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The flight to Austin is blissfully uneventful – no broody teenagers or flirtatious businessle withdoor and the seat next to me remains vacant, Ime an arched brow fro the effects of the past week in all its stressful glory, I know one ht result in an air marshal and handcuffs

Finally free of the breakneck round of pro back to Texas to address the final pieces of my application for River’s adoption – one of which is my mother, who’ll soon be contacted for her opinion on my suitability as an adoptive parent As if she would have a clue

Some time in my pre-adolescence, some jackass came up with the term MILF and the boys I knew quickly applied it to ar, and instead of being mortified at those titles she wears them like she wore the hayseed beauty-queen crowns now stored in a lighted display case – proudly She refuses to see that her looks are all she’s ever had going for her, and now that she’s on the verge of losing the any sort of career aside fro husbands, she’s accepted atrophy wife and single mother When I was little, she called herself a ‘stay-at-hoh she did little to nothing to earn that designation

I kno she’ll respond to my bid to adopt River I knew before I caly assu one of them

I haven’t seen , without notice, expecting entrance to the premiere and after-party of School Pride – for herself and her latest cougar-bait I granted theet her into the party on such short notice Total bullshit, but there was no way I was dealing with her up close and personal while Reid and I focused on our doomed plan to break up Graham and Emed ti her black dressing gown

‘Hello, Brooke,’ she shtly I’m pretty sure she’s had work done since I’ve seen her, because her facial features look a tad … stretched Her caramel eyes are the same as always – so estures towards the plush sofa and I sit while she grabs her cup of coffee fro A new yappy dog runs up and barks annoyingly, beginning to nip at rowl – a trick I learned with the last one Like its predecessor, it runs away bleating

‘I assu Tipsy’ Tipsy?

Where Kathryn’s drawl is co s I hate the sound of her voice I hate her calculating eyes I hate that I came from her, that she tried to make me into her likeness and in many ways succeeded I hate that I can’t escape this connection, no matter what I do

I fix her with a polished stare of my own ‘Yes I’m here to inforh probably not much’

Her h ‘Oh?’

I take a breath through my nose and just blurt it out ‘I’ve applied for custody of my son’

‘I’m sorry, what?’ Her pencilled-on eyebroould no doubt arch if they could

‘He was taken frolect, and he’s currently a ward of the state I’ve applied to adopt him’

I hile she processes what I’ve just told her, wondering if I’ll have to repeat it with s, Brooke? Did CPS come after you to take –?’

‘No This wasslack ‘Youback that brat you gave away five years ago?’

Oh, hell no I breathe through ain’

‘Don’t call him a brat? People will call him worse After all, he is a bastard –’

The slap shocks us both I stand, shaking My hand stings and the pink print of it is visible on her cheek until she covers it with her pal behind them, and every defensive instinct I have is on red alert

‘A caseworker is going to call you Tell them whatever you’d like about me – I’m sure you will anyway Just make sure whatever you tell theo straight to a reporter I know at People, and she’ll happily whip up a sweet little story about my relationship with you that will make Joan Crawford look like Mother Mary’ The false threat rolls off ue, but I calculate that I can make it true if I have to ‘I’ve turned into the fahter you wanted Now, you can return the favour by staying the hell out of hable circle of expendable acquaintances But fuck with me or my son and I will make you wish I was never born’

‘Oh, don’t worry – I’ face rese ‘You alere a selfish little bitch’

Her words renderback all of those backhanded slaps fro The cruel verbal jabs about any imperfection