Uncovering Hope (Uncovering Love Book 3) Read Free Page A

beautiful, wanted, a woman for a short moment in time. A moment that I press repeat with each self-love session.
    “Hi, I’m Derek. Wanna fuck?”
    “You look good enough to eat.”
    “So, you’re here with a date? Wanna ditch the stiff and come to our show? I’ll make sure you’re coming on my face later.”
    Biting my lower lip I hold in the screams of my orgasm, a habit from living in a very full household. Sweat glistens on my brow, legs, and I’m soaked at my core. My entire body twitches with the aftermath of my release. I slow the vibrations and ride the waves. I’m not ready to let the fantasy go just yet.
    Pulling my trusty friend from between my legs I drop him back into the drawer to clean when I wake up and roll to my side. My eyes flutter shut quickly this time. Sleep comes easily. The remembered sounds of drummer boy’s voice lull me into the deep.
    This is it. I’m at the end of my rope here. I don’t know what else to do. I shut myself inside the tiny bathroom and lock the door. I slide down, the wall against my back, and hold back the wails that rise from within. Tears drop, forming a mismatched pattern across my dirty work scrubs.
    “Mama, Eli’s hungry. My belly hurts, too. I can’t find any snacks. Can we go to the grocery store?” my little man, only just turned seven, asks through the thin door. How do you explain to your child that Mama doesn’t have money for food? When Josh got sentenced to an eight year prison stay almost three years ago, I thought that was rock bottom. Little did I know. Hell, back then at least I had a few things to sell.
    My phone rings from my pocket and I pray it’s not more bad news. I can’t take anymore. It’s a number I don’t recognize.
    “Hello.”
    “Hey, big sis! How you doing?” Tate’s chipper voice sounds through the line and it’s almost enough to cause me to burst into tears. I don’t hear from him or my parents much since they live out of state. I still haven’t told them about Josh. About our situation. About what I’ve become. It’s bad enough I am a complete failure. It’s selfish but I still hold on to the fact they don’t think that about me.
    “Hey, Tate. I haven’t heard from you in a while, how are things?”
    “Well, actually, I’m in Arizona.”
    “What?”
    “Yeah, I’m here for training and I’d love to see you and the fam. You free for dinner?” Shit. Only if he’s paying, and knowing my brother, he will be.
    “Yes!” I force myself to smile, to sound like everything is fine. “I’d love to see you. And the boys are so big, they’ll love you.”
    “Awesome. I’m staying downtown. Actually not too far from Children’s. Can we meet somewhere near my hotel? In fact, why don’t you come here? There are tons of places we can walk to.”
    “Sounds perfect.” I live downtown, too. In a tiny one bedroom apartment that allows me to pay rent weekly instead of monthly. It’s the only thing I can afford after daycare expenses and payments toward the debt Josh left me.
    “Great. I’ve missed you, sis.”
    “I’ve missed you too, Tate.”
    “Carly. Carly, wake up, sis. We’ve gotta leave.” My eyes snap open and are met by my brother’s concerned expression. He sits at the edge of my bed, hand resting over my leg. “Long night?”
    “Yeah,” I croak and sit up. I reach for my cup of water for a sip. “I had to run by the boys’ school after my shift.” The boys! “Shit, what time is it? Where are Eli and Ez?”
    “Evie and I picked them up from the bus stop two hours ago. Evie’s making them dinner now. You were out of it. I tried to wake you earlier but figured you could use the extra sleep.”
    “I’m so sorry! This is a big night for you guys. You shouldn’t be worried about picking up my kids or taking care of them. Next time, wake me up.”
    “Hey, chill. It’s fine. We’re family. The boys aren’t any trouble and we were already hanging out until it’s time to leave. It’s no