Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
She hardly speaks to me at all anymore. It’s sad because in between the beatings we had a great relationship but now she just wants to control everything I do. Her lashing out at me is more frequent despite the fact I don’t actually do anything wrong. My grades are good, I don’t dabble with drugs, I drink very rarely and don’t get drunk when I do, I work at Ice-Queen, a new ice-cream parlor in town, I buy my own clothes, snacks, school equipment, and I go to church on Sundays.
What more does she want from me?
Though since I made friends with Marshall she’s been a lot nicer to me. She says he’s a nice boy from a nice family.
I agree.
He’s sweet, funny, so adorable and good-looking and he has this stupid laugh that I love.
We’ve been hanging out lately, he walks me home from school and last night he met me at the patch for drinks. Not too many, but enough.
And then this morning I fucking had sex with Kane in his bed which I don’t exactly regret because it was so good, but I do wish it wasn’t with him because he’s going to hold it over me forever. Either that or he’ll just expect sex all the time now.
The thought makes me tingle down below.
I startle when Marshall meets me at the end of my drive in his truck. His daddy owns a vineyard just out of town, so they aren’t hard up for cash. It should intimidate me but I never thought about it until now.
“This is surprising,” I say, eyes widening as I approach.
He winks at me, all tall with large shoulders slightly slumped forward due to his height. Another thing I adore about him, he has no arrogance whatsoever, so he doesn’t have a swagger kind of walk, like Kane for example. He’s popular without taking advantage and he’s gorgeous without arrogance. “I wanted to surprise you so I’m glad it had that effect.”
Laughing, I take his hand and climb into the passenger side.
I am so sore between my thighs. God, I ache. When I sit down I wince but he thankfully doesn’t notice.
“Wait!” Mee-maw calls, rushing after us in her slippers and gown which is tied tightly over a neck to ankle nightgown.
“Everything okay, Mrs. Hardy?” Marshall asks and she hands him a bag.
“I made you both some lunch.”
I look between the two of them, wondering when they conspired behind my back, but Marshall looks as perplexed as I do.
“Your momma gave me a call, said you might drop by this mornin’,” she explains and smiles at me in a way she hasn’t in so long. “Both of you have a good day at school.”
Marshall walks around the car after thanking her, climbs in and places the bag between us.
“Throw it away, I think it’s poisoned,” I jest and he grins a toothy slightly lopsided smile.
“Mee-maw makes the best food in this county, I ain’t tossin’ nothin’.”
“That she does,” I agree, looking into the bag. “You know she’s done this so we have to eat lunch together.”
His smile broadens. “Well I’m glad she thought ahead. That’s if you don’t mind me joinin’ you, Imogen Hardy?”
I lift a shoulder, feeling giddy. “Not at all.”
26 years old
I hold the pink coffee cup in my hands and turn it slowly. Felicia has been looking to me to answer her question for some time but I don’t know how. What would I even say? How do I explain any of it? They wouldn’t understand. They’d hate me.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” I sip my coffee and hold her gaze. “What is it you think you know?”
“We don’t know shit, kid,” West admits. “You were in the wind. Completely fucking gone. The only reason we knew you were alive is because your mee-maw kept sayin’ it but the Sherriff’s office confirmed it. Never seen Kane so relieved when he got that call”
“Until they said you didn’t want to speak to him and to stop lookin’.” Felicia’s tone is devasted and I feel it right there with her. “He still didn’t stop though.”
“Sure didn’t,” West utters, staring me down with a curious expression.
“We just don’t understand,” Felicia whispers, looking hurt. “We were all so worried about you.”
West looks at me intently, his eyes imploring me to be honest with him. “Did my son do something to hurt you?”
I open and close my mouth.
“Did he?” Felicia asks. “You can tell us. We know you guys had a different sort of relationship.”
She can say that again.
“Unhealthy,” West puts in, frowning. “Abusive, perhaps.”
“What Kane and I had is in the past.”
“Does he know that?” West snaps, looking frustrated. He slams his hand down on the table. “Because he waited for you, he looked for you, he called the cops every day to find you. So if he wasn’t abusive and you guys were okay, then why?”