Dust to Dust: A Broken Fairy Tale by S. P. Cervantes Read Free Book Online Page B

there are about fifty ‘outsiders’ all over this party. Be nice!” I protest.
    “Come on, Cam, you have put up with enough today. Let’s just have fun and ignore the rest of the party. I am officially relieving you of hostess and parenting duties.” She taps the top of my head with her cocktail straw as if she has the power to take all of my responsibilities away. How I wish she could .
    “Says who, Jess?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
    “Says me. Holden here already promised to watch the girls, and I’ll handle your parents,” Jess answers confidently. I can’t help but smile at her insistence.
    Holden takes my hand and leads me up to the bar, nodding his head in agreement. His eyes are still filled with questions I know he wants answered. “She’s right, Cam. We are all here for you. Let us handle everything tonight and you relax.”
    I smile at them all, so glad that I have such a close group of friends who truly love me. They don’t need explanations; they know those will come. They know I just need them right now. It’s a good feeling to know that as bad as things get, they will be here for me and my girls.
    “To friends,” Joey says, holding his glass high with a white liquor pouring over the edge. I don’t care what I’m drinking; I just want to relax and disappear.
    “To friends!” we all repeat, clinking glasses.
    Jess and I grimace to each other as the warm liquid slides down my throat, making my insides warm. We both giggle, putting our glasses down quickly as if it can make the bitter taste in our mouths go away. “One more, bartender. We have a long night ahead of us,” Jess croaks out, still recovering from the tequila.
    I start to protest, but get a death glare from Jess and think better of it. Jess is right, and I want to forget that my husband is breaking my heart on another holiday to most likely go be with his mistress. Tequila is in order.
    “That’s my girl!” Dave hollers and pushes our glasses over to Joey, who is filling them back up. I try not to look at Holden, even though I can feel his eyes boring into me. It’s like heat missiles are heading straight to my head from his glare. I know he’s only checking to see that I am alright, but it still makes me uneasy. Everything between us before tonight has been so casual and innocent. We have become best friends again, and I have never been happier with our relationship. But the way he is now looking at me makes me uncomfortable. He seems as if it is hurting him to see me this way…to know I am hurting. I know he is angry I haven’t told him about my marriage troubles once in all the time we’ve been together this year.
    Joey must have noticed the death glare Holden is giving me. “Hey, Holden, grab your freaking shot and quit mad dogging Camryn.” He hands me my shot and continues, “What did you expect her to say to us…‘Hey guys, great to see you, my husband is an asshole.’?”
    I spit my drink in shock. “Joey!” I exclaim, trying to compose myself. I don’t want anyone else here knowing about the demise of my marriage, especially my parents. Marcus has always treated me so well. He always used to put me first. It is killing me that this drastic change is taking place in front of my closest friends.
    Hayden throws back his shot and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, still eyeing me. “How long has this been going on, Cam?”
    I smile nervously. I.Am.Not.Doing.This. “Oh, come on guys, it’s just a rough patch. We are fine.” I grab my beer with one hand and Jess’s hand with the other. “The girls are probably dying to have some dessert. Let’s go grab them so Marcus can get on his way.”
    “You got it, sister,” Jess answers without hesitation.
    I am eager to get away from Holden and his judgmental stare. “You’re on babysitting duty soon, so don’t get too drunk with these guys.” I cover my heartbreak with a smile and blow the boys a kiss. “Thanks, guys.”
    When I approach Marcus with