All Bite, No Growl by Jenika Snow Read Free Book Online Page B

much.” Her mom pulled away slightly, and stared down at Willow. “You’re going off to college, you’ll have your whole life ahead of you. Things sometimes work out this way.”
    Willow shook her head. This was so out of the blue. Everything seemed fine, or at least it looked fine. But she reminded herself that this town smiled out the outside when really on the inside they were all kinds of fucked up.
    “We can talk about all of this as a family tonight, if you want. Your father didn’t come home last night, hence why he’s not here. But we decided that I’d talk to you first.” Her mom smiled and brushed away the tears on Willow’s cheeks. “It’ll all be okay, honey,” her mom said and pulled her in for a hug.
    Willow closed her eyes, knowing her mother would never lie to her, but feeling like nothing in this world would be okay, not with this news, and not with everything that happened with Devon and Case.

Chapter Six
    The family dinner was uncomfortable, to say the least. Willow’s phone vibrated for the millionth time today, and without looking at it she knew it was from either Devon or Case. They’d been trying to get hold of her all day, but she’d ignored them, not sure how to talk to them after last night, and especially not sure how to get herself right side up because of the bomb her mom dropped on her this morning.
    Her mother and father were sitting across from her at the dining room table, the same worried expressions on their faces, and she hated that they felt bad for her. She saw it in their expressions, smelled it in the air.
    “Honey, you’ve been looking at your phone all dinner, all day in fact. Maybe whoever is trying to call you needs to speak?” her mother said, maybe trying to break up the weirdness in the room, or divert attention? Either way it wasn’t working.
    “It’s just Devon and Case, and I think they can wait. This is more important.” Although Willow had nothing to say about what was going on right now, or, at least, she didn’t know what to say. “I’m a big girl, eighteen now, how about we just do this and move on?” Willow didn’t want to sound like a snotty brat, didn’t want to seem like she was whining and complaining because her parents were splitting up. If they were unhappy together then they should find love elsewhere.
    She looked at her father, who seemed overly uncomfortable, and Willow knew that the real reason she was mostly upset was because her father had decided to hook up with someone else while still married.
    She shoved her cell in her front pocket, leaned back in the seat, and looked down at her food. Her mom had cooked Willow’s favorite for dinner, and although it was probably to soften the blow of tonight, she couldn’t even find the appetite to eat.
    “I know you’re upset about your mom and I separating.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    Her father looked surprised, turned and looked at her mom, then faced Willow again.
    “You’re not?” he asked with confusion.
    “If you don’t love each other, then I would never expect you two to stay together.” She looked between her parents. “What upsets me, Dad , is that you decided that you weren’t unhappy, and instead of waiting for things to be final you went off with someone else.” Her voice was raising, and she knew that she needed to stop acting like this, to start rationalizing everything, and to not think about her father with another woman.
    “Willow, it isn’t like I planned on falling in love again.”
    Willow looked at her father as he spoke, and although she was angry when she looked at her mother she didn’t see hurt or even rage, as could have been expected. Instead she saw her mother looking like she wanted out of this conversation as well, like she wasn’t happy, and because of that and everything else she’d disconnected herself.
    “Can you just tell me what the next step is?” Willow said, defeat in her voice.
    “Willow, I want you to know that Meghan isn’t