“Can we have Chinese? I liked that tangy chicken you ordered last time.”
“I was thinking pizza, but whatever you want, sweetheart.”
Angel hands me his phone so I can practice placing the order, even though we both know I’m going to mess it up. He’s been teaching me how phones work for the past few days. I understand maybe half of what he says, but he doesn’t seem to mind repeating every step four times.
“It’s so unfair how Anxo agrees with literally everything that comes out of Nevaeh’s mouth. He is always saying no to me for everything,” Seiji not so quietly whispers.
“I think it’s sweet.” Grace sighs dreamily.
“Of course you do.” Rick scoffs, and Grace immediately looks down at her screen, missing how all of us are glaring at Rick the dick.
I honestly don’t understand why Grace puts up with this tool when he blatantly disrespects her like this. I’m all for fighting for your love, but Rick isn’t worth the bruises.
I’m one second away from knocking out his teeth, but Angel holds me back. “We’ve tried. She has to end it herself when she’s ready.”
Angel doesn’t release me until I promise—reluctantly—that I’ll keep my opinions and fists to myself.For now.
I eye Rick as he pushes away from the table with his twitchy friend. There’s something off about the friend. He hasn’t said aword since we got here and keeps wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.
Grace sneaks a glance to check if Rick’s gone, and I have this intense need to remind Rick of the kind of unhinged people his girlfriend is related to. I have a feeling he’s gotten a lot braver with Papa gone.
Before he can make it to the door, I ask Rick to stop. When he does, I motion for him to lean in so I can offer him a little parting advice.
Mason, the sweaty, fidgety friend who is substantially smarter than Rick, tries to back away, but Rick—being the egotistical asshole he is—doesn’t mind bending to my will.
Keeping my eyes locked on Grace, who’s still purposely avoiding mine, I drop my voice to a whisper. “The next time you insult my sister, I’ll cut your fingers off and then aim south. Understood?”
I lean back when I don’t hear Rick acknowledge my threat and enjoy how fast the color drains from his face. Flashing my signature deranged grin, I watch Rick’s friend drag him away before I make good on my word.
“I’m sorry about him,” Grace murmurs, almost too quiet to hear over the angry voices in my head.
Then leave him.That’s what I want to say, but as if Angel read my mind, he reassures Grace on my behalf, knowing whatever comes out of my mouth will be too harsh.
Seiji clicks his tongue to get my attention. “Don’t worry about Rick. He can be a real dick sometimes… Oh, who am I kidding? He’s a dick, period. Not even the sexy, ravishing kind. I’m talking about slightly crooked and a little—”
Thankfully, Hazel cuts off Seiji’s wildly inappropriate rant on male anatomy by shoving his chair with her foot, sending him toppling backward.
I would’ve done it myself if I wasn’t busy choking on air. My face is probably as red as Grace’s, who looks like she wants to crawl under the table to hide.
“You’ll get used to filtering his words in your head,” Angel says with a sympathetic smile.
Will I, though?
11. Do you hear voices too?
Nevaeh
Ithought getting my little sugar monster into the bathtub was difficult, but getting him out was nearly impossible.
While I’m still learning to take care of a little boy, he keeps adding his toys to the list of things I’m responsible for. Lately, his new stuffed dinosaur goes everywhere with him. That toy is clutched in his stubby fingers, whether he is in the bath, eating, or sleeping.
Angel noticed Monkey’s obsession and my struggle to dry the soaking toy every night so August could cuddle it in his sleep. Being the problem solver that he is, Angel bought three identical stuffed dinos to save me from losing my mind.
It’s been quiet since the council meeting. Everyone is either looking for clues to find Harvey or spending time getting to know me and August.
Slowly but steadily, I’ve started to trust them. After everything they’ve done for my boy and me, it feels wrong to keep doubting them. If I don’t give them a fair chance, it’ll be like I’m letting my past hinder my present, and I refuse to let that happen.
As usual, Angel woke up at the ass crack of dawn today and locked himself in his office, buried in paperwork. I didn’t want to interrupt, but after August woke up, he searched the entire penthouse until he found Angel.
