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)
“I know you were worried, Dad,” she said, pulling out of her thoughts. She pulled the pin out of her hair to let the long, brown curls fall around her.
“You’re a good girl,” he said.
She offered him a smile. “I know, but they’re my friends. Ava, Abriana, Harlow, Hailey, and even Raven, they’re all my friends, and I wouldn’t miss being with them for the world.” They were celebrating the news that Harlow was pregnant.
Sure, going to the only bar in town, Ryan’s Place, didn’t exactly seem ideal to celebrate, but they served more than alcohol, and Harlow was going to have a soda. It would be nice to just get out and have a girls’ night.
“Raven is going to be there?”
Her father had a soft spot for Raven. She knew it wasn’t romantic. Raven was married with twin daughters, and her life was devoted to the Hell’s Bastards MC, but when she needed time and space, she had come to them.
“Yes, of course. Who do you think invited me?” Larissa asked.
Sometimes it felt like a passing thought for the group to invite her. She was not MC material, and after spending a short time being employed by Smokey at the MC clubhouse to clean it, she knew she was nothing like the women that hung around the club.
First, she wore clothes. Second, she did not flirt with men. And third, she was not willing to be passed around to men for fun. It was probably old-fashioned, but when she finally had sex with someone, she wanted it to be for life. She wanted to be in love, to experience the whole package.
She had read so many books on it and loved the movies. Her favorites were rom-coms, as she just loved the happily ever after. That was what she enjoyed and one day, hoped. Of course, she knew real life wasn’t like that, and bumps in the road were to be expected.
There was also the fact that since getting shot, she was different. It was a little harder to smile every day. It was a little harder to pretend everything was okay. The one guy who had showed her any kind of attention, with whom she had started to build a life, ran away.
“Well, if Raven is going with you, I know she will look after you.” Jonah took a deep breath.
“I’ll be okay, Dad,” she said, moving toward him and kissing his cheek. “I won’t be back too late.”
She left the house, heading toward her car. Her father had surprised her with the car a few months ago, which had been awesome. She didn’t mind walking everywhere, but after the shooting, and she imagined the threat to the MC, this was his way of trying to protect her, and she appreciated it.
Getting behind the wheel, she turned over the engine and listened to the baby purr to life. Now, she could smile. Pulling out of the small but tight driveway, she started to back out onto the street, and then began the short journey to Ryan’s Place.
Fort Clover was an amazing town. She loved how it had always felt to her, with all the small traditions, like town fairs, potlucks, and people coming together. It was why she never wanted to leave.
All she wanted was to fall in love, get married, and have a life with someone. To raise a family. Andrew running away flitted through her mind.
There had been so many disappointments over the years. Getting let go from the library, due to a lack of funding. She had never said this to anyone, but they had each been called into the office, and the overall manager of the building, Mr. Wilcox, had told her if she wanted to continue working at the library, she would have to give him something. At first, she had been confused, then he reached out and stroked her neck. She knew exactly what he wanted. Larissa had told him she would keep the job based on merit, and because she was damn good at what she did. Rebecca Davies, who had never done great work at the library, had kept her job, and Larissa could only assume she had succumbed to Mr. Wilcox.
If her dad knew, he would be pissed. She didn’t want him to get angry. This was the real world, this was life, and the fact was that even if you were a good and honest person, you still got shit on. Not that she cussed. She would often cuss in her head, but not out loud, it wasn’t ladylike.
Then, working for Smokey, she had seen another side of everything. There was no love or romance in the MC clubhouse. George could say all he wanted, her presence didn’t stop them from doing what they did. There was always someone having sex. Then, the shooting, where she learned that not all knights in shining armor stuck around. A lot of them ran away. She didn’t want to run away.