Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“Yeah, dey kinda fat.”
I scoff, trying not to laugh. “You know, my sister Addie was kinda chunky when she was a baby too, she was like a miniature sumo wrestler.”
“What’s a sumo wrestler?”
“It’s a—” I cut myself off, hearing the baby screaming again, and decide I really don’t want to get into that right now. “Where’s your mommy at? Is she looking after the babies?”
Roni sighs and despite not being able to see her face, something shifts in the conversation. “She’s always looking after the babies,” she tells me, her voice sad. “She always plays with dem now. Not me.”
I try to say something, but I’m lost for words. I don’t do little kids. I wouldn’t know where the hell to even start when trying to console one, that’s Addie’s department. She’s always been good at that shit. Me? Not so much. I’m awkward as fuck. “I um, I’m sure your mom loves you very much,” I say, scrunching my face and looking at Riley for approval, but he gives me a blank stare and shrugs his shoulders, just as lost as I am. “What about your daddy?” I question, my stomach dropping right out of my fucking ass, the anticipation of her response sending me spiraling into a black abyss. “Does he spend time with you?”
“Dada works lots.”
“Yeah, mine too,” I tell her, feeling as though my legs are about to give out beneath me. “What’s, um … What’s your dad’s name?”
“Twenton,” she says, unknowingly detonating the bomb that’s going to destroy my world and shred Mom and Addie’s hearts to pieces until they’re nothing but dirty scraps on the floor.
Trenton Morgan. My goddamn father.
My knees finally give out and I fall back, catching myself against the wall as the betrayal rocks through me. I’ve never had a close relationship with my father, not since I hit my teens, but I never imagined he could do this to us. I never thought he’d do this to Mom. He’s not just cheating on her, he’s got himself a whole new family.
Riley watches me as Roni continues talking, but my head is spinning so erratically that I can’t make out her words. The one thing I know for sure is this little girl is my sister, and as for her chunky twin brothers who’ve stolen her mother’s attention, well fuck, they’re my brothers too.
Riley gapes at me, having no fucking idea what to say to make any of this okay, and I don’t expect him to because fuck, I haven’t got a damn clue what to say either. I try to tune into Roni’s voice, knowing in the back of my mind this could be my only chance to get information on this family I never knew I had, but a woman’s voice cuts through the phone. “Roni, baby, where are you?”
“Uh-oh,” she laughs before the phone is plagued by the rustling sounds of Roni bolting through her home.
“Roni,” the woman calls. “Where are you—oh no, not again. You know you’re not allowed to touch daddy’s phone.” Roni laughs, all too proud of herself as her mother chants in the background. “Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.”
A baby starts crying again, but the rustling gets louder, drowning the baby out until I hear what must be my father’s side piece yanking the phone out of Roni’s hand. There’s a short silence before a panicked curse. “Oh, crap, Roni. You’re calling people again?” she says before her voice is much louder, speaking to me. “Hello? Hi, I’m so sorry, my daughter likes to call people. Who is this?”
I pause, unsure how to handle this. I have no idea what this woman knows of me or if she even knows of me at all. Does she think my father is a knight in shining armor giving her the world, or does she know he’s betrayed the family he has back home, a family who very much believed they were his only priority? “I think the more appropriate question is, who are you?”
“Ex … excuse me?” she questions, taken aback by my question. “Who is this?”
“My name is Tanner Morgan. I’m the son of the man you’re currently living a double life with.”
There’s a pause and I swear, I can almost hear the rapid beat of her heart. “I … Ummm, what?” she breathes, sounding as though I’m playing some kind of wicked prank on her. “What are you talking about?”
“Your boyfriend—”
“Husband,” she cuts in with an accusing tone, as though trying to insert some kind of dominance over this conversation.
I laugh. “Holy shit, he’s really got you fooled,” I tell her, almost pitying the woman. “I’m sorry to break the news, my father has been married to my mother for twenty-three years, and despite how much I despise the man, they’re still very happily married. So, I’ll ask you again, who the hell are you?”