annie leblanc straightened her dress, then put on her lipstick. "logan! get your brother please!" annie yelled, making her 15 year old son groan.
"look mommy! i'm so fast!" her son said, running into her room with logan following behind.
"yes you are jackson, now both of you get ready. fast. i've already ironed your suits." she said, then logan grabbed his and his brother's suits, and walked to their room.
"why do i have to go?" karly asked, looking at her pink dress.
"because." annie said, then turned to her daughter. "ew, that dress is hideous."
"that's what i've been saying!" karly groaned.
"whatever, now can you bring liam here?" karly nodded, then went to the nursery.
she picked up the 3 month old, and walked over to annies room. annie adopted liam a month ago from africa. she's now a very accomplished nurse practitioner with four kids. she's single after divorcing hayden 8 years ago.
annie changed liam into his outfit after feeding him. "mom, hayden's here." karly yelled, after opening the door. "you got the goods?" karly asked, her hand out.
"happy birthday karly." he sighed, handing her a hundred.
"her birthday was last month!" jackson yelled, then pushed his sister out of his way. "what about me?" jackson asked.
"hey mines closer!" logan yelled, putting his hand out too.
"all of you, go. change!" annie yelled, coming down the stairs. "what is it hayden?"
"i was stopping by to see my kids." hayden said.
"no you weren't." annie saw through him.
"fine, i want them to meet my fiancé." hayden said.
"no." annie said plainly.
"no?" hayden repeated. "they're my kids."
"yeah and they're mine too and i will not approve them meeting your current fling without me knowing who it is and if they're a good fit for them." annie yelled.
"she's not a fling annie. we're getting married." hayden told her.
"yeah right. you've been together for what? a couple weeks? i told you i'm not letting them meet anyone without me knowing if they're a bad influence." annie repeated.
"annie, i want my kids to meet my fiancé. she'll be their stepmom." hayden said.
annie scoffed, "for like two seconds." annie rolled her eyes, "and no. today is hayley's rehearsal dinner and tomorrow is her wedding. plus we're gonna be in san francisco for the next week because of it."
"today is the only day they can meet her." hayden said.
"no, ok? i've gotta get them in the car. and they are not meeting her until i know if she's good enough to be around my kids." annie said, then closed the door and handed liam to karly. "go put him in the car." she said, then karly obeyed.
"why won't you ever let us meet his girlfriends?" logan asked.
"because you're my kids. i don't want you to meet someone who isn't good for you guys." annie said, running her hands through his hair.
"mom, i'm almost 16. i can handle dad's fling." logan said.
"uh you're growing up." annie said, then kissed his cheek. "she'll be straight from college anyway." annie laughed.
they got into the car, and annie felt guilty. "mom? you ok?" logan asked, taking off his headphones.
"yeah, just. do you guys wanna meet your dad's fling-fiancé?" annie asked.
"whatever makes you happy, i don't really care. but if they do get married, i will meet her anyway." logan said.
"i know baby, it's just, i don't want your brother and you getting attached. mostly your brother." annie said, looking behind her seeing jackson had his headphones on so he didn't hear.
"he's going to be fine mom. we'll meet her one day." annie smiled, then he went back on his phone.
they got to the airport, quickly boarding. after a little while, they landed in san jose, and drove to san francisco. "you guys made it just in time!" hayley cheered, as they walked into the rehearsal dinner.
annie has to buy a dress at the airport, since she stupidly wore her airport and liam spit up. luckily karly had been taking sewing classes in junior high, so she hemmed it on the plane. "aunt hayley, where do we sit?" karly asked.
"you and logan sit with us and jackson sits with the kids over there." hayley said, then karly walked jackson over to his sport and then went to logan, joining him at their assigned seats.
"where's your dress we looked for 4 hours to get?" hayley asked annie.
"liam happened." annie sighed, "where's your fiancé?"
"bathroom. anyway, i gotta greet more guests. love you sis." hayley walked away, and annie pushed liam in his stroller to her seat right next to hayley's seat.
—
"wow it was great meeting you." kam said, cheerfully.
she was haydens fiancé, and cheery. to the naked eye she was perfect, but to annies, she was terrible. annies a mother, and she could tell. how kam wouldn't even talk to the boys or get to know them. she was doing too much pda with hayden in front of the boys, saying inappropriate comments to hayden, sexually.
"so?" hayden asked annie.
"she's not allowed my kids." annie said, liam in a wrap on her as the kids got into her car.
"what? she's gonna be my wife next year." hayden said.
"boys!" annie called over. "did you like her?"
"absolutely not!" they both exclaimed.
"did you tell them to say that?" hayden asked annie furiously.
"dad, she sucks. she's a bitch!" logan exclaimed.
"logan." annie said warningly.
"sorry mom." logan apologized. "but she is."
"and you're a dick." kam mumbled, but they heard.
"don't call my son a dick, bitch!" annie yelled at her, covering jackson's ears.
"hay hay! aren't you gonna say something!" the blonde asked sassily.
"just wait in the car kam." he told her.
"kam? not pumpkin?" she said, her fake voice seeping.
"now kam." he ordered, throwing her his keys. she stormed off, like maliboo barbie. "i'm sorry guys, ok. i'll break it off with her." hayden said, then kissed his son's foreheads and then they rushed to the car, annie handing them liam.
"i've gotta go, i have my piloties." annie said.
"annie, i've been on countless dates. please can we just be together." he begged.
"no hayden. we're toxic together. it's bad for us and bad for the kids. they're so much happier when we're apart." annie said, then hayden kissed her. they kissed, for a while.
it felt so right , but it wasnt.
together they were TOXIC and better off without each other
—
a/n ik it sucks to end this but it's time. before anyone comments shit about the ending, this book shows that even if you love each other, being together is toxic for everyone involved. so it was better for them to separate.
PEACE BITCHES !
