Read Online Everything by Melissa Pearl - Free Book Online

can’t live here anymore. I feel like I’ve lost all my joy. I’m sick of moping around this house feeling sorry for myself. It’s time to get out of here and figure out what I need to make me happy. Living in this negativity is killing me.”
    “What negativity?”
    I threw a small stack of books into the box and spun. “Oh, come on! I know what you guys think of me! Dad can’t even look me in the eye anymore. I screwed up! And he’s never going to let me forget it!”
    Morgan’s long fingers smoothed back the curls trying to pop free of her short ponytail. “Dad just struggles to deal with his emotions. You know what he’s like. But he loves you...and Angel. We don’t want you to move out.”
    “Yes, you do,” I mumbled, kicking at the floor with my toe. “If I wasn’t here, you would have said yes to Sean’s proposal and you’d be living with him now. I’m holding you back.”
    “I don’t—” Morgan’s frown was sharp. “How do you know about that?”
    “I heard you talking in the kitchen.”
    “Oh, you mean the day you took off without telling anybody?”
    “I texted you.” I rolled my eyes.
    Morgan straightened her back and lifted her chin. She always did that when she was feeling antsy, fighting to stay strong. “Jo-Jo, you’re not holding me back. I like helping you raise Angel.”
    My hip jutted to the side as I crossed my arms and threw her a dry look.
    She gave me a sheepish grin. “Hey, she’s my niece and she’s adorable...and you’re my sister.”
    “Yes, your sister, not your daughter.” I kept my voice soft, knowing Morgan’s face would fall with my words. I’d only been ten when Mom left and Morgan had been forced to fill the gap. I would have fallen apart without her, but the truth still remained—she wasn’t anyone’s mother, but I was.
    I licked my lower lip. “I’m not your responsibility, Morgan, but Angel is mine. My only priority is keeping her safe and happy, and in order to do that, I need to be happy, too. Give me a chance to prove that I can be everything she needs me to be.” I stepped forward and took Morgan’s arms. “I need you to believe in me.”
    I could tell that would be a struggle. Morgan was so used to being in control and organizing everybody. She was good at it, a total pro, and I’d always taken advantage of her motherly spirit, but it was time to spread my wings.
    “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I mean, there’s so much you’re gonna have to do, and I don’t know anything about this situation. How am I going to help you?”
    “You’re not.” I squeezed her arms. “I’m going to do this on my own.”
    She frowned.
    “It’s okay. I know what I’m doing.”
    Total lie.
    I mean, I did, but her doubts were giving me a major case of the jitters. I’d been so confident telling Ella this morning, but that’s because Ella was telling me how awesome I was. She was Miss Encouragement. Morgan, on the other hand, was Miss Practicality, and the doubt on her face tore straight through me.
    Crap! How much did she do already that I didn’t know about it?
    I wanted to drop to my knees and beg for a detailed list.
    Give me everything you’ve got!
    But I couldn’t, because then she’d see how useless I really was, and like hell I was admitting to that.
    No, this was me defying gravity and wishing on every star in the sky that I didn’t come tumbling down with an almighty crash.
    The last time I’d gone out on my own, I’d come home pregnant, my dreams trailing behind me in tatters.
    I couldn’t let that happen again, because this time I had another human being to consider, a sweet, precious Angel that I’d rather die than hurt in any way. The sad reality was, if I fell, she’d come plunging down beside me.
     

 
    Chapter Thirteen

    Leo
     
    Jody moved in three weeks ago...and things had been going well. I saw her a lot in that first week as I ran through her job description and showed her what I wanted. She was really