Page 132 of Clinch'd

I fucking miss her though and despite the joy in seeing my family back together, it’s blighted by the fact that she’s not here.

I’ve still got the picture of Minnie with the man who killed my father and eventually, I’ll have to deal with that too. Beast knows who he is, I suspect he can hook me up with the details.

In the meantime, I can’t see past the heavy weight on my chest, and I circle the drain of options to find the woman who has my heart before setting it aside.

Once I know I can leave my family and they’ll be safe, I’ll find my girl. No matter what it fucking takes.

Chapter 52

Two Months Later

Minnie

With a sigh, I drop into the booth closest to the kitchen and grab the box of salt before grabbing up a shaker and pouring it inside.

One down, ten to go. Ugh.

My feet ache after working an eight-hour shift but the tips were good, and I find I’m enjoying the atmosphere a lot more than my last job.

It might have something to do with the view, I concede and glance out the window for the fortieth time today. Kids frolic in the waves while teenagers dance around in the sand.

It’s the perfect backdrop for my life because it reminds me of the memories I don’t want to forget while keeping me safely hundreds of miles from any danger.

My smile fades and I turn back to my task, ignoring the ache in my chest. With every day that passes the affliction gets worse to the point that sometimes I wonder if it will ever go away.

I miss Cooper. I miss his smile, his wicked smirk, the way his eyes lit up his face and the husky timbre of his voice when he made love to me.

Some days it feels like a mirage I made up until I feel my little miracle move inside me confirming it wasn’t a dream.

I’m four months along now and while there are days, I’m completely terrified to do this on my own, I know that I will make it work because nothing is more important than the new life growing inside of me.

I wonder if Lorri has settled into the same rhythm. I haven’t spoken to her since that night. It’s too risky. I wish we could experience this together but maybe it’s better this way. Now I can concentrate on me without her bulldozing her way to the center of attention.

Hate reaches out sporadically but our worlds are too far apart to make the connection more than what it is. I’m grateful for his help and as my brother, I do love him but it’s a different kind of love than I had for my sister. Maybe he feels the same way I do for her, this insatiable need to be the protector.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when the door to the diner chimes and I turn in my seat with a smile that fades when Beast steps past the threshold.

What the fuck?

With a serious sense of deja vu, I stand and say shakily, “What are you doing here?”

He looks good and still has his broody look which he aims my way when he says, “Maybe you pulled the wool over his stupid eyes, but you can’t fool me.”

“How’s that?” I mumble, fighting back tears.

How can the presence of this grumpy dick bring me so close to Cooper and yet make me feel so impossibly far away?

“What the fuck are you doing here, Minnie?” he growls.

“Nothing. Living,” I whisper, waving my arm. And that’s just it, I’m living but nothing more. There’s a void where my heart used to be and no matter what I do, I can’t fill it.

“Bullshit,” he barks, and I meet his hard gaze.

I see the censure he doesn’t bother to hide but he can go fuck himself. I’m here for me and my child. I don’t have the luxury of a family to cling to. I don’t have money to make this go away, assuming I could.

All I have is me and it’s a lonely fucking road but it’s mine and he doesn’t get to judge me.

With a bitter smile, I turn away and say, “Just go.”

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