Page 19 of Daddy Sees Snakes

I'll show everyone.

Iris Marie Ashton is no man's door mat.

I'm a force of nature.

A goddess in lace and stilettos.

And Tinsel Creek won't know what hit it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Viper

The sun beats down on my bare chest, the heat like a physical weight.

Still, it's a welcome distraction from the thoughts churning in my head.

Iris.

I can't stop thinking about her.

I've been a mess since the incident at the park.

I should've apologized.

Instead, I was a jerk.

She probably hates me, and she has every right to.

I was a total asshole, saying what I did to her.

I should've been kinder.

After all, she's my daughter's best friend.

Fuck, my little girl's life would be so much better without me around.

But instead, I lashed out, acting like a complete ass.

And now, the only thing that will quiet the guilt gnawing at my conscience is another drink.

So, I'm perched on the porch, staring out at the ocean, with a glass of bourbon in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

My old friends, the ones that always help me drown out the voices in my head.

"Hey," a familiar voice says, jarring me from my thoughts.

Iris stands at the base of the steps, her arms crossed. "You're drunk."

I scoff. "I'm fine. It's barely noon. I can't get drunk before lunch."

"Really?" she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because it seems like you're halfway there already, and from the smell of you…"

She's right.

Of course, she's fucking right.

But I'm not about to admit that to her.

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