Pitcher's Baby by Saylor Bliss Read Free Book Online

her,
she will know without a shadow of a doubt that I love her with every fiber of
my being.
    He sensed that, I think, and in a way, I
think he knew he was going to lose the hold he had over me. My entire life, I
struggled with love—loving myself, loving others. The only people I know for
sure I ever loved before Everly was born were my two brothers, but especially
Aaron. My twin. My other half. It’s always been a battle within myself, and for
the most part, I blame my mother. How is a little girl supposed to learn to
love without the love of her mom? Its damn near impossible. And when I finally
did love, I always second-guessed it, not sure if it was true.
    Until Everly.
    The first moment I felt her move inside me,
I knew true love. At that moment in time, I knew a mother’s love, and there is
no greater love than that of a mother. When she was born and the doctors placed
her in my arms . . . it was like the stars aligned above, and for the first
time ever, I understood.
    I understood it all.
    And in that moment, I hated my mother even
more.
    Because she left. She never cared. She
never loved.
    The art studio had a sign up offering
photography classes in the morning from 9-12. I jumped up and down, squealing
with excitement when I saw it, and then I remembered I didn’t have a camera
anymore and forced myself to swallow the disappointment . . . but when we got
back home, Lucas told Aaron about the classes, and he made me promise to call
and register. He knows how much I love taking pictures and capturing that one
moment in time, freezing it for centuries to come, never to be forgotten again.
    It’s my passion.
    My love.
    It was no surprise that I woke this
morning to a box—wrapped in paper towels, no less. When I finish pulling them
away, I barely hold the tears back. A brand new Canon EOS 5D Mark III stares
back at me. I grab my phone and text Aaron thank you right away. I can’t
believe he bought me the best camera on the market. I don’t even want to know
how much he paid for it. Jumping up from the bed, I squeal in delight. Now, I
am officially ready to start class, and I have never been more excited for
anything in my entire life.
    I have thirty minutes before I’m supposed
to arrive to complete my registration and finish Everly’s paperwork. I can’t
believe they have a daycare worker there at the studio for the mothers. They
call it interactive art, and in some of the classes, they even let the children
participate. I can’t wait to get started.
    I park in one of the empty spaces
available at the front end of the Student Services building and climb out, but
not before spending the required two to five minutes adjusting my lip-gloss and
fixing my messy ass hair again. I once read somewhere that you could tell how
hot a woman is by how long it takes her to exit her vehicle. Let’s just say I take
an extra long time. After applying a dab of lip gloss I rub some lotion on my
hands and arms where my skin always dries out and then spritz a little body
spray. One last check in the mirror and I am ready to go.
    Within an hour after arriving, I have
everything taken care of, and Everly is settled into a crib in the nursery.
It’s the first time I have ever left her with someone I don’t know, but I find
comfort in the fact that she is just down the hall from me.
    When I walk into the class, I’m
overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in here. Are all of these people here
for photography class? I know the lady at the desk said that this was
orientation or something, but I didn’t expect this many people. I look around,
trying to find a place to sit down.
    Orientation has just begun. I sneak in the
doors in the back of the room and duck my head as I swiftly walk down the hall. Dear God, the room is fucking packed! I’m searching intently for an
empty seat when I hear a psst . . . psssst. Lifting my head, I see a
hand waving in the air. I look to my left and right, and then I see her cover
her mouth like