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Poppy

I stared at the beautiful blonde woman seated across fro for her to rage at me, to yell and make a scene the way she had done when she showed up at her sister’s apartement off She looked like a supermodel but I knew she had the te nervous that she was going to snap onshe see Wheeler for weeks to set soiven in, et so the wo said, ht h Christmas was several weeks past

I’d spent the holidays with my sister and Rowdy, as well as with Sayer and Zeb and their son Sale to really shohen she was supposed to be a bridesht out an entire Toys "R" Us for Hyde’s first Christmas with his dad All in all, it was the perfect h I reed to spend Christmas day with Kallie and her family I understood why, but I knee both would have preferred that he got to spend the day withto have to make when the baby ca ere doing the right thing for the baby took soo when Kallie needed so from him was one of the reasons she’d been so desperate toshe did when I walked into the coffee shop was throw her arms around me, tell ized for all the havoc she caused in my relationship with Wheeler

It was a lot to take in, which is why I aiting for her to swing the other way emotionally Wheeler warned that she was a naturally dra horood at picking and choosing which of her whi himself available only when she really, truly needed hi that she still hadn’t quite figured out how to be okay on her own

I wrapped reen cardboard cup in front of me and listened patiently as Kallie ra to find out the sex of the baby at her next appointht before the holidays started but the little thing had been uncooperative and refused to get in position for the ultrasound They were still in the dark about what they were having, much to Wheeler’s dis a determination because even if he wouldn’t tell her, Wheeler had toldfor a little boy Her excitement was nearly palpable, and after a few minutes of endless one-sided conversation, I realized that her nervousness was too She was just as anxious as I was about this little get-together

"This is going to be weird No matter how hard we try and not make it weird, we both love the sa at my mouth "We both knohat he looks like naked and that he snores when he sleeps on his back"

She blinked wide blue eyes at rateful nod "I didn’t want it to be weird I know you knohy Wheeler and I split and e’re not getting back together I thought knowing that there wasn’t a chance in hell that he’d ever come back to me, or that I would ever try and take hirin "It didn’t I’ about how stupid you have to think I aood I had it and I threw it all away"

I shrugged and traced the logo on my cup with my thumb "I don’t think you’re stupid at all I think it would have been far more foolish to stay in a relationship that didn’t make you happy"

She looked down at the table "I probably would have stayed if otten out" She lifted her eyes back up to hout "I didn’t know anything else, how to love someone else, and I was terrified to live a different life Wheeler alwaysand I knew no one else would do that"

I tilted htfully before telling her truthfully, "That’s why a lot of woerous and unhealthy It’s all they know and they don’t knoalk away They’re scared to be alone, scared no one will understand what they’ve been through, and won’t try to understand why they couldn’t leave They feel like da bad that’s happening to them upon themselves The lucky ones eventually find their way out and find their way to so better" I cleared my throat and reached up to push my hair out of my face "But far too many stay"

She wrapped her hands around her own drink, a hot chocolate, and copied my pose as she looked back at s hadn’t happened with your husband the way they did, if he hadn’t kidnapped you and hurt you, if he hadn’t shot hione back to hi with her I thought ere going to make sht she was going to aska part of his life after the baby cas easier for all of us but I had no plans on letting her into all those dark corners where the scary parts of ged again "I don’t know I’d like to say that I would have left for good; he broke my ar toor covering up the abuse and I was ashamed, but when the bones were set and the bruises faded, he was still going to be my husband, the man I promised to spend the rest of htly" I bit down on e ofabout the night I left He wanted to knohy I wasn’t getting pregnant He called me terrible names, told me God left e He told me I didn’t deserve a baby because of my loose ways and clainancy when I was a teenager" Kallie gave an audible gasp from across the table and lifted her hands to her horrified face