Page 117 of Just Like That

We all jumped as Luna laughed. “Woo! That was fuckingwild!”

I pressed my fingertips to my cheeks, breaking the circle and exhaling.

Murmurs rippled through the women. We were all in various stages of shock and disbelief over what we’d just experienced.

“Are we a coven now?” Annie asked.

Luna threw her arm around her shoulders. “If you want to be, babe.”

Sloane grinned. “Well, this beats a rerun of shitty reality TV.”

“No kidding,” Veda agreed.

Sylvie turned to Luna. “Are you for hire?”

I eyed my overturned bag as MJ stood next to me. “What do you think is in there?”

I shook my head and crouched to gather the spilled contents. “I guess I’ll find out.”

I scooped the contents back into my bag, leaving my sister’s letter. It was heavy in my hand.

Luna leaned into me and whispered, “Maybe the answers you need are already there?”

I shook my head. “I’ve read it a thousand times.”

Luna patted my back. “Fresh eyes see new opportunities.”

I looked at the creased pages. “Maybe.”

Sylvie came up behind me. “Do you want us to stay?”

My throat was tight. “No,” I whispered. “I think I need to sit with this for a minute.”

Her soft, reassuring smile brought me comfort. In her maternal and loving way, she rounded up the women.

My friends.

I couldn’t have done it without them. Once they’d left, I stared at Olive’s words. Tilting my face to the ceiling, I whispered to her, “Help me see what you need me to see.”

I looked again.

We sought comfort in each other.

The words from Olive’s letter brought on a new meaning now that we knew the truth. After she sought out JP, Russell had met with her. Somehow they’d ended up sleeping together, and that was when she got pregnant.

But why had she come in the first place? Could it be that she was actually trying to get money out of JP by saying she was pregnant when she wasn’t? Why pretend JP was Teddy’s dad at all? Unless she had discovered for herself what a monster Russell really was ...

Tears blurred my vision as I sifted through her words.

I came to realize Russell wasn’t the man I thought he was either.

But I am out of time and out of choices.

One day you’ll see that I’m doing this for Teddy. So he has a chance to have a father who has the capacity to love him. Without JP, Teddy may never have that.

I read, and reread, her scribbled words.

Afather, nothisfather. Over time, she had seen Russell’s true colors. Maybe in her desperate mind, she thought the best option would be to fool everyone, including Teddy, into thinking JP had been the man to get her pregnant.