Love, Honor, and Betray by Roby, Lawson (ebook reader ink txt) 📕

Thanks so much. But hey, it was really great chatting with you, however, I have to get going now. We’ll connect again soon, though, okay?

Michael told her yes in another message and to have a good evening.

Charlotte signed off of Facebook altogether but then sat wondering how her life might have turned out had she continued datingMichael and not married Curtis. She wondered if maybe Michael would have eventually left his wife. Probably not, at leastnot back then, anyway, but she couldn’t help wondering if he would have the courage to leave her now. Charlotte wondered ifmaybe he’d had enough and couldn’t wait to get away from her.

More than that, though, she wondered what it would feel like seeing him again. She knew it was wrong for her to even considerthe idea of getting together with any of her ex-boyfriends, but she needed someone to talk to besides her best friend, Janine,or her mom. She needed to talk to someone she felt comfortable with. Not someone like that guy Tom from last night, but someonelike Michael. Someone who knew her from back in the day. At least as far back as eleven years ago, anyway.

And she would see him, too—that was, if Curtis didn’t do something about this Curtina situation. Charlotte would live likea single woman if Curtis didn’t man up and do the right thing.

He would man up or deal with the consequences.

Chapter 12

Curtis unlocked the door and carried Curtina into the house, and Matthew walked into the kitchen, greeting them.

“Maaattt,” Curtina said, smiling.

Matthew took her into his arms. “Hey, little girl. So how was your day today?”

Curtina spoke in her own little language, and while she probably knew what she was saying, Curtis certainly didn’t and heknew Matthew didn’t either.

“Is that right? Well, good for you,” Matthew told her, pretending that he understood every word she’d just said. Then he puther down, unzipped her hot pink coat, removed it, and picked her back up.

“So how was school?” Curtis asked him.

“Good. I had a really hard chemistry test, but I’m pretty sure I got an A. I did some mad studying for it, though.”

“I’m sure you did fine, and having good study habits is why you’ve always gotten such excellent grades. Those study habitsare also going to be of great help to you when you’re at Harvard a year and a half from now.”

“I hope so. I also have this English project that I have to turn in on Friday, so I need to work on that every night untilthen. Oh and there is something else, Dad. There’s a rumor going around about one of the history teachers and one of his femalestudents. Kids were saying that they’ve been sleeping together, and that Mr. Rush is going to be suspended until further notice.There were detec­tives inside the building and everything.”

“That’s really too bad, Matt. But if the rumor is true, Mr. Rush deserves to lose his job and get jail time. The whole ideaof a grown man doing something like that is beyond my understanding, and it’s just plain perverse.”

“I don’t know why any girl would even take a second look at him, anyway. He’s always been a very nice man, but he’s prettydecrepit-looking.”

“Nonetheless, that man has no business being with a minor. Period. And chances are, he probably figured out some way to manipulateher. It could have been something as easy as him threatening to give her a failing grade if she wouldn’t be with him. Menlike that are sly and conniving, and there are women out there like that, too. There have been a good number of stories aboutfemale teachers and teenage boys as well.”

“I know. Mom was telling me the same thing when I told her earlier. I just hope it’s not true about Mr. Rush, but if it isthen you’re right, Dad, he should go straight to jail. And for a long time.”

“Mommy up,” Curtina chimed in, pointing toward the ceiling.

Matthew looked at her. “What? You wanna go up to see Mom?”

Curtina nodded, so Matthew started upstairs, and Curtis followed behind them. He loved the way Matthew treated his sister,but he could only imagine the drama that was about to ensue once Charlotte saw her. Especially since Curtis and Charlottehad argued so intensely this afternoon about her mysterious night out drinking.

When they entered the room, Matthew called out to his mother.

“I’m in here, Matt,” she said from the bathroom.

Curtis shed his suit jacket and tie. Matthew walked around the corner and past their closets, and Curtis could see Charlottewashing her face.

“Mommyyyy!” Curtina said.

She called out to Charlotte over and over, but Charlotte acted as though she didn’t see her.

Curtina wiggled to get down, so Matthew lowered her onto the floor, and Curtina ran as fast as she could to Curtis—with apitiful look on her face.

Curtis grabbed her up. “It’s okay. Daddy loves you,” he said, but it was all he could do not to go off on Charlotte. To hissurprise, though, when Matthew and Charlotte moved closer to where they were standing, Curtina made another sad attempt attrying to get Charlotte to notice her. Still, Charlotte ignored her again.

This time, however, Matthew called her on it. “Mom, why do you keep acting like you don’t hear Curtina?”

“No reason,” she said, barely able to look at Matthew.

“But Mom, she keeps trying to talk to you, and I think you’re hurting her feelings.”

“That’s exactly what she’s doing,” Curtis couldn’t re­sist saying, but Charlotte never as much as looked in his direction.

“I don’t understand, Mom,” Matthew said, looking at her in amazement. He then took Curtina from his dad.

“Thanks, son,” Curtis told him. “And if you don’t mind, can you maybe read your sister a bedtime story, and then I’ll be into get her ready for bed in a few minutes.”

“Okay, Dad.”

Curtis watched them leave and then went and shut the door. “You know, I’m really, really getting fed up, Charlotte.”

“Whatever,” she said.

“Is this ever going to stop? Are you ever going to grow up