Read Online November Foxtrot (Rhythm of the Heart Book 2) by Scarlett Jade - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Scarlett Jade
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and fast, and her fists were clenched. “It IS you! You come in here like we are supposed to give a shit! Calvin only married you because he feels sorry for you, Zoe! Now you've saddled him with a baby that may or may not even be his! And because my brother is a good person, he will take care of you. I know him! I know how he falls in love with things that he shouldn't. You tell that boy a sob story and he will love you forever. I watched him with Callie. Every time he wanted to leave, she came up with something else and it made him stay, just like you're doing. Why do you have to hold on to him, Zoe? Why? He's a strong, smart, wonderful black man and there are not enough of them in this world.”
Her chest heaved again as she sucked in a breath and Zoe stepped toward her, palms up. “Layla...I didn't know you felt this way. You seemed happy helping me pick out a dress...like you were okay with everything. What changed?”
“You changed! You were pregnant! You suckered in Calvin!” Layla shrieked.
“Whoa!” Zoe shook her head. “I didn't know, Layla, I didn't know!”
“Bullshit! You thought you could ride the gravy train with Calvin. Sorry your dad is a dead beat and that your momma died, but Calvin and I lost our parents too. Now I'm losing him to you. He'll always be true to you no matter what I feel or what they feel. He's like that. So thanks a lot for taking him too!” Her voice cracked and tears poured down her cheeks.
Zoe threw caution to the wind and stepped closer, her hands outstretched. “Layla...I'm not taking him from you. Ever.”
“What if this baby isn't his?” She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand and smeared snot across her cheek.
“I don't know, Layla. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Calvin and I have talked about this. We know that our relationship isn't built on a lot and that this is a heavy burden, but I have told him he has an out, always. I would never saddle him with this if he didn't want to be. I'm not Callie; I'm me. I'm beating myself up about this just as much as anyone could.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “You always think about you. What about all those people yesterday who didn't get to have dinner because you had to go wandering off?”
Zoe blew out a breath. “I know. I feel horrible about that. It was an honest mistake. It's not like I went into the woods and thought, oh shit, why don't I get lost to draw attention to myself. Jesus, Layla, you make me out to be some horrible person!”
“This much bad shit can't happen to one person, Zoe. It just can't without you helping it along.”
“Wow,” Zoe paused. “You really think I'm that pathetic? That I'd purposefully do this? Let me remind you, little girl, I'm not Callie Derringer. I'm not one of your little friends. I'm a grown woman. Yes, I've made mistakes in my life. I've had bad shit happen, but I do what I can to pick myself up and keep going. Calvin is the one who proposed to me. I gave him an out then. He wanted to be with me. I'm constantly telling him that he doesn't have to stay and I mean that. I can take care of my child by myself if I have to.”
“Bullshit!” she squawked. “You'll just go back to licking on Derek's pole! You don't know HOW to take care of yourself!”
“And you do? Seventeen years old and sneaking around fucking a cop?” Zoe regretted the words as they slipped between her lips. Silence stretched between them and a pin could have dropped and it would have been heard clearly.
“You don't know shit about me!” Layla finally whispered.
“Just like you don't know shit about me,” Zoe whispered back. “You're basing me on Callie. You're basing me on other people. Not on me.”
Grams blew out a breath. “You two need to stop this mess. Layla, come sit down at the table. You too, Zoe. No more yelling. That baby, regardless if it is Calvin's or not, doesn't need this stress. We're gonna hash this mess out like we have common sense, not like we're common
Her chest heaved again as she sucked in a breath and Zoe stepped toward her, palms up. “Layla...I didn't know you felt this way. You seemed happy helping me pick out a dress...like you were okay with everything. What changed?”
“You changed! You were pregnant! You suckered in Calvin!” Layla shrieked.
“Whoa!” Zoe shook her head. “I didn't know, Layla, I didn't know!”
“Bullshit! You thought you could ride the gravy train with Calvin. Sorry your dad is a dead beat and that your momma died, but Calvin and I lost our parents too. Now I'm losing him to you. He'll always be true to you no matter what I feel or what they feel. He's like that. So thanks a lot for taking him too!” Her voice cracked and tears poured down her cheeks.
Zoe threw caution to the wind and stepped closer, her hands outstretched. “Layla...I'm not taking him from you. Ever.”
“What if this baby isn't his?” She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand and smeared snot across her cheek.
“I don't know, Layla. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Calvin and I have talked about this. We know that our relationship isn't built on a lot and that this is a heavy burden, but I have told him he has an out, always. I would never saddle him with this if he didn't want to be. I'm not Callie; I'm me. I'm beating myself up about this just as much as anyone could.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “You always think about you. What about all those people yesterday who didn't get to have dinner because you had to go wandering off?”
Zoe blew out a breath. “I know. I feel horrible about that. It was an honest mistake. It's not like I went into the woods and thought, oh shit, why don't I get lost to draw attention to myself. Jesus, Layla, you make me out to be some horrible person!”
“This much bad shit can't happen to one person, Zoe. It just can't without you helping it along.”
“Wow,” Zoe paused. “You really think I'm that pathetic? That I'd purposefully do this? Let me remind you, little girl, I'm not Callie Derringer. I'm not one of your little friends. I'm a grown woman. Yes, I've made mistakes in my life. I've had bad shit happen, but I do what I can to pick myself up and keep going. Calvin is the one who proposed to me. I gave him an out then. He wanted to be with me. I'm constantly telling him that he doesn't have to stay and I mean that. I can take care of my child by myself if I have to.”
“Bullshit!” she squawked. “You'll just go back to licking on Derek's pole! You don't know HOW to take care of yourself!”
“And you do? Seventeen years old and sneaking around fucking a cop?” Zoe regretted the words as they slipped between her lips. Silence stretched between them and a pin could have dropped and it would have been heard clearly.
“You don't know shit about me!” Layla finally whispered.
“Just like you don't know shit about me,” Zoe whispered back. “You're basing me on Callie. You're basing me on other people. Not on me.”
Grams blew out a breath. “You two need to stop this mess. Layla, come sit down at the table. You too, Zoe. No more yelling. That baby, regardless if it is Calvin's or not, doesn't need this stress. We're gonna hash this mess out like we have common sense, not like we're common
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