Lie, Lie Again(111)

She stood and wrapped her arms around Brandon and the baby. Kylie rushed over from where she had been filling a basket with plastic fruit and grabbed on to Embry’s leg. “I hug you, too, Mama!”

Embry laughed. “Thanks, Ky. We’re going to be making a lot of honey pops in the next little bit here.”

“I help, Mama.” She rushed into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. Embry didn’t try to stop her.

Brandon looked into her eyes. “This could be huge, Em. Her social media following is in the millions.”

“I know! And her manager was so nice. She said that Daniella strives to help female-run businesses. She read the tag and loved my story.”

“I love your story. You’re amazing, darlin’.”

She bit her lip. Now was the perfect time to tell him. “There’s one—”

“Hey, Em!” Evan burst through the door with Gracie in tow. Riki stood next to him. “We have a funny story to tell you.”

She smiled at Brandon. Her news could wait just a little while longer.



Sylvia set her phone on the kitchen table, her mind spinning. Lianne Wallis had just returned her call, and she’d confirmed what Nadine had written. The place belonged to Sylvia. Lianne had warned that Jonathan might try to dispute it, but she assured her that the documents were ironclad. There was no way he could fight Sylvia and win. Pressing her hands to her face, she sighed. How could something so wonderful happen the day after something so tragic had occurred?

Her stomach rolled as her thoughts turned to Hugh. It didn’t ache the way it had last night, causing her to curl into a ball. But it felt like she had a nasty hangover. She had called in sick. And, of course, she had to cancel her lunch with Sal.

“A friend’s husband died last night,” she’d said. “He fell down my stairs. It was horrible. I’m a giant bundle of nerves.”

“Oh man, Sylvia. I’m really sorry. That’s a lot to handle. I’m here if you need me, okay?”

“Thanks, Sal. I appreciate it.” Standing, she headed for the door. Riki and the Taylors would be interested in her news, to say the least. She stepped outside and was surprised to see the black Camry still parked in Nadine’s spot. Had Jonathan stayed all day? Well, if there was ever a sign to break the news to him, this was it. She stepped back inside and collected Nadine’s letter along with the holographic will. Inching down the stairs, she tried not to picture Hugh’s tumbling body, but it was useless. She raced down the last steps and jogged across the driveway. Once this was all said and done, she was going to move.

She knocked. Footsteps sounded before the door swung open. Jonathan pressed a hand to his neck and yawned. “Hey.”

“Hi. I wanted to see how you were feeling. Better now?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Sylvia didn’t wait. “Good. There’s no easy way to break this to you, but I came across a document from your mom that directly affects us both.”

His eyes came alive. “Do you want to come in for a sec?”

“It’s fine. We can do this here. It might be simpler if I show you.” She handed him her copy of the holographic will.

He scanned the page, his brow furrowing more deeply as he neared the end, and he laughed uneasily. “What the hell is this?”

“Something your mom left behind. I just found it in the book you gave me.”

Glancing at the page again, he said, “I don’t know what you think this is, but I’m pretty sure it’s fake.” He crumpled the page in one hand.

“It’s not fake. Nadine left me a letter, and I had the will checked out by an attorney.”

“It’s bullshit,” he said with a tight grin. “Call it what you want, but I call it bullshit.” Without waiting for a response, he shoved past her. She grabbed for the railing and held tight as a wave of nausea rolled through her. Jesus. He could’ve knocked her over. She regained her composure and headed slowly down the stairs.

Trekking back up to her apartment, it became crystal clear she didn’t want to live here any longer. She shivered as she let herself inside. All this belonged to her, so she could do with it what she wanted. Kicking off her boots, she slid her feet back into her bunny slippers and sat at the table in front of her open laptop, but her stomach complained loudly. The date caught her eye. March twenty-first. Her mind sped through the calendar, and her mouth went dry.

She hadn’t lied to Hugh about being five days late. But it wasn’t unusual for her periods to fluctuate. But what if the nausea she was experiencing wasn’t stress related?

She crossed to the bathroom and took the second test from the box.

Five minutes later, she stood in the kitchen, the test on a paper towel, just like before.

And just like before, a second pink line washed across the screen. She was pregnant.

Sinking to the floor, she pressed her hands to her head. It was everything she had wanted. Still wanted. But she would be attached to Hugh for eternity.

No! She stood abruptly and swiped her hands across her face. She would not let the fact that Hugh was the father of this baby change a thing. Her baby would have a wonderful life. But she needed to get away from this place.

Lianne had said she would introduce her to a real estate agent friend. So yes, she would sell. She couldn’t imagine the others would want to stay either. At least, not for long. She would let them live rent-free until she sold. It was time to start making new plans. She began typing into the search bar on her laptop. It was amazing how much information one could gather in two seconds flat. And with the profits from the sale of 1054 Mockingbird Lane, a world of opportunity awaited her and her baby.