Page 43 of The Secrets She Keeps

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Brianna now knewshe absolutely hated kids. If she didn’t want a kid to pass her legacy on to someday, she would go to the doctor and get all of her parts taken out and make it a forever decision. Immediately.

After the past week or so, she was absolutely certain of it.

People who had kids were totally insane.

Leena was nothing but trouble. She made messes, she cried at night when Brianna was trying to sleep, and she was just in the way all the time. She’d even climbed into Brianna’s bed the night before, saying she’d had a nightmare. She’d been crying, like she was afraid or something.

Bethany had always let Brianna climb into her bed when they had been younger. That was what older sisters did. Brianna had let Leena sleep with her. For one night.

Never again. Never again. Kidskicked.

Jack had even said he wasn’t coming around until the kid was gone too. Saidhewas never going to sign on to do the daddy thing. Especially after spending one day withLeena.

Leena was driving her insane. Ruining Brianna’s life and everything.

She was always asking what Brianna was doing, or if Brianna would take her somewhere. Take her todosomething.

Why would Brianna take her anywhere? She didn’t want to be seen with the kid. The mere idea was insane. Leena would end up climbing a roof or running into traffic. She’d totally embarrass Brianna out there, or something.

“Can I go outside?”

“No. Leave me alone.”

“But why?”

“Someone might see you and I don’t want to explain who you are.”

“Why?”

Whywas the brat’s favorite question. Why did Brianna do this, why did Brianna do that, why did Brianna not like her, why wasn’t Brianna married, why didn’t Brianna have kids? Followed bywhen. When could she go outside, when could she eat, when could Brianna play a game with her—when was her daddy coming back.

That was one of her favorite questions.

Leena wanted to know when her daddy was coming back for her almost constantly.

Well, how was Brianna supposed to know?

They lived less than three blocks from each other, but Brianna would sometimes go two or three weeks without Timothy stopping by to check on her. He mostly just texted her to see if she was doing what he expected her to be doing.

The kid and her stupid questions were starting to drive Brianna crazy. The nanny had quit yesterday. She had said Leena was just too much trouble for her to work there anymore. Brianna had even offered to double her salary. That stupid woman had said no thanks—and now Brianna had to take care of Leena all by herself.

“You don’t have to tell people you are my sister if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to. I don’t like you. You’re mean, and you are really ugly too.”

Brianna almost smacked her. But…her stepfather had always smacked Brianna when she’d annoyed him. Brianna had never forgotten how that had felt. Besides, it wasn’t true anyway. Brianna wasn’t mean, and she definitely wasn’tuglyor anything.

And the girl was really little. Too little to be hit and smacked and spanked, right? Didn’t kids her age get like timeouts or grounded now instead of being spanked like Brianna always had?

“Just…” Dark brown eyes were looking at her, waiting. Brianna felt herself wavering. She checked the clock—she still had two hours before Jack would even be off work. He’d promised to come over tonight, after all.

As long as Leena was in her room and out of the way the whole time. Jack did not like kids. Or, well, maybe he just didn’t likeLeena.

It had taken Brianna practically whining to get him to agree to come over. Brianna wasn’t going to mess it up. She had already fed Leena lunch that Brianna had ordered from her favorite restaurant. Brianna had even set it up for a pizza to be delivered for the kid to eat for dinner while she ate with Jack. Everything was ready.

What else was she going to do while she waited? Brianna didn’t have a clue.

Normally she would sit in her parlor and plan how and what she was going to do to Jack when she finally had him with her, or think about all the things she wanted to talk to him about that she’d saved up for days to tell him, or imagine what it would feel like when he heldherat night.

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