All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) A.D. Justice (short novels to read TXT) 📖

The five of us huddle in the middle of the room in one giant group hug. I don’t know when the tears started flowing from my eyes, but my face is soaking wet and I can’t stop them.

My babies will save my sister’s life.

Isa won’t lose her mom to this terrible disease.

My family will be whole.

We only have five more months until this nightmare is in our rearview mirror. We’re so close, I can see the finish line… and it is beautiful.

The countdown on my office calendar has so many implications, I can only deal with them by taking it one event at a time.

Every month, Daisy and I have a routine appointment with the obstetrician.

Every week, our babies have grown so much bigger than the last.

Every day, I’m thankful Juliana is still well enough to be at home and not in the hospital.

Every day, I watch Daisy waddle around the house, taking care of everyone else, then she leaves and goes back to her house to sleep.

But every night, I wake up to an empty spot in the bed beside me, and I can’t go back to sleep without my one and only there.

“When are you going to stop moping around here every morning?” Juliana buttons Isa’s jacket before Daisy arrives to pick her up for school. It’s early March, so the warmer southern air is settling into Atlanta, but the mornings still have a chill to them.

Like my cold bed does.

“I’m not moping.”

“You are too. You got used to Daisy staying here to help us. But I don’t need as much extra care right now, so she went back to her place and you’ve pouted ever since. You two had the talk with Landen about being a family soon, about him being a big brother. He and Isa told me all about it. You two are probably confusing the poor kid now. Just ask her to move in with you already. Or better yet, ask her to marry you and give my babies our last name. You’re having twins with the woman, for crying out loud. You’re already attached to her for life. Make it official.”

“Shut up.”

Her mocking laughter only makes my foul mood worse. “Good comeback, Rod. What’s next? ‘I know you are, but what am I?’ Man up already and give me a sister.” She takes Isa outside to wait for Daisy to arrive.

Then I realize Juliana’s right. Daisy needs to live here. I need her here. So I head outside to join Jules and Isa. As I walk down the steps, Daisy pulls into the driveway.

“I’ll buckle Isa in the car. You go back inside before you catch a cold.” I take Isa’s hand in mine and watch Juliana’s shit-eating grin take over her face.

“Yeah. That’s why you’re out here. Who do you think you’re fooling?” She shakes her head and walks back to the house. This conversation will happen in front of the kids, but at least Jules is sparing me a little humiliation by giving me some privacy.

“Mommy said you’d be out here in a minute. She was right, wasn’t she, Uncle Rod?” Isa has the same grin as her mother. I’m doomed.

“Yeah, your mom is very smart, baby girl.”

Daisy stops and I open the back door for Isa to get in. Once I have her buckled in, I climb in the front seat and meet Daisy’s questioning gaze. “I haven’t slept all night in weeks now. My bed is cold. My house doesn’t feel warm and cozy anymore. It’s just big and empty. All this is your fault. If you don’t bring your shit over and move in with me tonight, I will kidnap you and chain you in my dungeon until you see reason. So, what’s it going to be?”

“You don’t have a dungeon, Uncle Rod.” Isa helps me convince Daisy from the backseat.

“Thanks, Isa.” Everyone in the car breaks into laughter.

“You’re sure that’s what you want?” Daisy asks with raised eyebrows.

“Positive. I’ll hire a moving company today. You shouldn’t be lifting anything, anyway. My house is your home to decorate however you want. Just get your ass over here tonight.”

“What do you say, Landen?” she asks him over her shoulder but keeps her eyes on me.

“Heck, yeah!”

“All right, then. Sounds like you’ll have a full house soon, Rod.”

“Good, because the silence is killing me.”

“If you’d get me those drums I asked for, it wouldn’t be so quiet.” Isa to the rescue again.

“I told you they’re sold out of drums. Everywhere. Every store. Sorry, Isa. See, Daisy—we need you here. Now, drive safely and hurry home today.”

She drives off after a kiss goodbye, and I already feel as if a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. When I walk back inside the house, Juliana meets me at the door with my phone in her hand.

“Mr. Stone? This is Justin McGrath. I have all the information you need on that person of interest you hired me to find. This man is shady as fuck and needs to be taken off the streets as soon as possible. When can we meet to discuss next steps and get warrants issued for his arrest?” He proceeds to share some of the more disturbing details of what he’s discovered with me.

This call is the last one I expected to receive today, of all days.

How do I tell Daisy about this today when we should be celebrating our new relationship status?

What do I tell her? Everything? Do I risk the stress it’ll put on her?

“Can you come by the house later this morning to give me the full rundown on everything you’ve found? Once I have all the information, I’ll talk to my… fiancé about pursuing charges on him.”

“I can be there by eleven. See you then.” We disconnect and I fill Juliana in on the details.

“All I can say is, this guy better be glad it was Justin who found him instead of me. I’d make sure he paid