AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hanna is more of a mother to me than—”
I knew what she was saying: Hanna was more of a mother to her than that woman currently hanging out in our living room. So why was I treating Brandy with more respect than Hanna? Why had I let Hanna walk out of my house just because Brandy wanted to visit?
Brandy only showed up when it suited her, without a care for how it affected the rest of us. “Everything you said is correct, and you’re entitled to your feelings.”
“I want Hanna back.”
“I do, too.” I just wasn’t sure the best way to go about it. I couldn’t just take off; I had Ember and now Brandy here. “Let me worry about the details.”
“Did you hear my suggestion to invite her to Christmas dinner?”
“It was a good one. But I’m not sure I want to wait that long to see her again.”
A grin spread over Ember’s face. “Should we invite her on a carriage ride?”
“You have a lot of good ideas,” I said, kissing her forehead. “But it’s time for you to go to bed.” I’d stayed longer than I usually would because I was worried about Ember, and I wanted to avoid Brandy.
I kissed Ember one more time. Once she was tucked under the covers, I turned out the light. I left the door ajar like I always had, my heart rate picking up because I usually spent this time with Hanna. This time, dread filled my chest. I needed to deal with Brandy. I couldn’t avoid her anymore.
In the living room, Brandy had her legs kicked up on the ottoman, as if she was planning to stay awhile. She didn’t look right there. This wasn’t where she belonged.
Hanna should have been here. Instead, she was at her parents’, probably thinking I was a jerk. And she’d be right.
“We need to talk.” I sat on the edge of the cushion a few feet away from her.
“What the hell is Hanna doing living here? I warned you that she’s liked you all these years. She’s after your money and this house. She wants to be Mrs. Sebastian Monroe.” She sneered.
I chuckled at her suggestion that Hanna wanted something from me, even as my body liked the idea of her being Mrs. Sebastian Monroe. It had a nice ring to it. “What money?”
Brandy blinked. “You have a good job, then the farm. It’s a gold mine.”
My jaw tightened. I earned a comfortable living, but not enough to keep funding Brandy’s mistakes. “Is that why you’re here? You want me to give you money so you can go wherever you do?”
“Do you want the mother of your child living on the streets? Carl kicked me out, and I have nowhere to go.” Brandy’s voice raised, and I worried she’d wake Ember.
I held up a hand in an effort to tell her to be quieter. “I’m sorry to hear about your situation, but I’m not responsible for your living expenses. I’m the one raising our daughter without any help from you.”
When Brandy opened her mouth and merely closed it, I added, “And it’s not a good idea for you to stay here. Let’s be honest, you haven’t been a real mother to Ember. She doesn’t miss you like she should. She misses the idea of having a mother. She wants what the other kids in her class have, but she doesn’t miss you.”
Brandy’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you’re talking to me like this.”
My heart was thumping wildly in my chest. I’d never talked to Brandy like this, and it felt good. “I’m telling you how it is, and I should have done this a long time ago.
“In the future, you can schedule visitations with me ahead of time. You showed up in the middle of the holidays, and we have plans.” I needed to come up with one to get Hanna back. I couldn’t be distracted by Brandy and whatever bullshit she brought with her. “Ember needs stability, and so do I.”
I’d lived in fear of Brandy showing up and making demands for so long that I’d become deeper entrenched in my routines. I was afraid to do anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t want to upset the delicate balance. But now, I saw myself as the rock in this situation, and I was letting Brandy knock me off the edge every time I let her see Ember and stay in my house. I gave her money as an act of desperation. The fact was, Brandy disrupted our lives, and she wasn’t good for Ember.
Ember was more upset when Brandy left than she was before she came. The fact that Ember was able to articulate her misgivings now couldn’t be ignored. Brandy’s presence wasn’t good for my daughter, and it was my duty to protect her.
“What are you saying?”
I stood, raising myself to my full height. “You need to find somewhere else to stay tonight.”
“But you always let me stay with you. Does this have something to do with Hanna?” Her voice was small.
“I guess it does, but it’s something I should have done a long time ago. What you’re doing, what I’ve allowed you to do, isn’t healthy for Ember or me.”
“Any court will allow me to see my daughter. Judges favor mothers.”
