Page 65 of Atlas Uncharted

Ebony and Lu had already called for an Uber. They waved as they headed to their car, but just as I was closing the door behind them, the doorbell rang. Kairi headed to the kitchen to deal with the staff I had hired. I opened it to find my mother standing there, a soft smile on her face.

“Mom,” I greeted her. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be here in another week.”

“I wanted to surprise you,” she said.

Then, from behind her, Ashlen appeared.

“Surprise,” she deadpanned.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to find Kairi walking back in from the kitchen. “The bouncy house owner said—” Kairi’s words trailed off.

Her gaze zeroed in on Ashlen.

Kairi sighed. “Great.”

Ebony and Lu pushed past my mother and Ashlen, coming inside to stand next to Kairi.

“So, this is Ashlen? And showing up with his momma?” Ebony mock-whispered.

Kairi nodded, letting out a sigh. “Yep. Y’all better get going if you don’t want to miss your flight.”

Lu glanced between Kairi and Ashlen before shaking her head. “Actually, I think we’re staying.” They both plopped down on the sofa.

Ashlen’s smirk shifted from me to Kairi. I could tell Ashlen thought she had the upper hand here. Ashlen opened her mouth to speak, but my mother, standing beside her, put a gentle hand on her arm.

“Let’s go inside and talk, darling. We don’t want the neighborhood talking,” she suggested.

I wanted to close the door in their faces and just not deal with any of it, but I knew it was better now than later.

“Come in.” I stepped aside.

Chapter 47

Atlas

As soon as my mother and Ashlen stepped through the door, I felt the temperature drop. Standing side by side, they looked more alike than I’d ever noticed—same cold green eyes, same striking red hair, same air of superiority. It struck me for the first time, seeing them together like this, how much they had in common. Yuck.

“After my son let me know I had a new grandchild, I ran into Ashlen in Paris,” my mother started, her tone dripping with forced politeness. “Ashlen let me know what was really going on, and I had to come see it for myself.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought about the two of them meeting up. But then, I wouldn’t have really thought they would team up; they hadn’t gotten along in a while. My mother had always made it clear that she wanted grandkids and a daughter-in-law she could parade around. Ashlen’s miscarriages, in my mother’s eyes, had always been an Ashlen problem. My mother had even once suggested, in that cool, calculated way of hers, that I consider finding someone “whole.”

I never told Ashlen what my mother had said. Now I wondered if I should have, if it would have forced things to go differently. Maybe I wouldn’t be dealing with both of them right now.

Kairi stepped forward, folding her arms, her expression unyielding. “See what for yourself, exactly?”

My mother answered, looking at me instead of Kairi. “I’m here to make sure you aren’t making a mistake—an emotional decision about splitting up. You know you don’t have to raise your son with her,” she nodded in Kairi's direction, her voice laced with judgment. “You and Ashlen could get custody.”

“The fuck they can,” Kairi yelled, her words sharp enough to silence the room for a beat.

All hell broke loose.

Ebony and Lu were on their feet instantly, their voices overlapping as they cursed out Ashlen and my mother. Ashlen turned her venom toward Kairi. My mother, looking down her nose, held up her hands as if she was afraid someone would hit her.

Ashlen laughed, crossing her arms as she sized Kairi up with an icy glare. “Of course you’re loving this mess. You were always envious of me, Kairi, pretending to be the best friend but watching every move I made. Must feel pretty good, doesn’t it? Living my life, being with my husband, playing happy little family.”

Kairi stepped in front of Ebony and Lu, who went quiet. “Your life?” Kairi’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “That’s funny, because I never wanted your sad life, and I damn sure was never jealous. All I ever wanted was for you to stop treating me like I was beneath you. I was nothing but good to you, Ashlen. But I’m going to beat your ass if you fuck with my child.”

My mother shook her head. “This type of—” she started, but I cut her off.

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