“What! You and Mum?” Hell has frozen over, and I didn’t get the email.
“We both care about you and Marcus, and we should have found a way to put our own shit aside and focus on you kids.”
I don’t want to know what that means for his child bride—not exactly a child bride, but a home-wrecking skank that I’ve never accepted as a stepmom.
“We turned out okay, and I’m glad the two of you can become less than enemies.” Asking my mother to be friends with the man who broke her heart would be a stretch, but if we could get through the occasional dinner without words and glares that could freeze the balls of a snowman, that would be a start.
“I assume Hunter has kept you up to date with what’s been going on?”
My toes curl at the sound of Hunter’s name. I can’t stop the stupid, love-struck smile across my face and almost sing, “I think so.”
If my father hears my happy lilt, he doesn’t let on. Instead, he details all the legalities and paperwork he’s started to uncouple my disaster. Lawyers are drawing up documents, and even though Mitchel is refusing to lawyer up, Daddy assures me it’s only a formality.
“He wants you back.”
“How did you know?” I don’t think we’d be making it official this soon, but if Daddy already knows, hopefully he can start breaking the news.
“Because he’s going around telling everyone who’ll listen.”
“Who?”
“Your former fuckwit fiancé, who else …” Daddy trails off. “Oh.”
“Are you okay with it?”
“What am I okay with?” Daddy growls. “Your supposed best friend taking advantage of you? No, I’m not okay with it.”
“Daddy,” I caution. “Hunter and I were together for a long time.” About three years longer than our parents realized. Not that we had sex until we came of legal age, but still, our parents only needed to know the basics.
“And now?”
“I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m going to tell the same thing to Mum, and you’ll probably understand before she will.” I take a deep breath, hearing Hunter’s whistle, an off-key “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the first song we’d made love to. “Mitchel and I were good together, and I’m sure we would have been happily married for as long as it lasted. But it wasn’t going to be without a hell of a lot of compromise on my part. When I saw him with Lina, I was angry. So very angry—but it was because he must have known the wedding was a mistake but had been too gutless to call it off. My tears were from shock, betrayal, and humiliation. I could count the tears from losing him on one hand.”
“Livia, your mother and I want you to be happy.”
“Even if that means Hunter?”
“I will kill the next son-of-a-bitch who breaks your heart.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, baby girl. And you can pass on my warning to Hunter, or I’ll give it to him in person.”
My mother cries a lot, curses even more, and tries to talk me out of doing something incredibly stupid. I have to interrupt just to break the news to her that I already have. At least she ends the call by wishing us well.
Elena: Car is about to pick me up. Lockdown starts today. So excited. Hope you are doing okay.
Olivia: Have fun. Send pics.
Elena: Hey stranger! Does this mean we can stop talking through Hunter?
Olivia: Needed some time.
Elena: Lina has been trying to phone someone who cares.
Olivia: I should give her a call.
Elena: Bitch!
