand drifting toward my sidearm.
“You can’t be in here, Marcus!” Tallie screams. “There’s a restraining order against you! You’ll be arrested!”
“How are you gonna call the cops, bitch? I got your phone right here!”