AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I absorbed that slowly, feeling like the air had turned to water. I was having difficulty breathing. “When were you born, darlin’?”
She gave me her birthday, and I quickly did the math. It added up.
I also remembered Carlotta going to a private school overseas for her senior year. I never heard from her again. Her parents sold their house and moved away.
They must have been complicit with her lying to me, and I wondered if my dad knew. Did he know I had a daughter? That he had a granddaughter? That was a betrayal I could never overlook.
“Are you okay?” she asked, breaking into my stunned silence.
“It’s just taking me a moment for it all to sink in,” I told her honestly.
“I understand. I’m shaking, and I didn’t just find out today that I had a father. I’ve known for a while. Been curious about you for a while.” Ally continued to babble. “I can come get you. I have a car. Well, Electra and I are joint owners of Bertha. But only I drive her.”
“That’s sweet.”
Bertha must be the old sedan that Electra had got into. With my daughter driving it.
I could barely believe it.
I set aside for further pondering the fact that Electra didn’t drive. A fact that I was sure was related to the accident.
“I’m coming to you.” Pulling in a deep, steadying breath, I let it out slowly and restarted the engine.
“Don’t get in a car accident,” she said. Gosh, she was adorably sweet.
“Not likely.” I grinned.
Ally was cute and whimsical. She was also bossy, like me. I already liked her.
I had a daughter.
Holy fucking shit.
Electra
I WOKE UP to murmurings outside my bedroom door. Ally had left it open a crack. She was worried about me. She wanted to hear me if I cried out in my sleep, even after I’d kept a secret from her. She was a good friend. The best.
Sitting up in the bed, I scooted forward and gave Mr. Smooches a head scratch that he didn’t even acknowledge. I put my feet on the floor, making a conscious effort not to think about Champion. Of course, that didn’t work. Even trying not to think about him, I was thinking about him.
Shaking my head at myself, I lifted my hands to the popcorn ceiling and stretched. I had managed to drift off. I was exhausted, but an unsettling dream had cut my sleep short. My usual nightmare had morphed into my family calling my name, and Champion too. I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but it couldn’t be good.
“Electra is stubborn.”
I tilted my head. That sounded like Champion. Even awake, I was imagining his voice.
Sighing, I tugged down the hem on my 07 Lonestars tank top that I’d paired with navy boy shorts for sleeping and padded into the other room.
I froze just outside my door. Champion was here. In my living room. Talking to Ally.
What the ... I scrubbed at my eyes and looked again.
Champion was sitting beside Ally on our secondhand-store mushroom leather couch. They looked comfortable together. Champion’s huge body angled toward Ally’s petite one, their golden-blond heads only a few inches apart.
“What’s going on,” I asked hoarsely and cleared my throat.
Ally swiveled, looking at me over the back of our couch. “You’re up.” She clapped her hands. “Look.” She pointed excitedly. “Champion is here.”
“I can see that.” Warmth washed over me as he swept his gorgeous blue gaze over me.
