A raised eyebrow from my boss. “Oh?” “Things were just happening around me. Now, however, I’m the one who’s making things happen, and that alone is important to me.” Derek puts down his beer bottle, crossing his arms over his large, muscular chest. God, what would it feel like to tou
“How have you lived here with your shit all over the place?” Lily groans as she rifles through a box left on the ground. “I don’t know where anything is!” “I’ve been figuring it out,” I say as I walk into my bathroom to Annie. “Girl, you need to clean this place up. What are you wait
We walk into a different bar than we tend to frequent. This one’s called Joe’s Bar, which supposedly specializes in margaritas. We walk in and see lights hung up everywhere and music blasting. “This is so much!” I shout, barely hearing my own voice over the music and voices. The room is just
I hold out a hand, beckoning to the empty seats. “If you want to chat, you can stay a little bit. My friends won’t mind.” In truth, the second they see the ginger sit down, they start celebrating together, while I roll my eyes. “I’m Archer,” he introduces, holding out a hand to me.
I blink hard at what Derek’s said to me. He’s got to be joking, right? He must be! “Did you just claim that no man in this entire bar would want to go out with me?” I press, scrutinizing Derek for his attitude. He shrugs, leaning in closer to me. “Do you really believe any of the men
“I think,” I say back. “That Ryan is selfish and only cares about what’s best for him. He dropped divorce papers on our anniversary. Who thinks to do that?” Derek seems to consider this question, which isn’t a hard one to answer. “He didn’t ever deserve you, Esme,” my boss replies so
“I cannot believe Derek interrupted your conversation!” Annie shrieks when Derek leaves the bar. “He was so jealous!” “I don’t think it was jealousy, Annie,” I retort, getting down from the seat. Derek tried to pay for my drink, though it was just water. Out of all the people in my life who
But at the same time, he doesn’t have to worry about if he can take care of his kid. He’s already proven he doesn’t need their mother. I will do this without Ryan. But the question remains: can I do this? The ultrasound starts making a noise as the machine touches and slowly moves ar
For once in our friendship, my friends don’t pressure me to open up with them. They just protect me. I’m not used to such behavior from my sarcastic, goofy friends. It’s nice, because ever since I left Ryan I’ve felt as if the entire world has demanded answers, even if I’m not ready. It’s not unti
Annie and Lily come over for the first time in a while. It feels so nice to be surrounded with my girls, and their hugs when first arriving feel like something I’ve deprived myself of. “I wish you’d find out the gender,” Annie groans as she stretches herself out on the sofa. “I want to know if I’m
“That’s not—” “You don’t treat me like an underling.” “You’re not one!” “Yes, I am! I’m supposed to be under you! This isn’t a debate that we should be having. We’ve been pushing the envelope on what’s appropriate and what’s not. In the end, we have blurred any lines we had the day I left my h
“And I’ll have those numbers determined once the remainder of the information comes in,” I say into my work phone. “Don’t worry, I know everything is a mess right now but it’s an easy fix.” I sigh and look up, startled to see Derek standing at my open office door. He looks serious and also worried
Bea shoves the item in her hands at me. I take it softly, looking down at what she had. A picture of a beautiful redhead with a bright smile stare back at me. I see two small girls surrounding her. Bea can’t be more than three, and the baby wrapped in blankets held by the woman must be Tris. “Is t
“No. I called you. I couldn’t think of anything else.” I nod. “Call the front desk, security, any friends you might have in the building or complex altogether. Have the pool on lookout, and anywhere else she might feel she can hide.” “Okay,” Derek says, nodding but still clearly distraught. I
My phone starts ringing as I leave the restaurant I’ve just eaten at. Daniel and I had a meeting today to talk about the restraining order and other paperwork. Not only that, but now Daniel knows about Natalie’s claims, as well as our suit against Max. “I really wish I didn’t have these other pr
“Uh, there’s a difference?” He seems more confused than when he walked in now. “Cause I’m just worried about not being able to answer all her questions.” “Well,” I think. “They’ll be showing that health class video soon. Most girls don’t actually hit puberty and get their periods until middle scho
It’s around eight when I hear knocking on my door. I’ve been getting stuff done and cleaning the apartment. But the baby? That has been causing some issues. Even wearing better shoes and making sure I’m taking care of my health and stress; I’m still not having an easy time. And this is still the