Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“What’s going to happen to her? She’s been through so much.”
“Right now she’s at Children’s Hospital. The Thornton’s are no longer able to take care of her and she has no relatives to claim her.”
“So she’ll be just another victim of the system.”
“Unfortunately. Most people who are looking to adopt want babies or very young children. Tina is not only seven but she’s not socially developed for a kid her age. Now that this has happened, it’s another strike against her.”
“How could anyone do this to a child? Something has got to be done.”
“Actually, at the moment I’m more worried about you. I think you ought to be more careful.”
“I can take care of myself, but do you think he’ll do anything to hurt Ben or Karen?”
“I don’t think so. He hasn’t seen Karen since he got the information he wanted from her.”
“What about Ben?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll watch out for him and keep you informed.”
“And Brandi and the kids?”
“I’m only one spirit. I can’t be in two places at once.”
“Damn. We’ve got to stop him. He’s too dangerous.”
Paul was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “I have an idea.”
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Brandi stopped chopping the vegetables for her stew. She plastered the biggest smile she could muster on her face before answering her daughter.
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetie. Do you want to help with dinner?”
“Sure.” Mya shrugged.
Brandi handed her a bowl of peeled potatoes. “Here, rinse these off for me and make sure they’re clean, then you can take out the table settings.”
Mya took the bowl from her. “Mom, I know something is wrong because you didn’t say anything when DJ called me bubble butt.”
“Did he? Well, I’ll talk to him about it later. I guess my mind has been on other things.”
“Is it your boyfriend?”
Brandi nearly dropped the knife. “What are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Well, ever since Uncle Rodney stopped coming around, you drop us off at Grandma’s and Aunt Lisa’s a lot, and when you pick us up you’re always whistling. Missy says it’s because you’ve got a boyfriend.”
Brandi gave her daughter a stunned look. When did the kids become so damned perceptive?
“I think your friend Missy talks too much, and you really shouldn’t be spreading my business out there like that.”
“She’s my best friend. We tell each other everything.”
“Even so, I will thank you to not share pieces of my life with your friend, okay?”
“Okay.” Mya was silent for a moment, then asked, “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Do you have a boyfriend? Because if you do, I just wanted to say I’m okay with it.” Mya shot her a conspiratorial grin.
“There’s nothing to be okay about because there is no boyfriend.”
Mya’s smile widened. “Okay. I understand if you don’t want to tell me.”
“I said there was no boyfriend, so how about dropping the subject?” Brandi snapped.
Mya’s face fell, and she turned back to the sink. “Okay.”
Brandi closed her eyes in exasperation. Why was she taking out her anger on her child? When Rodney dropped the bombshell about Mason’s past, she hadn’t believed him. There was an innate goodness inside of Mason that she felt each time she was with him, but when he had not denied the terrible accusations, she walked away.
After losing Damon, Brandi didn’t think she could love another man that way again, but then Mason had come into her life. It almost seemed too good to be true.
And it was.
Brandi didn’t know if she was mad at him for all the things Rodney claimed or mad at herself because she hadn’t heard him out as he asked.
What was really eating her up was that a week passed without him trying to contact her. Maybe now that she knew exactly what kind of person he was, he moved on to the next fool. Still, a voice in the back of her head told her that there was more that needed to be said. What if he did have a good explanation for those things? Yet, even if he did, it still remained very damning.
Why did her foolish heart keep telling her to go to him? She just couldn’t allow that kind of man in her life, and especially her children’s lives.
“Mya, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“It’s okay,” the little girl mumbled, but she didn’t turn around.
Brandi walked over to her daughter. “Sweetie, look at me.”
Mya did so with obvious reluctance. Her lips were poked out mutinously.
“You know I love you and your brother, don’t you?” She affectionately tugged one of Mya’s long braids.
“I guess so.”
“There’s no guessing about it, young lady. The two of you are my world.”
“Mom, I just want you to be happy. You were smiling again, like you did with Daddy.”
It still amazed her how discerning her children could be. Maybe her daughter was mature enough to be told the truth. “There was a boyfriend, but not anymore.”