Riding Dirty: Luciotti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) - Kara Hart Page 0,10

like light speed. When she came tumbling down into the sand, she let out a large roar.

I came up running behind her, making kissing noises. “The kissing-alien is coming to get you!” I cried out, grabbing her into my arms. “You can't escape the wrath of the kissing monster!”

“Mommy no!” She laughed and tried kicking me away, but she was no match against mom.

She rolled around yelling “Stop, stop!” Finally, I did and she fell to the ground, exhausted. After all that, we could go home and have that peace and quiet I'd been dreaming about.

“Alright, no more kissing monster. How ‘bout we call it a day and head home. Sound good?” I asked her, combing her hair back to normal with my fingers.

“Sounds good, Mommy,” she said, smiling. The sun splashed off her hair like morning dew. It was always a wonder how her father left us. Left her. It was inconceivable to me. Yet, he did it, and there I was, left to fend for myself.

It was only a short walk home and I liked our conversations on the way home, so I relished in the time spent together, walking slower than usual. Of course, that's when she hit me with the bullet.

“Why can't Daddy ever walk home with us anymore?” She asked me like a kid does. To her, it was just a question. To me, it was like a bomb going off. Her father was a bad man, and I mean bad. She was young, but I bet deep down she remembered all of the bruises and wounds he gave me on a regular basis.

We walked and shared my poppy seed muffin, a peace offering I got at work. Poppy seed. It was all so ironic and yet, at the same time, so fitting. No matter what, I promised, I wouldn't let her remember him like the devil he was. No, I would raise her right. I would raise her to love.

“Because Daddy doesn't do that anymore, honey.” I said, with a slight tick in my throat. It's not that I got sad thinking about the guy. I actually hated his guts. However, it was just one of those catch-22’s. Without him there would be no Jennifer. Without Jennifer, there was no sunshine. Without her, there was my dark past.

“But why doesn't he? Does it make him too tired? Sometimes I get tired too,” she said, without much care at all. “Is he like a bear, Mommy? Is he asleep in a cave somewhere?”

I let her run with that idea. It was much better than the reality, anyway. “Yes, sweetie. He's exactly like a bear. A big, fat goofy bear.” This made her break into laughter.

This was an easy day. Swinging, walks home from the park, and late night television was all that was on the list of things to do. She, of course, had homework too, but it was a coloring assignment easy enough for a toddler to handle. Thank god for Josie. I thought.

Josie was her 1st grade teacher. She also happened to be one of my only friends. Because of that, she often assigned easier homework on my busiest days. There weren't many children in this town, regardless, so it wasn't like she would get in trouble.

But that's how it was here. It was us against the world. If one person didn't sacrifice something for the next, nothing would get done around here. I think everyone thought something was awry with me. But that was just it—there was something awry with most outsiders. In a town as small as Monroe, everyone had some secrets if you dug hard enough.

As for me and Jen, we didn't want to dig or uncover anything out of the ordinary. We just wanted each other and a safe life. As we approached the house, I turned to her and smiled. “Let me get your shoes,” I said.

Bending down, I untied her feet and tickled her toes. “Mom! Stop it!” She yelled, angrily. Though, she was unable to contain her laughter. “No more tickling,” she finally declared. She stomped inside. I tried to be a good mother. I just hoped I was doing a good job.

It wasn't long before I put Jennifer to sleep, kissing the top of her sweet head and wishing only the best for her future. Gone were the days of pure innocence. From here on out, there would be more questions about her father. Where he lived, what he was doing now, and why he