For The Love of Easton (For the Love Of #2) - A.M. Hargrove Page 0,18
choose the path I’d taken over and over again. Fancy cars—no, thanks. Huge mansion—nope. Designer clothes—didn’t give a damn. All of those could not buy the single most cherished thing in life and that was happiness. When you had that, you had everything.
Chapter Eight
English
Stacey showed up, her face reminding me of a red balloon. Her eyes were puffy along with her lips. She fell into my arms, weeping and muttering things I couldn’t understand. I dragged her to the couch and soothed her as best I could.
“Slow down, I can’t understand you.” I offered her a handful of tissues.
She blew her nose, hiccupped, and lay back on the cushions. “I just don’t know what happened. He came home and started packing his things. When I asked, he told me he wasn’t happy anymore and needed to move on.”
Gosh, that didn’t sound like the Reed I knew. “Go on.”
“That’s about it. I asked him what brought this on and he did the old ‘it’s me, not you’ thing.”
“Well, damn. I’m so sorry.”
“English, what am I going to do? I can’t afford that house on my own.”
I grabbed her trembling hands. “He’s responsible for half of it since his name’s on the mortgage.”
“It’s not. The mortgage is in my name.”
“Wait. What?”
“He advised for it to be in only one of our names.”
I ticked off the months since they’d bought the house and it was only six. He must’ve been planning this back then. That clicked in her brain too.
“Oh, no. You think?”
I nodded. “Why else would he have done this if you were getting married?”
She buried her face in her hands as a new round of sobs wracked her body.
“Oh, sweet Stacey, I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around her. Then I thanked God I had zero men in my life. I’d thought Reed was one of the good ones, but I’d been mistaken.
When she calmed down again, I asked, “Why don’t you look for a roommate to help defray the cost?”
She sniffed and nodded. “I’ll have to.”
“Hey, did you keep the diamond?”
“Yeah, he told me I should.”
That was big of him. What an ass. “Sell it. That will give you some cash for a while.”
She sat up straighter. “I could do that. It only brings bad memories anyway.”
“My parents know a jeweler who might be able to help.”
“You think?”
“It won’t hurt to ask.”
“Thanks, English. You’re such a great problem-solver.”
“Me? I didn’t do anything. Not to change the subject, but guess who had her appendix out last night?”
“You?”
“No. Easton.”
“Gosh, I bet you were worried to death.”
“Yeah, when she wouldn’t stop throwing up and saying how much her tummy hurt.”
“She’s okay, though?”
“Much better. She’s napping now. It started at the pizza place when she threw up all over the table. It freaked Stuart out.”
“Stuart? What was he doing there?”
I remembered I hadn’t filled her in on all that yet. “Oh, I decided to allow him infrequent supervised visits. After yesterday though, I’m not sure he’ll want them anymore. He practically ran out of there.”
Stacey glowered at me and I shriveled. “English Bridges, have you lost your mind? That man is abusive and you’re letting him near your daughter?”
“I, uh… well, he’s her father, so yes, and only supervised visits.”
“Don’t try that with me. I was there picking up the pieces of you after that little stunt he pulled. And even before that, when he came over and pushed you around. The guy has a real anger issue. You never told your parents how cruel he was. And now you want to subject your precious child to that? What happened to your sanity?”
The words stung because they were all true. I cringed under the weight of them all. “He’s changed.”
“Oh? And how do you know that? Did he tell you or did he present evidence?”
She dinged me on everything, even more so than Dad. “His dad works for the governor now, so he has to keep his reputation clean.”
Stacey scoffed. “The governor is the biggest crook in the country. His dad doesn’t give a shit about his reputation and I’d bet they have paid cops off to help with that.”
“Maybe I need to rethink this.” Regrets rained down on me. Had I put my daughter in harm’s way? I would die before she ever got hurt, if I could help it.
“There is no maybe about it. And now that he knows where to find you, you need to hire a bodyguard.”
“Puh-lease. He won’t do anything like that. Honestly, you should see him. All