Page 109 of After the Vows

“What’s going on?” Sophia asks.

Holly points at me and loses her balance. She manages to grab a chair before falling on her face. Bummer. I would love to watch her flail on the floor. I’m not going to push her but if she falls of her own accord? Not my fault.

“This b-b-bitch. She stole my husband and daughter.”

“The ex-wife, I presume?” Paisley asks as she steps into the restaurant behind Holly.

“Lucas is mine.” Holly pounds her chest with her free hand.

“They are legally divorced, aren’t they?” Paisley asks as she passes Holly on her way to us.

“Divorced don’t mean shit. Lucas is mine. All those years we were married and he never cheated on me once. He didn’t have another girlfriend until you came along and stole him.”

What Lucas did or didn’t do during their marriage is no one’s business. I motion toward a private room. “Why don’t we continue this discussion in private?”

“Boo!” Addy shouts and the rest of the diners join in.

“I’m not your afternoon entertainment.”

“Disagree,” Judge Clara says.

Crap. The judge is here.

Sophia squeezes my hand. “It’s good she’s here. She’ll witness how Holly acts for herself.”

“But what if I can’t control myself? What if I end up smacking Holly?”

“You won’t.” Maya squeezes my free hand. “You’ll do whatever you need to do for love.”

For once, I don’t make fun of her obsession with romance. Because she’s right. Maybe she’s been right all along.

“Plus,” Nova adds as she glares at Holly. “I’ll punch her if she gets out of control.”

“Are you feeling okay? My sunshiny, always looks on the bright side of life, friend does not punch people.”

“Things have changed. This woman doesn’t deserve to be a mother.” Her hand dips to her stomach.

What is going on with her? I open my mouth to ask but the door opens and my personal nightmare steps inside. Is this my penance for saying I’ve never been happier?

“Well, well, well. I’m not surprised Chloe is causing problems. She does enjoy being troublesome.”

My hands fist and I inhale a deep breath before I punch my mother in her perfect nose she needed two surgeries to perfect.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here with my friend.”

“Holly is your friend? You don’t have female friends.”

“Friend. Associate. Same thing.”

It’s not. Your friends deserve loyalty. A trait my mother doesn’t find worthy of her attention.

“She’s the one who told me your marriage is fake,” Holly spits out.

I glance at the judge who is now scribbling notes on a napkin. Damnit.

“My marriage to Lucas isn’t fake.”

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