sockets with the heels of my pal

l got that?" Pete

. Fuck

our standards have really slipped the l

up." I mashed my gas ped

ent," Timothy steamrolled on, oblivious to our shenanigans. "

but b

w I'd never

ant and had a chil

blic for the crooked town mayor, with

bout? I can't afford life in

ss. You'll not pay rent, because you'll live with us in our flat. For food, they'll bring that to your front door twice weekly. You

everyone, so when he found someone he didn't quite hate, he would hire them in a heartbeat. That had been the case with how he'd worked with

ncer" for the bonkers figure of $250K a year, without

ife circumstances mean you can't have this kind

heard her slap him. "P

t, later, and that I'll get her a new car to

getting over t

nd I'm not working a fake job and living a kept woman's life at twenty-six." I was not a

asonable and obsti

ng rude and

d. "That ca

strangling m

gested cheerfully, and I felt my brother kissing his way down her skin once more, and my stomach rolled with a combination of anger, irritation, and frustration. "We'll figure somet

ed, for cry

take care o

d never ever taken care of myself alone. I'd always give

cost to fix Sam's bloodied door. "Now, if you don't mind, it's over ten min

vatory...don't. Pete and I christen

y," I b

got home, Mama and Dean were no longer staging Fifty Shades of Grey Hair in the living room. Thank God for small blessings. The house was dark and quiet, aside from the buzzing of the fridge. I refilled my water glass, did the dishes in the sink, and went upstairs to Gravity's room. It was loved, with pink fl

erything

ize that she could b

Every shift I worked, every tip I brought home, I always thou

stomach, twisting up before I swallowed it back. When Gravity was born, she looked like an angry old man. Now, she was beautiful-and the spitting image of her escape artist dad. The same smeared, curled eyelashes framed the most dra

she be when

dreamed of kicking doors down one by one for her, helping

boasted one school, one daycare, no opportunities, and barely more than a handful of people? Even the new ma

n a situation she wasn't happy in, settling

but the final straw that finished me off was when I bunched up my panties after twenty minutes to finally pee after eight hours. I was sitting on the toilet staring down

I could

ds to go

rable and practical. With a pang, I knew I wanted...well, more.undefinedLife wasn't black and white. Either glamorous Cannes fant