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CHAPTER 33
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Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 34
No matter how angry I was at her for saying she wished she’d never come back, she didn’t deserve what I said.Because she was justified. She was only trying to protect Milka. She was doing what came naturally to her. What should come naturally to me.Only I didn’t protect her. I did the exact opposite. I threatened her.“Fuck!”I rested my forearms against the nearest tree and leaned in. I stared at the ground and knocked the bark repeatedly with the end of my fists. My eyes burnt with guilty tears. For both Chloe and Milka.Neither of them deserved this. Not for a single fuckin’ second.“Well, you were on fire there.” Jane’s voice traveled across the yard.“If you’re out here to give me a piece of your mind, don’t bother. I already got it in my own head.”“Nah, she already gave you what you deserve, you jerk.”“Gee, thanks for the support.” I pushed off the tree and headed back into the house. “I don’t need you to remind me I fucked up. My daughter being here without her mother will
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 35
“You were out there, calmin’ yourself down. I had no intention of interrupting you,” Mom interrupted with a stern look. “You sure as hell need it after yesterday.”I ignored the annoyance that showed in her voice and walked past her into the house. “What time is she picking Milka up?”“In an hour,” Mom replied. “Leah texted me.”“Okay.” I kissed Milka’s head and placed some toast in the toaster. “She okay?”“Leah? She’s fine.”“You know I mean Chloe.”“How do you define ‘fine’?” she asked with an eyebrow raise. “Would you say you’re fine right now?”I’d take that as a no.My toast popped, and I spreaded peanut butter across each slice. I bit into it, the crunch satisfying, and leaned against the counter. The silence was tense and awkward.Until Aiden came in the front door looking like he slept outside all night.“Aiden!” Mom snapped. “Where have you been?”“Lay off it, Mom.” He went straight upstairs. Hopefully to shower.Titus snorted, walking into the kitchen. “Hey, bro, at least t
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 36
“Milka? Milka, baby, please take your fingers out of your nose.” I sighed and reached forward to dislodge them.She screamed and smacked the sofa. “No!” She immediately shoved them back up.“Milka hudson!” I pulled them out. “Do it again and you’re on the naughty step!”She stared at me defiantly and shoved two fingers of her other hand back in her nose.“That’s it. On the step.” I removed her fingers for the hundredth time today and lifted her by her armpits.I deposited her on the step and set the timer. I left it on the counter and went back into the front room, dropping to the sofa with a heavy sigh and rubbing my temples.Three days of this back-and-forth thing with Conor was driving me mad. Not only did I miss him ridiculously, Milka did, too, and she was making it known with bad behavior. Three hours of sleep last night had left my patience paper-thin, and I was ready to leave her in her crib and let her scream it out.She was screaming on the step, so it was not like there’ll
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 37
Hopefully.I stood slowly and tiptoed into her room, dipping to grab her bunny off my bed. I eased her into her crib, holding in my exhale when she went down without stirring. I spinned on my toes and started her CD player, letting Conor’s voice fill the room, and back out slowly.Slowly and silently.I pulled the door shut behind me, but before it even clicked, she screamed.I yanked it towards me anyway and rested my forehead against the door. “Please, Milka,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. “Mama needs sleep.”“No, no! Dadda, Mama, Dadda!” she sobbed.I thumped the door with my forehead in annoyance because, goddammit, now I was exhausted and crying.And I gave up. I absolutely gave up.I walked into my room, grabbed my phone from under my pillow, and dialed Conor’s number. I pressed Redial until he picked up.“Hello?” he groaned groggily.“Conor?”“Chloe? What’s wrong?”“She won’t sleep,” I said thickly. “She’s been up all night, crying for you. I can’t . . .”I pinched the b
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 38
“Respect and forgiveness don’t always go hand in hand. I understand.” I covered his hand with mine. “I wouldn’t forgive me or respect me, you know?”“But I do.” He tightened his grip on me slightly. “I do respect you. Shit, how many times have you done a night like that since she was born? How many times have you held her while she cried or taught her a new word? How many times has she screamed your name because she needed you, huh?”I shrugged a shoulder and averted my eyes.“Milka is amazing—strong-willed, yes, but amazing—and that’s because of you.” He tugged my face so I had to look at him again. “You. It doesn’t matter what you did, because what you’ve done since makes me respect you.”“Then at least hate me. C’mon, you gotta give me somethin’ I want.”“Never.” He lowered his face to mine and brushed his nose along mine. “I can’t hate you, Chloe. I tried. I tried so fucking hard, but I love you too damn much.”“It would be easier if you didn’t.”“Oh, yeah.” He pulled back, runnin
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 39
“Whoa, what did I do?” Chloe exclaimed.“Not you! Her!” My sister practically growled and shoved the magazine at us.I took it and looked at the article. It was the one about us, the one confirming Chloe as my “baby mama.” I scanned it and looked for the part where it says who they interviewed.“Son of a bitch!” Chloe shrieked. “I told you!”“Mama bad! Bad!” Milka cried.Chloe slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. Mama forgot.”Dad came in then and stole Milka from Aiden. “Sand?” he said, and Milka suddenly forgot about Chloe’s slipup.Chloe watched as Dad grabbed the bucket and shovel from the kitchen cabinet and disappeared outside. No sooner had the back door shut than she blew up at Aiden.“I swear, Aiden, if you ever sleep with that girl again, I’m going to personally carve your balls off with a plastic picnic knife!” Chloe shoved his shoulder. “Hell, you speak to her, and I’ll do it. She can fuck with me, but she doesn’t get to play games with my daughter.”If I thought she was
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 40
And now, looking at Chloe, watching her stare out of the window to where Milka was playing with Dad on the beach, I wondered if there was going to be a romance to go along with that scandal at all.************** ******************* *************** *******************Chloe’s head poped up in the tree house. She gave me a weak smile and climbed up, then sat next to me. She stared out of the window to where Milka was playing on the beach.Our daughter was running circles around my family on the sand. Bray already had to go change clothes because he underestimated the splash power of a toddler in the shallows.At least that put a smile on Chloe’s face. She had been stone-faced since that morning, her stare scarily intense. I didn’t blame her. I could practically taste the fear radiating off her. I could see the uncertainty whenever she moved, because her hands trembled, like she was freezing and couldn’t warm up.I rested my arm over her shoulders and snatched up her hand. Her fingers s
Dirty Little Secrets CHAPTER 41
He nodded. “Just as much. We’ll just do what we said. Keep Milka at our house tonight, then try and sneak her back through the woods tomorrow.”Yeah. That insane idea.“Great,” I mumbled into my hand.Another night alone in the house didn’t appeal to me. It was too big, too creaky, too full of memories. I didn’t want to be there alone, not for a second. But I didn’t have a choice, it seemed.“Hey, you don’t have to leave her, y’know?”“Yeah? And where am I going to sleep?” I raised my eyebrows.“Well . . .”I looked at him flatly. “In your bed, really?”“I was goin’ to say Leah’s room.”“Sure. I believe you.” I turned away, ignoring the spark of desire that ignited in my lower stomach.“Geez, a guy thinks with his dick for five seconds and it’s wrong.”“Inappropriate! Not wrong.”“So you’re sayin’ I can think of you naked?”“Like you need my permission!” I snapped.“The shorts don’t help,” he admitted. “I try not to, but it’s hard.”“Oh, I bet it is.” I folded my arms across my chest
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