Page 37 of Property of Stone
All of that proved he wasn’t a horrible human being, despite him being a criminal, right?
She sure as hell hoped so.
Because if he truly was a lawless monster, then moving in with him might end up being a bigger mistake than marrying her ex-husband.
Chapter Seven
When Stone pulledhis sled into the driveway, he was relieved to see she had done what he said: parked her car in the garage, out of view.
While Taryn’s asshole ex hadn’t been sprung from the joint yet, that didn’t mean he didn’t have anyone on the outside keeping an eye on her.
Or his son.
Because if he was her ex, that was what he would do.
As soon as his daughter got off his sled, she dropped her backpack onto the driveway and began unbuckling the strap on her helmet.
“Wait there,” he told Sunny.
She squinted suspiciously at him. “Why?”
Just like her fucking mother, his girl had to question every-goddamn-thing.
“‘Cause I fuckin’ said so.”
He didn’t bother to avoid cursing around her. Not when she spent plenty of time at the clubhouse. She’d been aroundher foul-mouthed, pot-smoking, beer-drinking, whiskey-shooting “uncles” since she was in diapers.
What might be shocking to some was simply everyday life to her.
Using the app on his cell phone, he opened the garage door and parked his sled between Taryn’s Pilot and his prized ’67 Ford F-100 Flareside. The restored vintage truck was a lot older than him. Since being repainted in that candy-apple red metallic paint, it was prettier than him, too.
Stepping back out of the garage and into the afternoon sun, he saw—surprise fuckin’ surprise—Sunny actually remained where he told her. His daughter’s life was about to change the second she walked through the back door and he wanted to be by her side when that happened.
Plus, even at ten, Sunny could be pretty fucking mouthy. Just like fucking Sheena. And he didn’t want to scare Taryn off not even a couple of hours after the prospects got finished moving in her shit.
Stone needed Taryn because Sunny needed Taryn, even if his daughter didn’t know it yet.
That meant he needed to keep the woman not only safe, but content.
It also meant he’d be sleeping on the fucking couch for a while. She refused to move in until he agreed with that. While that sucked, it would be another sacrifice he was willing to make when it came to his baby girl.
He took Sunny’s backpack from her and flung one of the straps over his shoulder. “C’mon. Taryn’s waitin’ to meet you. You be nice, yeah?”
She rolled her eyes at him. Just like fucking Sheena.
He should’ve picked a better sperm receptacle for his kid. But then, he hadn’t planned on any of his swimmers having a fucking playdate with her scrambled eggs.
Sunny wrinkled her nose. “Why does she need to move in with us?”
“She needs my help and I need hers, that’s fuckin’ why. Made a deal.”
“But I like to hang out with Juicy and Loosey.”
“That’s the problem,” he muttered under his breath.
Sunny peered up at him as they climbed the deck steps. “What help does she need?”
“Her ex is a bad man.”
