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Chapters (73)
  1. Goodbye to the Dead
  2. Also By Brian Freeman
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. CONTENTS
  8. PROLOGUE
  9. THEN
  10. 1
  11. 2
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 5
  15. 6
  16. 7
  17. 8
  18. 9
  19. 10
  20. 11
  21. 12
  22. 13
  23. 14
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. NOW
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. 40
  51. 41
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. 59
  70. 60
  71. 61
  72. FROM THE AUTHOR
  73. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

‘No, he and I aren’t together,’ Cat said. She wasn’t going to tell the truth about her baby’s father and the life she’d led before. It didn’t matter. Somehow she had a feeling that Al’s mother was shrewd enough to figure her out.

‘I don’t envy you what you’ve got ahead. It’ll be tough. No point in pretending otherwise. Me, I was lucky. My man stuck with me.’

‘I want the baby,’ Cat insisted.

‘Good for you, but if you’re thinking about my boy as your meal ticket—’

‘I’m not.’

‘Hey, I don’t blame you if that’s what’s in your head.’

‘It isn’t.’

Cat didn’t know if Al’s mother believed her, or if she even believed it herself. She thought that she was in love with him, but she was scared, and scared people can convince themselves of lots of things. Al was cute. Nice. Hard-working. Respectful.

And he’d slept with Anna.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

‘I just need to talk to him,’ Cat said.

His mother eyed her. ‘What’d Al do?’

Cat looked at her hands in her lap. ‘Nothing.’

‘Girl shows up at my house late at night and wants to talk to my boy? Come on, you might as well tell me. Otherwise, I’ll get it out of him myself.’

‘I should go,’ Cat said. ‘It was a mistake to come here.’

‘Do what you want, sweetheart.’

Cat tried to get up on her own and couldn’t. She pushed, but her body sank back into the recliner. The effort made her cry. Emotion gushed out of her like water through a broken hose. ‘He slept with my best friend!’ she wailed, feeling like a child.

Al’s mother sighed. She didn’t look surprised, but she waited for Cat to get control of herself and wipe her face before she said anything. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. I thought I raised my son better than that. You want me to talk to him?’

‘No.’

‘Well, I’ll talk to him anyway. I expect more from that boy.’

Cat sniffled. ‘I’m sorry. I should go. I don’t even know why I came here.’

‘No, you sit there and wait. Al always gets home about now. You give him hell, girl. He deserves it. And when you’re done with him, he’ll have to answer to me, too. But don’t misunderstand me, okay? I don’t approve of you and him. I’m not in favor. He can’t support you and your baby. He’s got other things to do with his life.’