Page 100 of Stuck With You
She waves a hand. “It’ll be a long engagement to give me time to warm up to the idea of life with Leo.”
“What about love and happiness? Don’t you want to spend your life with someone like Declan. Someone who kisses you breathless and drives you crazy in all the best ways? What about kids and family?”
“Declan and I could never be. Not for real.” Her voice drops in defeat. “His life is soldiering, and my life will be in a big house, hosting parties and chairing committee meetings. It’s been the design since the beginning, and I’ve avoided it long enough.” She shrugs. “It could beworse. I could be forced to marry someone like Miles.” Her face scrunches. “Sorry.”
That pinches a little, but the truth is, we don’t know that Leo’s not like Miles. I keep that thought to myself. For now.
My heart aches for her. “Are you sure you have to do this? There are single businesswomen all over the world who’ve proven marital status has nothing to do with success.”
“That may be true, but that’s not how my parents think. Despite their ridiculous, strict, traditional values, I can’t see everything my grandparents and the generations before worked so hard for to go to RJ. That means nothing will ever change. Besides, the land is beautiful, and despite their haughtiness and snobbery, it means something.” She smiles, but it’s weak.
She inhales and lets it out. “All right, what’s the latest on that man who can’t keep his pants zipped and his mouth from spewing anything but complete bullshit?”
I rest back against my pillows. “Well, he’s moving to New York and hopes I’ve been thinking.”
“What the hell does that mean? Have you warned him that if he doesn’t start paying child support, you’ll run his ass into the ground? That won’t look so good for his new gig when people finally see the lying, cheating, deadbeat he is.”
I roll my neck. “I’m not sure, but I bet I’ll find out. He’s graciously flying in next weekend and allowing us an afternoon.”
She snorts. “An afternoon? He hasn’t seen Ollie and Frankie for more than an hour since he kicked you out. Hell, he can’t even call you back. Once he’s in New York, he’ll be too busy touring with his ding-a-ling to do anything but ring his own bell.”
I pull air in through my nose and push it out, knowing she’s not wrong. “You know, I’ve been thinking maybe his moving to New York is for the best. He hasn’t even mentioned Ollie or Frankie. I should’ve expected as much. He didn’t care what it did to them when he locked us out and left us with nothing, or when he dragged methrough the mud to save face. I just want to move on and not allow him the power to hold anything over me again.”
“But you let him. You didn’t even fight it.”
“What good would it have done? All it took was a few anonymous posts, and people made up their minds. I wanted to protect Ollie and Frankie. That’s my job. Clapping back or defending myself would have done nothing but add more fuel to a fire I needed to put out.”
She sits taller. “But, Sarah, when is it enough? You can’t just let him continue to manipulate you? You and I both know that’s what thisafternoonis about. He stole everything you worked so hard for. He carefully confiscated your identity.”
It’s a swift jab in the stomach. I breathe until the pain lessens. “That’s what this move was for me. I got myself outside of his circle, and now I have to figure out whatIwant again. If Ollie and Frankie truly don’t matter to him, and he’s made it pretty clear that they don’t, then I want him to go to New York and leave me the hell alone. I don’t wantanythingfrom him. I will take care of Ollie and Frankie just like I have been.”
Her body slumps, and her voice softens. “But you want to be a lawyer and make a difference. I mean, it’s why you worked so hard to get your voice heard. You climbed your way out of our small town and made it happen.” She pauses. “Sarah, you can’t keep going like this. You can’t do all of this by yourself. At some point, you’re going to hit a wall.”
Rox is right. It was always my dream to be a lawyer. It’s what I’ve wanted and why I chose the path I did, but motherhood changes you. Lately, I’ve wondered if maybe those dreams sailed away long ago with what once was my reputation.
“I’m taking it one day at a time and figuring things out as I go. I’ll see what Miles has to say. I owe Ollie and Frankie at least that much, but. . .I need him to either be involved in their life or go to New York and move on. Not continue to hold it over my head and use it as leverage, thinking I’ll come crawling back.”
She crawls up to rest back next to me. “You’ve always been so strong. You kick ass, you know that?”
I laugh. “I think it’s my ass that’s been getting kicked.”
She grabs my hand. “Maybe, but it’s time for you to fight. And maybe that’s finally telling Miles to piss off for good. You don’t need him. You never have.”
I rest my head on her shoulder.
She squeezes my palm. “I want you to be happy again. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”
My throat tickles. “I want you to be happy, too.”
“You’re a really good mom. It doesn’t matter what the dickhead says or does. He lost so big the second he even looked in another direction. It all really, really sucked, but Sarah, you’re so much better off. No matter what you do, you’re going to have a beautiful life. I can feel it.”
I want to believe her, but right now, I can’t quite see it. I’m swimming in murky water, and I don’t know which way is up or if, when I get there, it will look anything like I imagined.
Chapter 23
SLADE
Voice message from Alex: Hey, Happy Thanksgiving. I miss you and wish I were there. Mark has a game in town in a few weeks, so the girls and I will be staying with Grandpa. Round up the guys for a beer. I want to know everything you’ve been working on. Tell them all hi and to give you extra shit for me. K. Love you. Bye.
