Forgotten Awakenings (Awakenings #2) by Lisa Bilbrey Read Free Book Online

with us.”
    “What?” Sadie grumbled, looking from her to the woman standing opposite of them. “What the fuck are you looking at?” she asked, loudly.
    “Sadie,” Elle hissed, but her lover shook her hand off and stood up.
    “You got a problem?” Sadie asked, folding her arms in front of her.
    “Nope,” the woman, easily close to sixty, snarled. “We’re just so busy tonight.”
    “Yeah, we can tell,” Derek said, tilting his head to the dining room. “All those empty tables must be broken, right?”
    The woman didn’t reply, not that she needed to, It was clear to Elle that the woman didn’t want them there.
    “We’d like to speak to your manager,” Callum added, standing up and placing his hands on his hips.
    “I’m the owner,” she replied, smarmily. “And as the owner, I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, and I’m evoking that right. We’re a family restaurant, and the last thing we need are for children to be exposed to you and your immoral behavior.”
    “How dare you —” Sadie started, but stopped speaking when Elle stepped toward the door.  “Sweetie.”
    “It’s not worth it,” she muttered, shifting her glare toward the owner/hostess. “This place was a dump, anyway. The food tastes like shit.”
    Then, she turned and walked out of the restaurant, letting the door close behind her. The cool night air hit her hard and tears sprinkled down her face. As the doors opened once more, Elle turned and faced her lovers.
    “Tell me again how it doesn’t matter what people think,” she whimpered.
    “It doesn’t matter what people think of us,” the three of them muttered together.
    “And it doesn’t,” Derek added.
    Elle rolled her eyes. “You’re fooling yourself if you think that.”
    “Then, I guess I’m a fool,” he said. “That bitch’s opinion doesn’t mean shit to me, Elle. The only people whose opinions matter are standing right here. Just you, Sadie, and Callum.”
    “And you’re all I need, too,” Elle admitted. “But we should have known we weren’t going to be welcome everywhere. Some people refuse to accept anything diverse.”
    “Look, let’s go somewhere else,” Callum suggested. “Or we can grab take out and go home, to the beach, wherever you want. Just don’t let that bitch ruin our night. Please?”
    Elle bit her lip as she nodded. “Okay. How about take out from Wang’s, and then we go home. Just us.”
    “Best deal I’ve heard all night, baby,” Derek agreed.
    Faster than Elle thought was possible, they’d picked up their usual order from Wang’s Chinese Palace and were back at their house. Derek turned on some music while Callum grabbed plates, forks, and napkins from the kitchen. Once they had their plates filled with cashew chicken, beef broccoli, sesame shrimp, fried rice, and eggrolls, they settled on the sofas and began to eat while chatting about the baby and their families.
    It was the first time in a while that Elle didn’t feel like a dancing chicken in the middle of a freak show.
    After they’d had their fill, Derek and Callum cleared their mess while Sadie and Elle cuddled together on the sofa. Elle brought her hand around to Sadie’s stomach, resting her palm against the hard bump.
    “I ate too much,” Sadie groaned, sliding her fingers over Elle’s. “Why didn’t you stop me when I went for my third plate?”
    “Because you would have told me to fuck off,” Elle laughed. “And you’re eating for two. It’s okay to eat more than normal.”
    “I know, but I’m pretty sure I ate more than Derek, and we know that man can eat,” she snickered.
    “I heard that,” Derek grumbled as he and Callum came back into the living room.
    They settled on the other sofa, Callum leaning against Derek, who snaked an arm around him. It reminded Elle of the first time they’d given each other a blow job, the memory causing her to shiver.
    “Baby, are you cold?” Sadie asked, turning her head up toward Elle.
    She