Page 27 of Sloth
“It…It doesn’t matter.” She shakes her head and smiles at me, and I kiss her lips while I do exactly what I promised and make her come.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ERIN
“Are you okay?” Luke looks worried when he comes out of the bathroom and sees me staring at my cell phone.
“That was my mom,” I explain, still trying to process what she just told me.
“She okay?” He finishes drying off his hair with a towel as he comes toward me.
“She called to let me know that my birth mom is dead.” I stare into the space in front of me, wondering why I’m not feeling anything. At least when Matthew died, I felt something…relief.
“Shit, baby, I’m sorry.” Luke crushes me in his arms while I try to find some form of fucking emotion for the woman who brought me into the world. “Did she say what happened to her?”
“Drug overdose.” I feel my legs getting weaker, and Luke must sense it because he quickly pulls out a chair for me.
“Did you have much contact with her?”
“No. She wrote to me a few times when I was younger, but I never replied.” I slide my hands through my hair and take a breath. “Anyway, I have to go. I said I’d pick Liza up.” I stand back up and start looking for my purse.
“Whoa, wait up.” Luke looks at me as if I’m crazy. “Erin, you’ve just had a shock; you should chill here for a while. I’ll call Liza and explain. I can take the day off. Let’s just relax, okay?”
“I can’t cancel my plans.” I shake my head and start looking for my keys. When I find them on the coffee table, I scoop them up and head for the door.
“Hey…” Luke rushes to stand in front of it, and I take a long, calming breath before I look up at him.
“What are you doin'?” I ask.
“I’m stopping you from doing something stupid. You can’t drive when you're in this state.” He cradles my face in his hands.
“What happened to me being free to do what I want?” I force his hand away and fold my arms over my chest. “You wanna control me too, now?”
“Erin…” He shakes his head. “This is not the fuckin’ same. I’m worried about you.”
“Do you wanna know how many times your brother has stepped in front of that door to stop me from leaving?” I see the hurt my words cause show on his face instantly.
“I know my own mind, Luke. I’m fine. I didn’t know that woman. I didn’t care for her, and I’m leaving to go see my friend.” Luke says nothing, just lowers his head and steps out of my way, and I rush out the door, getting into my car and pulling out the yard before I start to cry.
“Why do we need to go to this pharmacy when there's a perfectly good one in Fork River?” Liza asks, trying to keep up with my pace as I search for the aisle that I want.
“I can’t buy what I need in Fork River,” I explain, locating the aisle and searching the selection in front of me.
“Pregnancy tests? You need to buy a pregnancy test!?” She raises her voice so loud I slam my hand over her mouth and see a panic that matches my own in her eyes.
“Will you keep your voice down?” I whisper-yell at her harshly. “Now help me figure out which one to get.” I look back at the shelf, overwhelmed by all the options.
“I took one, that doesn’t make me an expert.” Liza looks back at me doubtfully.
“It makes you more of an expert than I am.” I try to stay calm.
“I guess it really doesn’t matter which one you choose; it's gonna hold the same fate.” She makes a good point, but it does nothing to steady my nerves. So I pick up the closest one and head for the register before I lose courage.
“This is gonna need some explanation, Erin; your husband's been dead for two months.” She chases after me.
“I know that!” I snap back at her before politely smiling at the cashier serving me.
“Well, is it his?” Liza asks, and I swallow thickly as I hand the cashier my card.
