Read Online Forever An Ex by Victoria Christopher Murray - Free Book Online Page B

there’re girls in her school who don’t like her, but I’ve talked to her about jealousy and envy and she’s learned to handle those girls. I know about the boys who come at her, especially some of the older ones, and we’ve talked about what it means to be chaste, why she would want to do it and what God expects. We’ve even talked about the kind of boys she should date when the time is right. So, while I’m not her mother . . . I’ve tried to be the best stepmother I could possibly be. If you were to ask Angel, she’d tell you that she’ll be just fine with me in New York.”
    My hands dropped to my sides and I swallowed hard. I’d said what I said to hurt Caroline, but she’d turned around and cut me, slashed me straight through to my soul.
    She was telling me things that I didn’t even know. Angel had talked to her about things she never mentioned to me.
    It wasn’t like Angel and I didn’t talk. But our talks were kind of limited to clothes, music, the latest gadgets, and decorating her room. Sometimes we talked about TV shows and favorite movies, but we never had deep conversations the way she and Caroline seemed to.
    I’m grown, Mom. Dad and Mom Caroline talk to me like I’m mature.
    How many times had she said something like that to me? Now, I knew what she’d been talking about. She was talking to Caroline about real issues, the types of talks a mother and daughter should have.
    â€œWell,” I began, praying that my voice stayed steady, “it’s good to know that she would be taken care of.”
    Now Caroline smirked.
    Turning to Bobby, I said, “I’m still not sure.” My voice was much softer now.
    He reached across the table and covered his hand with mine. “I understand. There’s still plenty of time for us to talk, and to work this out.”
    I nodded and blinked and prayed that my emotions wouldn’t betray me. I wrapped my purse’s chain strap around my hand.
    Bobby added, “Whatever we do, we’ll all agree.”
    I glanced at Caroline and her smirk had turned into a smile. A smile that dismissed me. A smile that said, Yeah, you may have that old ring, but I have Bobby and Angel!
    Slowly, I rose from my chair.
    â€œAre you sure you don’t want anything to eat?” Bobby asked.
    I shook my head. “I’m not hungry, but thanks.”
    He stood, and this time, when he wrapped his arms around me, it wasn’t just one of those church greetings. He held me tight, though there was no desire inside his embrace. He held me like he felt sorry for me. He held me like a father who knew that he was about to get custody of a child from her mother.
    I swallowed the sob in my throat and turned away. I couldn’t even give Caroline a fake good-bye; I just got out of there.
    I ran out of the restaurant, holding my tears in until the valet attendant brought my car. When I jumped inside, my hands were shaking as I grabbed my cell and pressed Noon’s name.
    When she answered, all she said was, “You need me?”
    â€œI do!” I shrieked. “They’re trying to take Angel from me and I think they’re gonna win!”

Chapter
    Seven
    A ll I could think about were Caroline’s words. Whether my eyes were open or closed, Caroline was in my daydreams and my nightmares, teasing me, taunting me, tormenting me. In my dreams, she was Angel’s mother . . . and I was the step, the substitute, the surrogate.
    I still couldn’t believe how deep Angel’s relationship was with Caroline. Honestly, I’d never given any thought to the woman. I thought that when Angel went to stay with her father, she did the same thing with Bobby that she did with me—hang out in her room, talk on her phone, or play games on her iPad.
    But I was wrong. Angel had a whole different life with the married Johnsons. A life with depth, where she spent quality