Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
I hated that Heath and Hannah were going through the same turmoil. Tears streamed down my face as I thought through the emotions they likely dealt with on a daily basis: abandonment, resentment, fear, unworthiness, disdain. No child should ever be made to feel like they were a burden and unwanted.
It took me a solid ten minutes to get my emotions under control. When I finally did, I decided to wash down the pain with a second glass of wine, but when I got up to go to the fridge, there was a knock at the door.
I looked at the time on my phone. Nine forty-five.
God, I really hoped it wasn’t CPS again. What if they were coming to remove the kids? What would I do? Should I pretend to be sleeping and not hear it?
Taking a deep breath, I tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole. I was relieved to find Owen and not Ms. Rollins again.
He held up a brown paper bag when I opened the door. “Key lime pie. I was at the restaurant we went to for lunch last week and thought you might like a piece.”
I forced a smile. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He winked. “I might’ve hoped you’d let me watch you eat it.”
I didn’t laugh.
“What’s wrong?” Owen scanned my face. “Why were you crying?”
“I wasn’t.”
He was quiet a moment. “I would imagine uprooting your entire life and being thrown into parenting two kids is tough. I’m here if you want to talk. But I won’t push.” He held out the brown paper bag. “You can enjoy the pie by yourself in peace.”
“Thanks, Owen. It was really thoughtful of you.”
“No problem. You have a good night.”
He turned to leave, and I started to close the door. But I could really use someone to talk to. And he seemed like a good listener. “Owen, wait…”
He turned back.
I smiled. “Would you like to come in and share the pie?”
The light that filled his eyes was absolutely adorable. “I sure would.”
I chuckled. “Come on in.”
In the kitchen, I dug two forks from the drawer and pulled the bottle of wine from the refrigerator. “Want a glass?”
“I’d love one.”
Owen took the pie out of the bag while I poured our wine. It wasn’t until I sat down that I got a good look at what he’d actually brought.
“Oh my God. You brought an entire pie?”
He smiled. “I got lucky that they had a full one left to sell.”
I licked my lips. “You mean I got lucky.”
He laughed and grabbed a fork. “Dig in.”
“We’re not even going to cut it up?”
“Nah. Slices are for quitters.”
Owen and I went to town on that Key lime pie. After eating what amounted to probably two big slices, I had to take a break. I leaned back in my chair with my hand on my stomach.
“Oh my God. That was so good.”
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Yeah. I really needed that. Your timing is impeccable.”
He put down his fork. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
I sighed. “I got emotional thinking about my childhood and what Hannah and Heath must be feeling.”
“Tell me about it.”
“About what?”
“Your childhood.”
My eyes widened. I rarely talked to anyone about my years with Vera. At first I’d been ashamed. But as I got older, I realized I had nothing to be ashamed about—my mother did. But I still didn’t open up to many people because I didn’t want pity or to be judged. I’d never told Robert how traumatic things had been when I was little. Yet somehow, it felt okay to let Owen in, at least a little bit.
I traced the rim of my wine glass. “When I was nine, my mom started dating a biker named Q. That was all I knew about him—his one-letter name. He wore a black vest with all these patches on it, and had a long ponytail that he tied at his neck and at the bottom. My mom decided to go to bike week with him, so she dumped me at the elderly neighbor’s, saying she’d be back in a few hours. But of course, she didn’t come back for days.”
I glanced up as I continued. “The neighbor let me sleep on her couch for the night, but the next morning, she said my mother better be back because she had things to do. I pretended to go next door and check, then returned and told her my mother was back. She didn’t care enough to check whether a nine-year-old was telling the truth or not, so I decided I could manage myself for a few days. That was the first time Vera took off, at least that I can remember. I guess because I wasn’t ten yet, she still thought she had an obligation to mother me, so she left me with the neighbor and not alone.”