Read Online Mrs. Jones: Book One (The Jones Series #1) by B.M. Hardin - Free Book Online Page A

words that Joey had said in only a matter of seconds on the other end of the phone.
    Maybe I’d gone too far, but I had to play it off…I didn’t have a choice.
    “Business proposal? So you’re back at the interior design business again?” Santana said relieved.
    “Yes, and you had better be ready to build. I figured by the time you guys are done getting it up, I’ll be done with this whole pregnancy thing and ready to get to work,” I wanted to take a deep breath, but didn’t want to come off as uncomfortable.
    Santana smiled and headed to take his work clothes off.
    I sent Joey message after message saying how sorry I was, but he sent back message after message full of curse words and everything else in between.
    ~***~
     
    I felt as though I’d taken on another life….again.
    While Santana worked, I was around the corner at Joey’s; helping out with his girls.
    It had been weeks since Silvia left, and though he’d hired help to watch them while he worked, there were other things that he needed help doing such as combing their hair, sick troubles or shopping for them.
    And guess who was doing it?
    Yes…I was.
    I wasn’t sure if it was out of guilt or love but either way, I went by Joey’s house at least every other day.
    I was getting bigger and bigger and Joey had started to act as though his requests were a burden on me. They were; but it was the least that I could do. If I’d told Silvia no, sure maybe she would have ratted on me to Santana---but at least the girls would have still had their mother.
    How could I have been so selfish?
    But I couldn’t fix it now. What was done…was done. Even if I wanted to try to talk some sense into Silvia, I had no idea where she’d gone. She’d just taken my money and left.
    After a while, Joey had decided that it was best for him to move back to North Carolina with the girls, so that his family could help him with them.
    I wasn’t sure why, but I felt some kind of way when he broke the news to me.
    Isn’t this what you wanted?
    My mind constantly taunted my heart, but I was so confused.
    Joey had even said that I was free to be with Santana and that he would no longer press the issue about the baby.
    Joey was giving up right before my very eyes…and I felt terrible.
    I felt terrible for paying Silvia to keep her mouth shut. I felt terrible for knowing that she was leaving and not telling him. I felt terribly sorry for the girls and in a way for Joey.
    Overall, I just felt like crap.
    But was there any other way?
     
    The day came for Joey to leave and I was an emotional wreck.
    I was eight months pregnant, and I couldn’t stop crying.
    Joey leaving was the best thing that could ever happen.
    Then why was I so sad?
    We promised to stay in touch but he was clear that he wanted to be gone before it was time for me to go into labor.
    I guess he didn’t want to do anything crazy like actually try to come up there and see it. After all, he knew himself better than anyone.
    “I love you,” he said.
    I couldn’t say a word.
    Joey touched my stomach.
    “I love you too,” he said softly.
    That’s it.
    The waterworks started and they didn’t stop no matter how much I wanted them to.
    Joey held me for a while, trying to calm me down, but it was no use.
    God, what’s wrong with me?
    He was answering my prayers…still yet it wasn’t enough.
    Eventually, I had to watch Joey, the girls and the movers drive away.
    I felt the same exact way that I’d felt when I’d left him when I was thirteen.
    Our relationship had always been built on a friendship, which is why it was always so hard for us to leave each other alone. Nevertheless, here again, I was losing my best friend.
    I cried and cried and then cried some more.
    I was trying to calm myself down but nothing seemed to be working.
    The baby started to move and I tried to be considerate but my heart was hurting.
    I tried to think logically, and think things through but the only thing I could think about was