Chapter 18 #2
I let out a caustic laugh before dropping my head and giving it a shake. It was either laugh or burst into tears, and I was sick and tired of crying. If there was one thing that had become perfectly clear over the past couple days, it was that Leo Drake didn’t deserve me crying over him.
Nona stepped close, placing her hand on my arm and giving it a squeeze. “Sweetie, what’s going on? Talk to me.”
I did just that. My mouth opened and every single thing that had happened came spilling out.
How we were keeping our relationship quiet so he could figure out how to tell his kids.
How it had been so amazing up until two days ago.
I told her every mean word that had spilled from his lips as he accused me of something I didn’t do, and I told her, in depth, just how crushed I’d been as he said them.
By the time I finished recounting every single detail of that horrible conversation, I was a sniffling mess, and Nona looked like she was about to be sick.
“Oh God. Dani. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. If Sage and I hadn’t been talking about—”
I waved her off. “Stop. It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. Every woman in the world knows that we share with our hairdressers. It’s like being a bartender. You guys are practically unlicensed therapists. Plus, you guys are my friends.”
“Still. I can’t believe Leo said those things to you. I’m so mad at him right now I can’t see straight.”
“It is what it is,” I said with a defeated shrug. “I guess it’s only a matter of time before word spreads that Leo and I aren’t together, and with Whitney running around calling me a homewrecker, people will start to speculate even more than they already are.”
“No one’s speculating anything,” Nona said fiercely. “Here.” She extended her arms, holding baby Liam out to me. “Give him a nuzzle. Auntie Dani’s sad, and he makes everything better.”
I didn’t hesitate to reach out and snatch up that adorable, chubby little bundle and pull him tight against my chest, bending my neck so I could sniff his downy head. There was just something about a baby’s smell that made everything better.
“You’ve lived here your whole life, doll,” Nona continued once she saw her son was working his magic.
“These people know you, they know you’d never in a million years do something like that.
They also know that Leo and Whitney’s marriage was over long before you ever came into the picture.
The only one listening to any of that shit is Whitney’s band of bitches, and most of the people in town can’t stand those women anyway. ”
I didn’t care if it made me petty, I smiled at Nona, knowing she was right and grateful for it. All those women were alike—ugly on the inside in spite of their outward beauty.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“You’re damn right I’m right,” she insisted. “Now, because you’re going through something, it’s my job, as a member of your tribe, to look out for you. That means calling up the rest of the girls and instigating a ladies’ night.”
“Babe, you don’t have to—”
“Oh, I certainly do. It’ll help you get your mind off things, but I’ll admit, I have ulterior motives.
I missed the last one, and, while I love my husband and the family we’ve made together with every breath in my body, if I don’t get a little time for myself, and soon, I can’t be held responsible for what I’m gonna do to them. It’ll be temporary insanity.”
I arched a brow and fought back a grin. “I’m not an expert or anything, but I’m pretty sure everything you just said is the very definition of premeditation.”
She waved her hand like it was nothing. “You say premeditation, I call it a slow descent into madness.”
With a giggle, I looked at Liam, his huge blue-gray eyes staring up at me in wonder. “Your mommy’s lost her marbles,” I baby talked. “Yes she has. Yes she has.”
He gave me a gummy smile, complete with drool and slammed his fist against my cheek, which I took as baby speak for “I totally agree. She’s nuttier than a fruitcake.”
“Whatever.” Nona rolled her eyes and grabbed Liam back. “So, are you in?”
“In for what?”
“Ladies’ night,” she cried. “Come on, Dani. Get your head in the game.”
Whether I was feeling up to it or not, it was clear Nona hadn’t been kidding. She really did need a night out, so I found myself nodding. “I’m in.”
“Great! I’ll initiate the phone tree when I get home and call you with the where and when of it all.
Now, I’m off. The kids are at school, Trick’s at work, and it’s almost this little guy’s nap time.
I am not missing out on the blessed silence I have coming my way.
” She leaned in, squeezing me in a tight hug before stepping back and extracting Liam’s fingers from the hair that had fallen out of my haphazard bun.
“Talk soon, doll. And in the meantime, keep your chin up. Just remember, your tribe’s got your back. ”
“All right, babe. Talk to you later.”
With that, she left, and for the first time in two days, I was thankful to have something to look forward to.