“I expected a woman named Crazy Bitch to be taller and scarier.”
“I only get scary the more you know me. I’ll take it easy on you until you get to know me better.” Prudently, she didn’t make any moves to go farther into his room as the tall man paced jitterily across the carpeted floor.
Gavin didn’t laugh at her teasing, but his lips did curl in the beginning of a smile. Restless, he kept rubbing his arms as if he was cold.
“I’m looking forward to it, if I ever get out of here.”
“Don’t rush getting released. My mother did, and both times she went back to using within a couple days. You can’t rush success. I didn’t understand that when I was in high school, so I dropped out. I thought the ones who stayed in school were the suckers. Made fun of them for wanting to go on to college. I was a fucking fool because I thought I could skip the steps that would make me a success in life.
“If I had to do it over, my ass would have stayed in school. I could have been a doctor, an astronaut, or a CEO, instead of a hairdresser. I’ll never know because I rushed into making a decision that I would regret, and I do.
“It took me years to get my GED, but when I did… Jesus, it was like someone had handed me the Pulitzer Prize or some shit like that when I got my diploma in the mail.”
Gavin stopped pacing. “Your mother was an addict?”
“Oh yes, she wasn’t like Killyama’s ma, who could hide it. My mother couldn’t hide her addiction. She lost custody of me a few times. She would swear to the courts and me that she was clean to get me back. She even managed to get through rehab and social worker visits to regain custody of me. Once she did, it would start all over again. She didn’t care enough about me or herself not to give in to the drugs again. Rehab gave her the skills to cope with temptation, but they can’t help you win the war unless you take advantage of their help.”
“I don’t need anyone’s help anymore.” He gravely regarded her.
“I said that about algebra. I flunked it three times before I found a tutor. It’s easier to dig yourself out of a hole if you don’t fall in there in the first place.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He gave her a brief smile that was more of a grimace. “How’d you get your nickname?”
“Most of my friends got their nicknames because they were the opposite of their nicknames. Sadly, I deserve mine. I get a little crazy when I get pissed off.”
Gavin lifted a curious brow. “How crazy?”
“I made the news a couple times,” she bragged to the men who were looking at her skeptically.
“I don’t remember any of the brothers mentioning that.”
Crazy Bitch could hear the doubt in Calder’s voice at her gloating.
“I was in high school.”
“If you were in high school, it doesn’t count. We all do crazy shit in high school.”
She stared down at her fingernail polish, admiring the color. So far, it was one of her favorites. She should buy another couple of bottles in case they stopped making it.
“Does it count if you have killed?”
The two men stared at her in shock. Then Gavin burst out laughing, slapping Calder on his back.
“If I didn’t like you so much, I would steal her from you. She’s funny as hell.”
She arched her finely arched brow. “You think I’m joking?”
“I think you’re trying to take my mind off my Taylor coming, and it’s working.”
“Glad to help,” she said as a knock sounded on the door behind her.
Gavin nervously jumped, hollowed cheekbones flushed when she nodded toward the private yard behind his back.
“Calder and I will wait outside. If you need us, just open the door.”
She and Calder went out the back door as Gavin told the person knocking to come inside.
Being nosy, she took the patio chair that gave a view into the room. She couldn’t hear what the woman was saying when she came into the room, but when the stunning woman moved toward Gavin, an imaginary hand gripped her heart when she saw that Gavin’s visitor was pregnant and his reaction to it.
“He didn’t know?” she whispered out of the side of her mouth, wanting to make sure Gavin couldn’t hear their conservation.
“I talked to Viper while you were checking us out of the hotel. He said Gavin took the news better than he thought he would. Now, I see why. I think he wanted to pretend the last eleven years never happened.”
They sat watching the awkward meeting between the estranged lovers.
“I can see why he’s so hung up on her. She’s a beautiful woman.”