Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 71625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
I swallowed through a suddenly dry throat.
“Since Mark and my ex were best friends, he was over there helping a lot. He did everything he could to help make Angelina and Mark’s last days together not such a hardship.”
“But…”
“But, while Mark lay in his bed dying, Angelina and Matt used the guest bedroom to fuck. One day, Matt was watching our kids, and he took them over there with him. Only, he didn’t secure the door well enough, because her kids and Cody saw what happened in there. Meaning my son’s ‘Daddy likes her kisses’ comment was said in more of a ‘since I’ve seen you do it before’ way and not in a ‘do it for my entertainment’ kind of way.
“The day I found out was also the day that I had a spinal stroke.” I looked away. “I was in the hospital when Matt served me with divorce papers. He also went ahead and said I could keep the kid while I was at it. Something about wanting to have a family of his own with Angelina.”
I could tell he didn’t know what to say.
Literally, he had nothin’.
“He changed his mind on Cody later, though, when Angelina said that it wasn’t nice. So now he’s attempting to see Cody. Conleigh, on the other hand, is banned from her house because she thinks my daughter will be a bad influence on her son.”
Steel blinked, his long eyelashes laying lightly against his upper cheek for a long moment before they opened again.
Why in the hell did men, who didn’t give one damn about eyelashes, always have better ones than women?
“So he’s done nothing with Conleigh since y’all have split?”
I nodded. “Right.”
“No wonder she’s acting out,” he mused. “How long were y’all together?”
“Conleigh was eight when we met. Almost ten when we married. So, seven years altogether, six of those married,” I answered, feeling a twinge deep inside my chest.
But not for my loss, for Conleigh’s.
Conleigh had been Matt’s little shadow since we’d met and then got married. Then, all of a sudden once I found out about Matt and Angelina’s betrayal, they not only dropped me but my girl as well.
I hurt for her.
“I think he’s seen her twice,” I continued. “Cody, probably about twice that. That’s actually one of the things I was supposed to do today with him. I was at the mall at our scheduled time to meet, Cody knew he was going to his dad’s…then Angelina showed up and told me that Matt was working and that she was there in his stead.”
I laughed humorlessly.
“I can see why you wouldn’t want her anywhere near your kid,” he mused.
He smoothed his hand down a wet spot on his shirt and smiled.
“Drool. He’s been doing that for a while. I’m afraid he takes after me like that.” I giggled, then sobered. “Angelina, though, isn’t the most attentive of parents. She never has been. When her husband got sick, those kids went wild because nobody was containing them any longer. At least before, when her husband wasn’t sick, he’d keep them semi under control. But then once he was not there as a stable force in their daily lives, all they had left was Angelina, and she just didn’t care enough. I think every single one of her kids has had at least three broken bones.”
His eyes widened.
“You think she’s abusive?”
I shook my head. “No. Not abusive. Inattentive—she just doesn’t watch them. She’ll leave them alone to do what they will. She’s there in body, just not in spirit, you know?”
He nodded.
“I’ll keep an eye out.”
“Matt’s there now,” I said, wincing. “At least he’ll help keep them in line. That was something good that came out of it I guess.”
He grunted, not agreeing with me.
I sighed and stood up. “We had it rough…have it a little rough…but I’m getting back on my feet. All the medical bills I accrued were paid for when Matt and I finalized the divorce. Now I’m just trying to recoup my half of the credit card bills. I’m hoping as time progresses that I can afford more things, and hopefully take a little bit of the strain off of Conleigh. Maybe if I can give her a few pretty things, she’ll be able to function better at school. I’m never going to bring her stepfather back…but I can make it easier on her that way.”
He didn’t say anything to that, either.
So I got up and headed to the kitchen, realizing that somewhere in that discussion Conleigh had slipped in with my groceries and left again.
A sudden idea occurred to me, and I turned to find Steel studying me from behind. “You want to stay for dinner?”
I licked my lips suddenly, surprised that I’d asked him that.
It had been months since Matt and I had split and about eight weeks since our divorce was finalized. A long time since I’d had anyone else to feed besides me and my two kids.