Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“You weren’t,” Erick said.
“That’s because I was the one to help Dad with the tree house, and besides, look at me.” He snorted.
“Nah, you’re not afraid of anything.”
Usually, Big Dick would have let that slide. “That’s not true.”
Erick raised both of his brows. “Come on, George. You and I both know nothing scares you.”
“Some things scare me.”
“Like what?”
“Like not being there for the club,” Big Dick said. “Being a bad ... father. Not being good enough for Larissa.”
“That scares you?” Erick asked. “I know you’ve faced death. You were there that day at the bakery when someone was shooting the place up.”
“I can face bullets. I can look my enemy in the face. None of that scares me, because I know I can handle it. What if I’m a shit dad? I’ve never been in a real relationship, and let’s face it, I was not always the best big brother. How am I going to be able to be a good dad?”
“You’re going to be a good dad,” Erick said.
Big Dick snorted but he didn’t believe it.
“Look, I know I wasn’t always the greatest brother. I was a dick, and trust me, I know it. Since leaving home, no one comes and sees me. No one wants to.” He shrugged. “I get it, it wasn’t like I built bridges. I didn’t think I needed to. I didn’t realize when I got older and left home that no one would want to come and see me. Stupid, huh?”
“Not stupid.”
“Anyway, there’s nothing like being the last one to know about everything. I was even an afterthought when it came to Harlow’s accident. No one told me about it.”
Big Dick had been too preoccupied with getting to the hospital. Jude, their younger brother, had been the one to come and get him.
“It’s not hard,” Big Dick said, moving toward the tree. “Dad and I made it easier to climb, but only those of us that knew the code could get up.”
“Code?”
“Yeah, do you want to learn the code, Erick?” Big Dick asked.
When they were younger and he’d asked his brother this, Erick had looked at him and told him to shove the code right up his ass.
Erick looked at him and smiled. “Yeah, I want to learn the code.”
“Good, let me show you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Larissa was so nervous. She sat outside the doctor’s office and waited to be called. George said he was going to arrive very soon.
It had been a couple of weeks since the Erickson Sunday dinner, one of her most favorite. On most Sundays, her father was always busy with the church. So, unless she helped him out, she often was home alone on Sundays. They didn’t do the Sunday family lunch.
Most of the time, her father was exhausted, and he’d sit in his chair, reading a book, or doing something for the church. He was always a busy man. She would do what she needed to do. Study, or prepare for the day at work, or clean the house, or go to bed.
With her father still gone and George around, her life was a lot different. It wasn’t bad. It was ... strangely good. She liked having the company. George was there when she woke up, and when she went to sleep. She sensed that he tried to be as quiet as possible, which was next to impossible. It was nice having him around, and it was getting harder to hate him.
Right now, it was a little easier, because he said he was going to be here, but now he wasn’t here. She glanced around the waiting room, and there were a couple of men and women. Larissa pulled out her cell phone, then put it away. She hated playing on her cell phone. She had never signed up for social media websites. But that didn’t mean she didn’t like looking for something new, or watching a couple of videos. She sat there, constantly looking at the door, waiting and hoping, knowing it was useless.
George had other responsibilities. Harlow had offered to go with her. As had Hailey and Ava, and even Abriana. Raven also volunteered, and what surprised her was a text from Carlos, offering to go with her. The only person who hadn’t, was her father. He had called her to wish her good luck, although she didn’t know why she needed to be offered good luck.
She wanted to put a hand on her stomach, to tell her child they’d handle it. The burn suddenly appeared in the back of her throat, and she felt her eyes start to get watery. The door to the doctor’s office opened, and she was so lost in her misery, she didn’t look up. In fact, she didn’t pay attention until someone sat beside her.
She turned to see George was sitting right beside her.