Sweetest Sin: A Forbidden Priest Romance by Sosie Frost Read Free Book Online

so
she can start and manage her own charity one day. I know she’ll bring pride and
faith to this parish.”
    “Thanks…Mom.” I
gritted my teeth. “That’s good.”
    She wasn’t done
yet.
    “When I needed
help, Honor came to my aid.”
    “That’s sweet.” I
squeezed her hand. “But really , we don’t have to talk about it—”
    “I lost myself in
a world of drugs and alcohol for sixteen years .” Mom spoke even as the
women stared with wide eyes. “Sin and vice stole me. I bankrupted my family. I
ruined my marriage. And I nearly lost my baby girl twice.”
    I tried to stop
her. “You never lost me.”
    “No, literally .”
She met the stunned gazes of the women’s group head-on. “My addictions were so
bad, CPS nearly took my baby.”
    This was a new—and
horrifying—revelation. “ What ?”
    “You were too
young to remember, but you’re old enough now to hear the truth.”
    Obviously not!
    Oh, God. Mom
didn’t do benders anymore unless it was spouting family problems that should
have stayed within our home. It didn’t matter to her. Through a court-ordered
sobriety class—and a renewed faith—she came to terms with her problems…and she
ensured everyone else understood them too.
    Alyssa and
Samantha covered their mouths, and the older women shifted uncomfortably in
their seats. To them, Mom was a Pablo Escabar in a world of Betty Crocker, and
nothing I could do would save her reputation. My stomach twisted.
    “But this girl is
worth fighting for,” Mom continued. “She will be an asset to this church.
Father Rafe, you’ll see. She’s a damn fine Catholic.” She flinched. “Darn.
Forgive me.”
    Father Raphael’s
smile eased the tension in the room. “Then she is welcomed to my flock.”
    Humiliation and
shivers didn’t blend well. I scrunched in my seat as Alyssa and Samantha slowly
uncrossed and re-crossed their legs, knowing full-well just what they exposed
as they did it.
    Father Raphael
didn’t look.
    He only watched
me.
    “Well…” Judy stared
at her clipboard and awkwardly massaged her temple. “I honestly have no idea
where we were in the agenda…so…we’ll get right to the announcements before we
do a little bible study.”
    And I had
forgotten my Bible at home. Granted, I had the app on my phone, but the last
thing I wanted was for Father Raphael to think even less of me. Then again, his
opinion couldn’t possibly get any worse.
    It must have been
why his gaze sliced through me, trying to discover every secret and sin that
tempted us.
    I licked my lip.
Why was I breathing so hard?
    Why did I like how
intently he stared at me?
    “Our St. Cecilia
Festival needs more volunteers…” Judy wagged a sign-up sheet. “We’re looking
for organizers, decorators, people to work the concession stand, someone to
help organize the vendors…”
    Judy waited. The
room was silent.
    His voice lowered.
“Come on, ladies. Don’t make me beg.”
    Alyssa and
Samantha shared a glance before both of their arms shot into the air.
    Judy grimaced.
“Yes…I’ll mark your names down, girls.” She tapped her pen in an impatient,
staccato rhythm before I finally glanced up. “Honor?”
    “The festival?” I
hesitated. If I volunteered, it meant working with Father Raphael. Together.
Through the summer. Potentially alone . I swallowed. “I don’t know if
I’ll have the time.”
    “Nonsense!” Mom laughed.
“You’ll have plenty of time.”
    I gritted my
teeth. This was not the place to discuss my plans for the summer, but I turned
to Mom, speaking low.
    “Mom, I have to
find another summer job...” Or else we weren’t going to eat.
    “Oh, you’ll have
time. You need these extracurriculars.” Mom waved to Judy. “Put her name down.”
    “We should talk
about this at home.”
    “It’ll build your
resume. You want to do social work in the diocese after you graduate?” She
pointed to Father Raphael with a wink. “He’s your man. Work the festival, and I
bet he’ll give