Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 69170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“Mom, you slut.” I slammed the door shut in surprise at my daughter’s playful greeting. I looked at the two usual suspects, who just shrugged while my daughter walked over to kiss them both on the cheek before stealing my water and parking her backside on a stool at the kitchen island.
“What have you three been up to?” She had that look that said, I know something you don’t.
“Spill it, kid, before I mess up your hair.”
“No, Aunt Maeve, stop it, don’t you dare.” She laughed and covered her head with her hands. That’s something between those two that’s been going on for years. Savanah is all about her hair.
“Speaking of which, Mom, your hair looks amazing. What did you do? Who did you go to?”
“Oh no, you don’t back the hell up; what do you know?” Sheila went after her next. My daughter turned on her phone, and the three of them looked at something on the screen.
“Oh my, that looks like…If I wasn’t there, I’d swear…” Sheila was lost for words.
“What is it? Lemme see.” Savanah turned her phone around, and I saw myself wrapped in Damon’s arms the night before with his face bent close, and it looked like he was nibbling on my neck.
Even though it didn’t happen that way, I still got that shiver down my spine. “That’s not what it looks like and how do you know that was me?”
She swiped left, and damn if some jackass didn’t take a full frontal shot of me. It was a shot of me walking back to the table with Damon behind me, holding my hand, and looking at my ass.
The heading said, and I quote, ‘Who’s this hot new number who has caught the eye of our boy Damon Kincaid?’
I looked at the three of them at a loss and wondered what the hell I’d got myself into.
JOLENE
I was mortified, of course, and tried to explain to my daughter, who I was sure was disappointed in me, but she fell all over herself laughing while her aunties beamed at her.
“Mom, are you kidding me? You got divorced what, a month and a half, two months ago, and you already pulled one of the hottest men in the state who’s not only richer than your ex but younger too? I so wanna be you when I grow up.”
“Are you sure it’s okay, Savanna?” The last thing I want to do is give my kids any reason to hate me; that would kill me. I know I’m done with their dad, but he’s still their dad, and even though they're old enough to understand what he did was wrong, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s always been a decent dad before all this.
“I won’t see him again if…”
“Mom, are you insane? You have to see him again. Look at the way he’s looking at your ass; speaking of which, I wanna borrow that outfit. My sorority sisters are green with envy, by the way.”
“You told them?”
“Mom, they know what you look like; everyone has seen this. Your man is a big deal in the south, didn’t you know that?”
My man? Oh, Lord! I started to correct her, but these three were in an alternate universe where Damon and I were already an item. My daughter was giving me dating tips because, as she said, I hadn’t dated anyone since I was fourteen. When you put it like that, I guess she’s kinda right.
I went straight from high school to marriage, which is what all decent girls did back then, and the only relationship I had was with Kevin. That’s only one of the reasons I’m terrified at the prospect of dating someone new after all these years.
I think I may have planned to just stay single and live my life for my kids and their future families, but the way these three were acting and talking it would be a waste of time.
“Mom, you’re still young. Why are you so afraid of this? I say have fun, and if that’s all it turns out to be, so what? I can’t think of a better way to get your lick back.”
“Get my what now?” Maeve waved her tongue at me, and I still didn’t know what they were talking about because the three of them started howling with laughter while I started to see about breakfast.
Savanna called her brothers and sent them the pictures and the four of them were discussing my life like they were the parents and I was the child who needed guidance. I had a rock in the pit of my stomach because I knew that even though my kids were mad at their father, they probably would’ve preferred it if we’d stayed together and worked things out.
I didn’t know how much I needed their approval or how much of my future plans were hinging on their input. But when my boys’ only complaint was that it was a bummer that he no longer played pro ball so they could have bragging rights and better seats at games, I released the breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding.