More Than a Friend (Broken Shelves)

Prologue

Ava

Silent tears roll down my cheeks as I rock my two-year-old daughter while she sleeps. Her little lips are parted, and puffs of hot breath burst across my skin. I’m sure her ear print will be visible on my arm when I finally work up the energy to lay us both down in my bed.

She should be sleeping alone, but then I would be alone, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.

I never pictured myself as a single mom at twenty-six, but life doesn’t always go as planned.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Shea and I were supposed to grow old together and be together for time and all eternity, like we vowed when we got married in the temple.

Until I learned that promise is bullshit. A scare tactic used to keep members in line.

I thought I could make a mixed-faith marriage work, but Shea disagreed. He wouldn’t listen to any of my reasoning or what I was learning about the fallacies in the doctrine and the corrupt nature of the church leaders.

He told me all would be revealed during the resurrection, and I should have faith things are how they’re supposed to be.

But I couldn’t do it.

I might have been able to stick it out if it were just me, but I couldn’t stay and have my kids be brainwashed the way I had been my whole life.

I refused to raise August in a religion where he’d be taught he was above everyone else, simply because of his skin color and gender.

I refused to let Zoe be subjected to the misogyny at the core of the church.

I never wanted her to be taught bare shoulders would lead men astray, or her duty was to stay “pure.”

Those reasons, among many others I ignored for far too long, are why I started looking into divorce attorneys. Within three months, I had a divorce decree I hoped Shea would agree to.

After going back and forth for a while, we finally came to an agreement, and our divorce should be finalized in the next month.

Meanwhile, I’ve been looking for jobs, childcare, and a place to live. I finally found a job two weeks ago thanks to my best friend, Skylar. She works as a paralegal at a big law firm, and they needed an executive assistant, so she put in a good word for me.

Luckily, Shea and I will be splitting the cost of daycare, but things will still be tight. I haven’t had a job in four years, so my salary isn’t very high. I lucked out on this two-bedroom apartment, and I feel like things might be looking up.

I’m sure Shea will still take the kids to church on his weekends, since it’s not something I could put in the agreement. But I’ll spend our time together showing them how they can have a life full of happiness without religion and how not everything the church says is true.

I just have to figure it out for myself, too.