Page 99 of Stolen Moments

“You said not to.” Mandy smirks.

“That’s right. Because it’s BossBitch.” She snaps her finger, and for the first time in weeks, I throw my head back and laugh.

Mandy chuckles, and Scarlett looks beyond pleased with herself.

“Let’s go, Em. It’s time to drink a pitcher of margaritas and spill your guts.

“Whatever you say,Boss Bitch.”

I take another sip of my mango pomegranate margarita in a vain attempt to push away my tears. I’ve been sitting here for the past hour, eating chips and guac, while I tell my business partners all about my family drama. I still haven’t explained the true root of my despair.

“Holy shit, you’ve been like … engaged this whole time.” Scarlett’s jaw is hanging open.

I mean, I don’t blame her. My life is like a soap opera.

I shake my head and hold up my left hand. “No ring, no engagement. All fake.”

“Semantics, girl. You werebetrothedto another.” She takes a sip of her virgin margarita.

Both she and Rylann opted for alcohol-free drinks, seeing as they have infants back home waiting for them.

Guilt swirls in my belly for pulling them away from their families. These women have just given birth, and yet here they are listening to my sob story, giving me a comforting shoulder to cry on.

Rylann glares at Scarlett. “She did it for her brother and to help her friend,” she defends, placing her small hand on mine. Turning her attention to me, she looks me in the eye and says, “I’m sorry you had to go through all that alone. It was very selfless of you. I can’t imagine how hard carrying this burden alone must have been for you. It was very brave.”

“Thank you.” My voice cracks. I take another sip of my drink, stirring the straw.

Rylann doesn’t know how much I needed to hear those words. Her kindness warms my cold soul, and her deep brown eyes shine as she smiles, giving me a nod.

“More like stupid,” Scarlett snarks.

I choke on my margarita. I want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Scarlett,” Rylann snaps.

“What? It’s true.”

So true.

“Sometimes, I miss the shy quiet girl you used to be,” she laments, trying to hide her smile.

Scarlett sticks her tongue out at her best friend. “No, you don’t.”

Rylann laughs. “You’re right, I don’t. But … be cool, or you’re going to scare Emery away again.”

Scarlett turns to me. “You’re stuck with us now, girly. You should have come to us before now. We would have helped you.”

Thinking back, I was so young when I moved here and started working for them. Trusting doesn’t come easy for me, and I didn’t think the plan Lex and I had would come to this. I figured he would have grown a pair and married Elizabeth when she graduated medical school.

“How could you have helped?”

My question is met with rolled eyes.

“We would have given you the money for Chris’s tuition, dummy.”

My eyes bug out of their sockets at Scarlett’s statement. I glance at Rylann who nods, agreeing.

“You would have done that for me?” I ask, still not comprehending. It’s hard to understand when you’ve grown up in a home where love was conditional and always out of reach.

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