And my mind is still thinking about how those two little words left August’s mouth.
Rich girl.
Who knew such small words would make my belly want to fly away?
Holden doesn’t do that for me.
But August is married.
And having dreams of him is not appropriate.
My mother is the first to greet us. She always opens the door at parties to make sure who comes in is invited. Her eyes flick to Holden, then to me. She is pleased.
It makes me hate it a little more.
My father comes up behind Mom and reaches for me, kissing me on the cheek, then he shakes Holden’s hand. Holden introduces himself, and when he does, his hand goes around my hip. I focus on him and his perfect good looks, and I wonder why when his hand touches me, I don’t get excited.
What is wrong with me?
“Come, let’s have a drink.” Holden gives me a squeeze as we walk in farther, then goes with my father while I stand near the door with my mother.
“He seems lovely.”
“August is back,” I tell her, smiling.
Mom’s face drops and a look of dread crosses over it. “That’s okay, we can get Noah to handle him. He won’t ever see her. You have nothing to worry about.” She taps me on the shoulder.
“He has her right now.” The words leave my mouth with intent. Mom has always made it clear she never liked August. Why so much hate for him, I will never know. She even begged me to leave his name off Winter’s birth certificate. That I could not do.
Her hand reaches for mine, and she pulls me to the side room where there are no people and raises her brows at me. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?” she lightly screams. And yes, I said lightly. She has that down pat. Mom knows when to raise her voice and when not to. It’s all about image.
“No. She loves him,” I inform her.
“Winter loves love, we all know that.”
“This is her second sleepover, and she is over the moon,” I go on.
“You just…” My mother’s head shakes, and she puckers her shiny red lips. “It’s really unacceptable, Rylee. Do you even know who this man is anymore?”
“He’s married.”
“That’s good. At least I know he won’t be coming around you again,” she says in triumph.
“Yes, Mother.” I walk off and find my sister sitting down, holding her baby, as people walk around her. I reach out my hands, and she places him in my arms, and I take the seat next to her. “I told her,” I tell Rhianna.
“Huh?”
“I told Mother that August is back and with Winter now.”
Rhianna tries to fight the smile that touches her lips but is unable to do so. “Tell me, did her right eye twitch? It has been lately, every time I tell her something outrageous. I swear I’m just telling her shit now to annoy her.”
I laugh and gaze down to a sleeping Benjamin. He’s so peaceful.
“No, it didn’t.” When I look back to Rhianna, her eyes have softened, and she lays her hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
“I will be.”
“It’s okay to still love him, you know. No one is saying you have to stop.”
“Apart from the world. He’s married. Married to the woman who had Anderson’s kid, of all people,” I say quietly.
Rhianna’s mouth hangs open and she shakes her head in disbelief. But before she can speak again, two people stop in front of us. Rhianna straightens and turns to face them while I hold the baby in my arms. Both sets of eyes fall to him and then on me.
“We missed all this. It makes me regret so much,” Anderson’s mother says. I don’t even know why she’s here. Her son is never invited back into this house again, but I guess my mother couldn’t say no to them.
“Maybe if you raised your son right…” Rhianna snaps at them with a noticeably big, broad smile. Cold eyes the same as Anderson’s glare at my sister. Anderson’s father does nothing but gaze off into space.
“You should mind your tongue,” Anderson’s mother says to Rhianna.
Oh shit! I cringe, knowing full well she won’t take that.
“Me?” She starts to chuckle, then stands. “I mean … you’ve met your attempted rapist, no-brain, shithead, dick full of ass son, right?” She looks around. “We aren’t in crazy town right now, are we? You do know you raised spawn? The best thing for that child is to stay away from you, so he has a good chance of being normal.”
“I can see why you aren’t the favorite,” is all she says in replies, then her eyes flick to me.
“It was good seeing you again, Rylee.” I watch as they disappear into the crowd.
Rhianna stands in front of me pacing back and forth. “If I didn’t have milk leaking from my tits right now, I would smack that bitch.”