Page 1 of More Than a Friend
Prologue
Ava
2 years ago…
Silent tears roll downmy cheeks as I rock my two-year-old daughter while she sleeps. Her little lips are parted, and puffs of hot breath burst across my skin. I’m sure her ear print will be visible on my arm when I finally work up the energy to lay us both down in my bed.
She should be sleeping alone, but thenIwould be alone, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.
I never pictured myself as a single mom at twenty-six, but life doesn’t always go as planned.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Shea and I were supposed to grow old together and be together for time and all eternity, like we vowed when we got married in the temple.
Until I learned that promise is bullshit. A scare tactic used to keep members in line.
I thought I could make a mixed-faith marriage work, but Shea disagreed. He wouldn’t listen to any of my reasoning orwhat I was learning about the fallacies in the doctrine and the corrupt nature of the church leaders.
He told me all would be revealed during the resurrection, and I should have faith things are how they’re supposed to be.
But I couldn’t do it.
I might have been able to stick it out if it were just me, but I couldn’t stay and have my kids be brainwashed the way I had been my whole life.
I refused to raise August in a religion where he’d be taught he was above everyone else, simply because of his skin color and gender. I refused to let Zoe be subjected to the misogyny at the core of the church. I never wanted her to be taught bare shoulders would lead men astray, or her duty was to stay “pure.”
Those reasons, among many others I ignored for far too long, are why I started looking into divorce attorneys. Within three months, I had a divorce decree I hoped Shea would agree to.
After going back and forth for a while, we finally came to an agreement, and our divorce should be finalized in the next month.
Meanwhile, I’ve been looking for jobs, childcare, and a place to live. I finally found a job two weeks ago thanks to my best friend, Skylar. She works as a paralegal at a big law firm, and they needed an executive assistant, so she put in a good word for me.
Luckily, Shea and I will be splitting the cost of daycare, but things will still be tight. I haven’t had a job in four years, so my salary isn’t very high. I lucked out on this two-bedroom apartment, and I feel like things might be looking up.
I’m sure Shea will still take the kids to church on his weekends, since it’s not something I could put in the agreement. But I’ll spend our time together showing them how they can have a life full of happiness without religion and how not everything the church says is true.
I just have to figure it out for myself, too.
Chapter 1
Ava
One of thebest parts of disregarding the rules the Mormon church abides by is being able to chug four shots of espresso after your four-year-old kept you up all night with a stomach bug.
I wish I would’ve had the life-saving drink during sleep regressions and the teething phase.
But at least I have it now.
Luckily, my mom was available to come sit with Zoe today, so I didn’t have to take a day off of work. My boss is understanding, but the firm has a big case coming up, and it’s all hands on deck until it’s over.
Settling into my desk, I power on my computer before taking out my calendar to go through Mr. Jolley’s schedule and make notes of his appointments. Once my computer is booted up, I scan through my unread emails and answer the urgent ones.
I like working at Jolley Associates—one of Salt Lake City’s premier law firms. They offer good benefits and understand my situation as a single mom. The office is close to my apartment, they’re lenient when my kids are sick or I have to take them tothe doctor, and everyone is so kind. Mr. Jolley never fails to ask insightful questions about me and my kids.
And I get to work closely with Skylar.
My stomach swoops, and my cheeks redden just thinking about her.
Skylar Call has been my best friend since we met in our sophomore year of high school. We fell apart a bit when I first got married, but we started talking again when I got pregnant with August. I felt isolated when Shea and I decided I’d be a stay-at-home mom, and Sky reached out. She’s been my rock throughout the divorce and while I deconstructed the religion I grew up in. She helped me get this job, helped me move into my first apartment after the divorce, and has been a shoulder to cry on whenever the stress becomes too much.
