All She Wanted (2) by Nicole Deese Read Free Book Online

forefront of my mind.
    “Mama,
what’s Christmas?”
    “Where’d
ya hear that word?”
    “From
Jenny—she lives next door.”
    “It’s a
holiday.”
    “What
does holiday mean?”
    “It’s just
something for rich people.”
    I thought
about that for a second, wanting it to mean something to my four-year-old brain.
    “Are we
rich, Mama?”
    She
laughed, but there was nothing happy about it.
    “Hardly.
Now stop asking me questions, Charlotte. Can’t you see I’m trying to sleep?”
    “Sorry,
Mama.”
    I left
the room, and never asked about it again.

 
    **********

 
    I opened my eyes and searched the sky.
    When I came to live with Max and Julie
Lexington, my life had been drastically altered. The paperwork for my adoption
took less than nine months to finalize, and I had lived with them under the guidelines
of foster care until the courts deemed us an official family.
    I didn’t question their love for me,
but I did wonder at times…
    They had been so desperate for a child, the same way I had been desperate for a
home. They would have loved any kid in need that was brought to them. It wasn’t
like they had asked for me specifically; I was just next on the list of broken,
rejected children.
    They were good parents though, no
matter how I treated them.
    I knew I had hurt them when I accepted
the proposal without their blessing, but I also knew that they would ultimately
forgive me. They were, after all, the ones who had taught me that family forgave.
    The risk had seemed so minimal when I
chose Alex over them—but now? Now, I didn’t even know how to start to repair
the damage I’d done. All I knew was that it was there, like a piece of glass
that had been smashed by a rock. One tiny movement in any direction could
shatter it completely.
    The disappointment I saw in their eyes
when they looked at me was almost as painful as the isolation I felt from them.
    “That’s minus three to you, Shortcake.”
    I spun around in my chair. Manny was walking
across the deck in jeans and a red fleece pullover. My insides squirmed as he
approached. I didn’t want to admit, even just to myself, how good he looked in
red.
    “I don’t think you understand how the
point system works.” I rolled my eyes at him before turning back toward the
yard.
    “It would have been plus three if you
had stayed in the house, but since it took me a good ten minutes to find
you…it’s a minus.” He pulled out a chair for himself. I could feel his eyes on
my face, but purposefully avoided them.
    “So when does this shindig start
tonight, anyway?” I asked.
    “Any minute. Just waitin ’
on our guests—consequently, they have our dinner, too.” He laughed, leaning
back in his seat and kicking his legs out in front of him.
    Our
guests?
    What
would it be like to be an “our” with Briggs? I
shook the thought away quickly.
    “Please tell me it’s not fast food.”
    “Nope…even better, pizza!”
    I couldn’t help but laugh then, his child-like
enthusiasm was catchy.

 
    Briggs
    A gnawing feeling in my gut overwhelmed
me the second I saw her sitting outside.
    I’ve never been good at guessing emotions.
They were messy, uncomfortable and complicated to boot. But a
woman’s emotions? Forget it. That was the kind of jigsaw puzzle that was
missing pieces before it ever left the factory.  
    But still, something about the look on
her face called to me.
    I studied her for several seconds, and
for whatever reason, I was reminded that I needed her number—in case of an
emergency. I grabbed her phone off the patio table and scrolled over to her
contacts. She looked at me incredulously, but didn’t make a move for it.
    Hmm…does
she trust me?
    “If you wanted my number, you could
have just asked me for it.”
    “Nah, this way is better,” I said,
grinning.
    “Whatever, just bring it inside with
you—it’s cold out here.” She stood and walked toward the house, leaving me
alone with her phone in my hand.
    The snoop in me