She wasn’t interested.
But you do think he’s hot. That’s why you’re thinking about him.
She hated that little voice in her head.
She liked it a lot better when it told her,Chocolate cake for breakfast is perfectly fine.
And what the hell did Mrs. Phelps know about men? She’d been married to the same one forever.
Cyn sighed. What would it be like to love someone so much you didn’t want to spend a day without them?
Her sister opened the front door and stood there with her unhappiness showing in her dull eyes and barely believable grin.
Maybe you can’t choose who you love, but you can live without them, especially when they ruthlessly treated you like crap and didn’t deserve your love.
If she could get her sister away from Rad for a week, two, maybe it would be enough time for her sister to see that life didn’t have to be this depressing and hard. Love should be easy. It should make you wake up happy to be with the person you get to be with one more day.
Cyn doubted Angela had woken up feeling that way today or at all in more than a year, and it broke Cyn’s heart.
She climbed out of her car and met her sister at the porch. “Hey. Is the baby awake or asleep?” She really wanted to get her hands on her six-week-old niece.
“Asleep.” Angela shrugged. “Sorry.”
Disappointed, Cyn held up the box of fresh donuts she’d picked up on her way over. “Did you eat today?”
Angela’s favorite treat brought another halfhearted smile to her sister’s haggard face. “I had some cerealjust before you arrived, but I’ll definitely take one of those.”
Rad came out of the house and up behind Angela and smacked her on the butt. “This gets any bigger you won’t fit through the door.”
Angela’s gaze dropped to her feet.
“You’re an asshole,” Cyn spat out.
“What? She knows I’m kidding.” Rad took the box from Cyn’s hands.
She let him take it, angry that he made her sister feel bad about wanting a treat and making her think something was wrong with her shape. He should appreciate having a woman as kind and loving as her sister in his life. Instead, he shredded her self-confidence and made her sister try really hard not to care about anything so she didn’t have to hurt. But it was always there now.
Cyn wrapped Angela in a hug and poured all her love into it, hoping it made a difference for her sister.
Angela held on to her for dear life. She hadn’t done that in a long time. She was always so ready to let go and try to hide how she really felt. But Cyn felt her pain and anguish and a raw need to be held and comforted.
“I love you, sis. So much. I’m here for you. Come away with me.”
“He’ll never let me go now.” Angela held on tighter. “I’ve been so stupid. I should have listened to you.”
Cyn blinked back tears. “Then hear me now. You can come and stay with me. I will take care of you and the baby. You know I will. I want to. We can take care of each other. I need you, too.”
Angela gripped Cyn’s hair and turned her lips to Cyn’s ear and whispered, “He’s been leaving everyMonday and not coming home until late Tuesday night from his parents’ place. Those are your days off, too, right?”
Cyn nodded.
“Be ready tomorrow. I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave. It probably won’t be until the afternoon. I’m never sure when he’ll go or be back, but if we time it just right...”
“Let’s do it right now,” Cyn pleaded.
“It’ll be better if he’s not here. In town... at your place... he can’t do what he does without someone seeing him there. Please, Cyn, trust me. This is the safest way. I can’t risk—”
“Okay.” Cyn held her sister tighter. “I’m so proud of you for making this really difficult decision. I know you’ve wrestled with it a long time.”