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And you know what? I was happy. Which was probably a good indication that life was going to kick me in the balls.
So as I was strolling through the park with Huey and Nova, the baby strapped to Nova’s chest, I was almost ready for the other shoe to drop. After the last outing with Huey by herself, I could tell Nova was a little more hesitant to go out in public spaces.
That lady still made me righteously angry, especially because IceCaps management had refused to outright ban the bitch when I asked. Corporate said that if we banned every fan who was an asshole, they wouldn’t have enough money to pay our salaries.
My agent had told me to let it go. But fuck, it still riled me.
I was carrying a picnic in my backpack, as well as Huey’s diaper bag, and was dressed in what I liked to call incognito mode: a cap pulled down low, sunglasses and a plain t-shirt.
“You got any of those fancy little chocolate things in here?” I asked hopefully. That shit had been so freaking good. Nova was beautifulandtalented.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Maybe? You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Just then, a voice behind me made my blood run cold. “River?”
Oh shit.I kept walking, my hand on Nova’s spine to propel her forward. Maybe I could pretend I hadn’t heard.
“River, wait!” the voice yelled again, and I clenched my teeth. I looked over at Nova, who was frowning at me, even as her feet slowed to a stop.
Goddammit.I swallowed hard and turned, my face completely neutral. “Hey, Marissa.”
The woman in front of me was gorgeous. She had long brown hair that curled artfully down to her waist, but I knew for a fact they were extensions. She had long legs and a fake tan to match her fake boobs. Her smile made people stop and stare. She was a former Miss Arkansas but now worked for some charity or another, not that she actually cared about anyone but herself.
She threw herself into my arms, and I caught her out of habit. I extracted myself as quickly as possible, but she had limbs like tentacles. “I’ve been trying to reach you for months, River. I wanted to talk to you. I’ve missed you.”
Yeah, I knew that. I’d been avoiding her calls like the plague. I wished I could say her voice was an annoying whine, but it wasn’t. It was husky and sexy, and once upon a time it had made me hard just listening to her say nasty shit to me. Now, it had the opposite effect.
“Oh? I changed my number.”
It was a lie, but if I told her I’d been dodging her calls, she’d throw a very public tantrum.
She smiled brightly, and once, that smile would have been considered enchanting. Now, it just reminded me of a shark. “Oh, I’ll have to get it from you. Luckily, they told me you’d be here. Is this Alana?” She turned to Nova, whose eyes were bouncing between us like she was watching an accident in slow motion.
“No, I’m Nova.”
I watched as all the false friendliness fell from Marissa’s face, and all that was left was poison. “And who the fuck are you?”
Nova’s eyes flew to mine in panic. I shifted, drawing Marissa’s eyes back to me. “She’s my girlfriend.”
Marissa’s face scrunched. “I’myour girlfriend.”
Now it was my turn to look panicked. “No, you aren’t. You’ve never been my girlfriend. What we had was just an arrangement, Marissa. One you signed a contract not to talk about,” I reminded her, because she was a vindictive bitch.
“Is she why you left me? I was pregnant with your child!”
Ice ran through my veins. “What?” Shock briefly wiped my mind of all coherent thought. Eventually though, my higher function turned back on. “No, you weren’t. You have an IUD, and I always wore a condom.” I mean, it could happen, but statistically? No fucking way. It was part of our agreement that she’d gotten an IUD—with proof—but still, I’d never gone bare with Marissa. I knew her far too well.
Marissa’s top lip curled back over her teeth. “I could have been, but you never would have known because you just cut me off for her.” Her eyes dropped to Huey, and her face twisted. “Did you knock her up? Is that why? You could havetalkedto me; I would have accepted your bastard if I still got to keep you.”
“Wait a fucking second—” Nova started, but then Marissa’s palm was whipping out and connecting with Nova’s cheek, her long talons scratching across Nova’s cheekbone.
“What the fuck?!” I shouted, stepping in front of Nova and pushing Marissa’s shoulder. She stumbled back like she’d been shot.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” she screamed. “I’m going to sue you for assault, River Cooper, and you’llbegto take me back!”
I stood there in front of Nova, protecting her from this obviously unhinged bitch. “Go away, Marissa. I’m getting a restraining order so expect a visit from the cops, you crazy bitch.”
The pure poison leaching from her eyes made me feel like a fool. How had I let it go on so long?
