“Yeah, well she deserves to have at least one parent who’s willing to put her first,” I shot back. It
was mean but I was beyond caring. There was so fucking much I wanted to say to her, but I was too
angry to get into it right now. At the end of the day, Willow needed both of us. Even if Lisa couldn’t
see that right now, she would eventually, and I didn’t want to do anything to make her feel threatened.
What I wanted to tell Lisa was to not bother picking Willow up from school when it was her turn
because I was keeping Willow with me until she got her head out of her ass. “Listen, I have to get
going. I need to stop at the store and get more of the electrolyte drink for Willow before I pick her up.
She’s feeling a little better, not that you asked. William’s kept me in the loop all day.”
“I didn’t ask because you didn’t give me a chance. Don’t act like I don’t love her, Corey. I do, but
maybe I’m not cut out to be a mom.”
Oh, hell no, we were not starting up a pity party. Not today. Not when I wasn’t sure I could bite
my tongue much longer. “Well, I’ve got her through the weekend, so you don’t need to worry about
anything. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.”
Without giving her a chance to ramble any longer, I ended the call and tossed my phone on the
passenger seat. I fucking hated this. Hated her for being so self-absorbed she didn’t think before she
acted. Yes, it had turned out fine this time, but it could have gone so wrong. I shuddered, forcing those
thoughts out of my head.
The only upside of Lisa’s call was I was still so pissed at her when I pulled into the driveway that
I couldn’t be nervous about meeting William’s sister. I was so focused on getting to him and Willow
that I didn’t even consider that it was her house I was barging into until I heard her call out a hello as
I stormed past her. I spun around, realizing as I came out of my fog that I had no clue where I was
going. “I’m sorry, could I be any ruder? Hi, you must be Vivvie.”
She groaned, throwing her head back before glaring at the wall. “Yes, but please don’t listen to
my brother when he calls me that. I keep telling him I hate the nickname. I think he uses it just to annoy
me. Please, call me Genevieve or Gen.”
“Which do you prefer?”
The twinkle in her eye and broad smile the question earned told me I’d made the right call. “Gen
is fine, thank you. And I don’t have to ask who you are. It’s obvious that sweet little angel William
hasn’t let out of his sight is your girl. She’s absolutely precious. He hasn’t spent much time around
kids, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at them.”
