Cherish & Blessed by Tere Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

exchanged a look with Katie, then turned back to Blake and Cornelia. “So lilac bushes for the walkway….”

Chapter 8

     
    “I SWEAR to God, Miranda, I am so sick of your games.” Evan’s angry whisper exploded out of him as he turned on his daughter. They were in the kitchen, but the open floor plan meant they had to keep their voices down—not an easy feat since Evan was about to scream his frustration from the mountaintop.
    “I don’t know—” was all she got out before Evan stepped into her personal space.
    “You don’t know what? You didn’t tell Kent or his parents about Matt; you didn’t explain your family situation—why? So you could orchestrate an uncomfortable meeting? So you could embarrass me? All you succeeded in doing is upsetting your boyfriend—who you supposedly love.”
    “I do love him!” Miranda’s face crumpled. “You don’t understand.”
    “No, I don’t. I don’t know why you would try to cause drama for your family or your boyfriend or his parents. I don’t understand you at all.”
    A flash of anger heated her face. “Yeah, we’ve established that.”
    “Don’t start with the abandonment thing again, because it’s crap and you know it.” Evan’s voice started to rise. “I’m not going to continually apologize for my life choices to you. My God, Miranda, if your mother was here—”
    Miranda’s expression went stone-cold furious, and Evan almost took a step back from her anger. “If Mom were here? If Mom were here, I’d have a normal family and a normal life, and I’d be introducing Kent and his parents to my mother and father, not my father and the guy he fucks.” Her breath caught as she swallowed a sob. “If Mom were alive, I would be happy, but what do you care? You replaced her. You’re fine. But some of us aren’t so lucky.”
    The words dropped between them, lead weight and hate crashing through the floor. Evan’s heart stopped for a second, the vitriol behind her words causing him actual pain.
    Because he had nothing to say to that. Sherri was gone, and he missed her every day, but he’d moved on to something else, something beautiful and real. But Miranda never had, and now the true depth of that was too naked in her expression to ignore.
    “Miranda,” he started, his own voice breathless and fraught with emotion. “Your mother is gone, and I wish she wasn’t—”
    “No, you don’t.” Miranda shook in her anger. “You’re lying. You have Matt. You mean to tell me if you could choose, bring her back or keep him, you’d pick Mom?”
    This was the dangerous edge, the impossible question he never let himself ask. It had no answer because it would never happen, but still… still.
    “ There’s no real answer to that, and you know it ,” he whispered, honest and true. “I can’t bring her back. That has nothing to do with Matt.”
    Clearly frustrated, Miranda put her hands over her eyes. Evan touched her arm gently, but she flinched away.
    “You don’t understand” was all she managed. She turned, ducked around the counter, and headed for the stairs. Evan started to go after her, his body registering “protective father mode” even as he knew he couldn’t ease this pain for her. He stayed where he was, rooted to the spot, a fist in his heart.

Chapter 9

     
    “E XCUSE ME ,” Matt said as soon as Miranda ran past and up the stairs. He gave Katie a glance as he stood up. She slid into his spot on the chair, her smile bright and animated.
    “Did you guys have to go to school for that? To own a nursery?” she asked politely, and Jesus, Matt was putting so much extra money in her account next month.
    He walked into the kitchen and found exactly what he was expecting: Evan standing in the middle of the floor, looking devastated and hopelessly lost.
    “Baby?” It was a multitude of questions in one— Are you okay? Can I do anything? What do you need? —and Evan responded by pulling Matt into a tight embrace as soon as he was