AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“People will surprise you. Remember Uncle Mitch?” “Fair point,” Whitney said with a nod. “You can leave your luggage in the front hall for now,” Ashlyn said, feeling far more charitable than I was. At least to Etta. After bringing in their baggage, in more ways than one, Whitney and Etta joined us in the living room. Etta tried to sit next to me, but Ashlyn ran interference, taking Katie back. She had fallen asleep again, so she didn’t raise any objections. A refreshing change from our present company. “Why didn’t anyone tell me you were engaged, Chase?” Etta demanded, focused on herself as usual. “I just did,” I pointed out. “I mean—” “You mean before you bothered to come all the way here?” I finished. Etta had nothing to say to this and just folded her arms and fumed, a maneuver I had seen hundreds of times before. While it once had the power to make me change my mind, I just found it funny at that point.
“Would you like a drink?” I asked Whitney. “Sure, a Brown Cow, please.” “I would like Vodka and ice if anyone cares,” Etta announced unprovoked. I went to the bar to make the drinks, pouring a double Glenfiddich for myself. There being too many glasses to carry myself, I put them on a tray to carry them over, choosing the silver one just to rub it in to Etta how much money I had that she wasn’t getting. “How did you two meet?” Whitney asked, trying to be civil. “In the hall, if you can believe it,” I told her. “I was living in the apartment opposite and we kept seeing each other every day and I guess one thing led to another. Katie also loves Chase so that helped a lot too.” “I bet,” Whitney said, with a big smile as she looked at the little girl. “She can be a real handful but she’s a great kid,” I explained. “I can’t believe you got engaged,” Etta raged, between furious sips of her Vodka and ice, “particularly to someone who already had a kid. I mean who the hell does that? Isn’t her pussy all stretched out and gross? I—” Etta was cut off by Whitney putting a hand on her knee. “It’s called love,” I said calmly. “I have and original, twenty-one volume Oxford English Dictionary. You could look it up.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Etta demanded, moving to stand up. I was about to do the same when Ashlyn put her hand on my knee, with similar results. I knew I didn’t know her well, but there was definitely an attraction. The idea of making her upset didn’t sit well with me. There was also Whitney to consider. Against all odds, Etta was her best friend and as much as I hated the bitch, it wasn’t worth upsetting my baby sister.
“Please, calm down,” Whitney pleaded. “Oh, I will, as soon as your family stops humiliating me!” Etta shouted, setting Katie off crying again.
With a great flourish, Etta stormed out, leaving her suitcases by the door for Whitney to take down. “I-I guess we’d better go to a hotel,” Whitney said, putting down her empty tumbler. “That might be best,” I agreed. “I see you later tonight,” I said, hugging her goodbye, “just you.” “Of course,” Whitney said. I helped her carry the bags down to the corner and gave her money for the cab.
Chapter Eight
Ashlyn
I tried to tell myself it hadn’t gone as bad as it could have. Though it was honestly difficult to imagine how meeting Whitney and Etta could have gone worse — without actually coming to blows anyway. But still, it was a thread of hopefulness I could cling to in an attempt to maintain what was left my sanity. I didn’t know Chase well enough to be sure if he was intentionally baiting Etta or just saying what came naturally, all of it being awful. Part of me hoped it was the first one, a small, petty part that wanted revenge for her comment about my pussy being gross. It was both an awful way to think of childbirth and not true.
Either way, there was clearly more going on with Chase and Etta than I really knew about, and it looked like it might get nasty if it went any further. I had been around nasty before and had no great desire to experience it again and I defiantly didn’t want Katie around it, no matter how good Chase was with her.
A lot of the time, nasty behavior between exs meant that there were still feelings there. Love could so easily lead to hate and switch back again. I had seen the rage in Chase’s face. Etta was still under his skin. I had to admit to myself that it bothered me. I knew I was his fake fiancée, but still, a part of me had started to wonder if we could be more. It was a dream I needed to ignore, before Katie and I got hurt.
