Page 23 of Sold to the Single Daddies

She shook her head and then turned around to face us.

“Fine. Hire me, too. I have more experience working than Mason and I would’ve graduated as a vet tech years ago if money wasn’t an issue.”

Tate shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

“Can I start now? I brought my stuff.”

“What the hell, Mason?” Reagan grabbed his hand. “Can we just talk about this?”

“No.” The kid leaned down and kissed Lucky’s head before looking down at his sister. “I love you. Go back home to Harley.”

Mills nodded toward the barn and started walking in that direction. “My office is in the barn. We’ll fill out some paperwork and then get you started.”

Reagan watched her brother grab his stuff from the back of Mo’s taxi and chewed on her bottom lip. Her eyes filled with tears and they slipped down her cheeks. Before Tate or I could say anything else she rushed back to the taxi and took a painful amount of time unwrapping Lucky before she could get him in his seat. Mason and Mills were already in the barn by the time Mo started to drive away.

CHAPTER 17

Reagan

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Harley. Mason’s so mad at me.” I sat in the open doorway of our motel room since the AC unit was on the fritz and the night air was cooler. “I don’t know why I told him the truth. It went from us talking about finding jobs here since we’re planning to stay for at least a little while longer, to him telling me he was worried he wouldn’t be able to go to school this year and then to me admitting to him why I spent the night with the Hellstone brothers.”

“God, Rea. No teenage boy wants to hear that his sister sold herself to pay his way. He’s probably at that bunkhouse trying to cut his own eyes out right now.”

“Thanks, Harley. That’s really helpful.” I glanced back at Lucky and wondered if I’d made a huge mistake in coming to Devil’s Den. I still wasn’t sure what kind of fathers the Hellstone brothers would be, even if they were willing. What kind of men would try to buy a baby from its mother?

“Stop thinking so much, Rea. I know this isn’t what you wanted but you just have to go with the flow for a bit. Mason will get over the shock of finding out you spent the night at a sex club to pay for his tuition—”

“I went inyourplace!”

“I know! I’m just saying, he’ll get over it. And I’m not holding out much hope but maybe the guys will come around and realize they’re being the world’s largest dicks.” She sighed. “Then maybe you’ll get the fairytale I know you were plotting in your head.”

I ground my teeth together.

“I wasn’t plotting any fairytales, Harley. The only thing I wanted is for Lucky to have a good father, orfathers.”

“Sure.” She said something else but I couldn’t hear her over the pounding of my heart.

The motel owner, a creep named Dave, had stepped out of the main office and was watching me. He’d always given me the creeps but when I had Harley and Mason with me, I felt untouchable. All alone, I felt like a sitting duck. When he started coming my way, I thought about ducking back into my room and slamming the door shut but the reality was the locks barely held the door shut, much less secure.

“Rea?”

I swore.

“Sorry, Harley. I’ll call you back. Dave is heading my way.”

“Are you okay?”

I took a deep breath and told myself I was overreacting.

“I’m good. Of course. I’ll call you later.”

I hung up just as Dave reached me. He leaned against the door frame and grinned at me. His white t-shirt was stretched out around the neck and arm holes and it was stained from sweat and god only knew what else. His jeans were somehow both too large and too small for his oddly shaped body and he wore open-toed sandals which showed off his hairy feet.

“Well, well. Look at you. All by your lonesome. Where’d all your people go, pretty girl?” He reached out and touched a strand of my damp hair. “It must be my lucky night to finally get you all alone.”

I shuddered and leaned back in the chair to put space between us. I should’ve stood up when I saw him coming but I hadn’t and it was too late now. If I stood up, I’d be right in his space.

“They’re coming back. They’re on their way back from Devil’s Den now.”

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