Scars of the Future Read Free

glass of orange juice as he nodded. I thought it was adorable how comfortable he was becoming in our little apartment, especially since he and Sydney still hadn’t defined their relationship.
    “Hopefully it will be an easy day.” He finished off his juice and rinsed the glass out before flashing me another smile. “I asked her to meet Claire tomorrow night, so she might be a bit freaked out for the rest of the day. Can you talk her off the ledge if necessary?”
    I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Meeting the six-year-old daughter was a huge step for Sydney, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she was hyperventilating at that very moment. Sydney had a phobia of committing and even labeling David as her boyfriend was difficult. Where a relationship just didn’t fit into my life, Sydney was scared shitless of them.
    “I’ll do my best. You really like her don’t you?” I leaned against the counter and smiled at the handsome detective as he nodded.
    “I am head over heels for her, Amanda. Hopefully this isn’t too much.” He dropped a kiss to my forehead before heading towards the door. “Have a good day.”
    I waved at him as he left the apartment quietly and I thought about his words for a moment. David was in love with Sydney. I was pretty sure she was in love with him too, but getting her to admit and acknowledge it would be harder than sitting through the first Twilight movie without mocking it.
    I adored David. My best friends couldn’t have chosen better men if they tried. I didn’t see Josh without Maddie much anymore, but I saw David most mornings after he would stay the night. He and I had developed a good little friendship and I would be very pleased to have him in our little rag-tag family.
    I sighed as I walked back towards my bedroom to get ready to shower. I had just passed the bathroom door when my stomach rumbled and I halted my steps. I stared at the gray carpet on the floor as I tried to assess the stability of my abdomen. After a moment, I decided I was okay and resumed my movements. Three steps later I was turning around and darting into the hall bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before my breakfast made its reappearance.
    My stomach heaved for a moment and I exhaled when it was done, letting my head rest on my forearm. I was sick of being sick and ready to kick the stupid stomach bug that I had. It had been almost a week of the same thing, and I was fairly certain I’d only kept two full meals down since. When I’d been at my mom’s house the day before, she had insisted that I see a doctor before the weekend. After an argument over whether or not they could treat the flu, I had ended up scheduling an appointment for later on this morning.
    I had been under the hot water for almost twenty minutes when the outline of a figure appeared on the other side of the shower curtain.
    “Hey.” Maddie’s voice floated through the steamy bathroom and I smiled.
    “Hi. What are you doing here?” I reached over and shut off the water before pulling the curtain open to grab my towel.
    I had known Maddie Thomas and her family since elementary school and she was more sister than friend. We’d seen each other at the best times and definitely at the worst, but she was by far the sweetest person I’d ever known. Linda, Matt, and Maddie all cared so deeply for people that it was almost unreal. It was hard to believe that Linda had raised them by herself since their father walked out when Maddie was two, but she had done an amazing job because the Thomas family was known for its kindness.
    She leaned against bathroom counter dressed in white capris and a navy blue t-shirt. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she definitely did not look like the elementary school teachers I remembered, but in just a few short weeks she’d be one officially, having just finished her degree in elementary education. Her blue eyes gleamed as she grinned at me.
    “Hey now. I still live here,