Sinking in the Shadows

by Alexandria Bishop

  Her face reddens as she finishes off her juice and throws it to the floor. Opening her mouth, Luna lets out a loud scream and stomps her foot. “Just give me what I want! You’re stupid and I can’t handle it.”

  This is not going to go well at all, she can already feel it, but now that it’s turned into such a big ordeal and Luna is throwing a fit, she feels the need to be firm. “Luna, I need you to pick up that juice box right now and throw it away in the trash can. It’s not okay for you to have tantrums or throw garbage on the floor. And name calling is certainly never acceptable.

  “No, you pick it up.”

  Tinley takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out. She refuses to let her feelings show through, but she can feel herself relenting quickly. Never in her life has she understood why people get mad at their children. She once witnessed a woman screaming at her young child in the grocery store and all she could think to herself was that some people just shouldn’t become parents, but she somewhat understands it now. If she weren’t pregnant, she would definitely become one of those moms hiding in the pantry drinking from a bottle of wine.

  “You’re going to jail.”

  Well, that’s a first one for sure. Then again, she’s been experiencing a lot of firsts while watching Luna. Is this child for real? Did she really just tell her she’s going to jail? “For not making you what you want to eat? That means I’m going to jail?”

  The smile on the little girl’s face is so menacing as she replies, “Yep, and when you go to jail, that means I get to do whatever I want. You can’t tell me what to do if you’re gone.””

  “But won’t you be sad because I’ll be gone and you won’t get to see me again?”

  Luna shrugs, and Tinley is shocked. This little girl is cold. “If you don’t make me what I want then I’ll scream at you.”

  Don’t back down. Don’t back down. She can feel her resolve start to weaken, but she won’t let herself break at the demand of this tiny dictator. She’s got this. She could go all day with this back and forth.

  Luna opens her mouth, and that’s all it takes. She screams as loud as she possibly can and doesn’t show any sign of giving up. Tinley tries to ignore it, but the high-pitched screaming makes her ears start to ring and she can’t stand it any longer.

  “Fine! I’ll make you the cheese quesadilla. Just go play with your toys while I make your food.” Luna gets the biggest smile on her face and twirls as she dances out of the kitchen. Why the hell did she try to go to battle with a child in the first place? Obviously, she has a lot to learn.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Tinley closes the door behind her and breathes a small sigh of relief. Since Marek left, bedtime has been rough, to say the least. Luna misses her daddy, and she’s been acting out and showing her dominance. If this is what it’s like to have children, Tinley isn’t sure if it’s something she’s ready for. If there’s one thing Luna has been good for, it’s making Tinley realize that no matter how prepared she thinks she is to be a mom, nothing can actually prepare you. It’s all a guessing game, one day at a time. Her hand slides down to her belly as she walks away from the bedroom toward the living room. Her stress and anxiety are through the roof, and normally she’d end her evening with a large glass of wine. Unfortunately, that’s not an option, so she’ll have to settle for making a shit ton of cupcakes instead.

  As she wanders through Marek’s house, she finds herself thinking, for the zillionth time, how incredibly comfortable she feels here. It’s only been a few days, but being here in his house just feels right to her. He’s mentioned the idea of moving in together, and she finally thinks it’s time to agree with him and start making things more official. With the baby on the way, it just makes sense for them all to become a family. Plus, there’s no way she could afford her current apartment alone now that Dakota is gone, and the idea of looking for a new roommate just sounds excruciating. She’s not in her twenties anymore, and moving on to the next chapter of her life sounds like the perfect plan.

  The feeling of excitement travels through her body as she steps foot in Marek’s kitchen. The first time she came over here and saw his kitchen for the first time she almost orgasmed on the spot. She remembers seeing his giant butcher block island and wanting to throw her body on top to hug it. The tiny space back at her apartment is barely large enough for one person inside let alone multiple people. She could have a party in here and there would still be room for everyone to be able to move around.

  She opens up the pantry door and a smile overtakes her face. Not like the fake ones she does when she’s at work, but a legitimate smile. The room is larger than her closet in her bedroom back at home and the shelves are neatly organized with everything in perfectly labeled containers. Just standing in Marek’s kitchen has her wondering why the heck she has been pushing against him on moving in together. Obviously, she’s had a serious lapse in judgment so far.

  A knock at the front door breaks Tinley from her focus just as she’s reaching for the container of flour. Looking over at the clock on the stove, she realizes it’s just after eight thirty—not incredibly late for someone to be coming over, but still a little strange since she wasn’t expecting anyone and Marek isn’t supposed to get home for a few more hours. As she waddles out of the kitchen, another knock sounds at the front door, and the impatience of the pounding has her slightly alarmed. Looking down the hallway, she waits and listens for any movement coming from Luna’s bedroom, whoever is on the other side of that door better not wake the little girl up. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and has it ready with 9-1-1 dialed, just in case. With her hand hovering over the send button, she pulls the front door open and releases a sigh of relief when it’s only her sister on the other side.

  Tara wraps her in a giant hug and exclaims, “Oh my gosh are you okay?”

  Weird. The whole situation is completely weird, and the uneasy feeling she had a moment ago comes back in full force.

  “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

  Pushing back and looking over her face, Tara’s forehead wrinkles as she asks, “Wait, why aren’t you crying right now? How can you be fine? Why aren’t you a wreck?”

  Tinley’s left even more confused as she motions for her sister to come in so she can shut the front door. The cold air from outside has chilled her down to the bone, and she shivers under her light cardigan. Wrapping her arms tightly around her body, she turns around and sees her sister pacing. Walking toward her, she says, “Okay, why don’t you start at the beginning—why should I be freaking out right now?”

  Tara studies Tinley’s face one more time and says, “You don’t know…holy shit. Okay, where’s Luna right now?”

  Has her sister gone completely insane? Tinley might be new to this parenting thing, but she’s not stupid. “In bed. It’s almost nine o’clock—where else would she be?”

  “Okay, that’s good. She doesn’t need to be around when I tell you this.” Laying her hands on Tinley’s shoulders, Tara starts walking her backward toward the couch. “I need you to sit down.”

  “Tara, what is going on? You’re starting to really freak me out.”

  Before Tara has the chance to say anything, there’s knocking on the door again and Tinley heads over there. So much for a relaxing evening of baking cupcakes and having them ready when Marek gets home. She looks at the Grand Central Station replica clock on the wall and calculates that she only has a few hours until he’s back home. Hopefully, whatever is going on is all straightened out before he arrives.

  When she reaches the front door, she’s completely shocked to see Dakota standing there before her. They haven’t seen each other or spoken to one another since the day she walked out of their apartment with her bags trailing behind her. Her long mane of hair is tied up into a top knot on her head and her face is completely make-up free. If there’s one thing Dakota has always been adamant about in their years of friendship, it’s that she would never leave the house naked. She needs to put her
“face” on and be presentable before the public is allowed to see her.

  Without even saying a word, Dakota steps forward and wraps her arms around Tinley. She instantly brings her own arms up and around her best friend and holds on as tight as she can. She has no idea what is going on but whatever it is she doesn’t want it to end. Maybe, just maybe she has Dakota back and she doesn’t want to screw that up. Before she’s ready to let go, Dakota pushes back from her and looks her in the eyes. “Oh my gosh you’re so big. Are you okay? What do you need from me?”

  Tinley glances down at her very large belly and her hand instinctively goes to rest on top of it. It’s been so long since the last time Dakota saw her and of course it’s probably crazy seeing how much she has ballooned. “Need anything from you? Why would I need anything from you? What are you doing here?”

  Dakota’s mouth drops open and her eyes go wide. “I know I’ve been a shitty friend and I’m sorry for that. But I’m your best friend Tinley and I’m here for you for whatever you need. Do you understand that?”

  Tinley starts to shake her head unsure what to say when her sister walks over to them. Looking over at Tara she says, “Oh, good you’re here. She doesn’t know anything yet and she’s going to need both of us when she finds out.”

  Dakota’s mouth drops open and she starts to ask, “Are you serious—”

  But Tinley can’t take it anymore. All of the secrecy and talking in circles has her going crazy. “Somebody better tell me what’s going on and right now.” She turns to her ex-roommate and adds, “I am so happy you’re here Dakota and I’ve missed you like no other, but I need answers. And I’m going to need them now.”

  Tara wraps her arm around Tinley’s shoulder, she directs her toward the couch and says, “I think it’s probably best for us to turn on the news so you can understand what’s going on.”

  The news? That doesn’t even make any sense. She immediately does what her sister tells her to do and Tinley’s heart rate picks up as she watches everything unfold on the TV screen. She doesn’t know whether to cry or scream. Instinctually, her hand drops down to her belly, and it’s like a lightbulb going off. Her cell phone is in her hand and she’s instantly dialing Marek’s cell phone number. There’s no way this can be happening right now. Bringing her phone up to her ear, the first ring sounds, and she waits.

  To be concluded…

  Available Now in

  Loving in the Light

  Also by Alexandria Bishop

  DATING SERIES

  Steamy Romantic Comedy

  Dating in the Dark

  Sinking in the Shadows

  Loving in the Light

  * * *

  Kiss Me

  Marry Me

  Love Me (Coming Soon)

  * * *

  BROOKSTONE PARTNERS SERIES

  Steamy Romanic Comedy

  Co-written with Megan Green

  Caulk Tease

  * * *

  ASHLAND SERIES

  Angsty New Adult High School Romance

  Finding Flynn

  Falling for Hudson

  Freeing Jude

  Fighting for Jax

  * * *

  STANDALONES

  Paranormal

  The Club (FREE)

  * * *

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  Playlist

  “Jaded (Feat. Alex Gaskarth)” by ONE OK ROCK

  “Nice2KnoU” by All Time Low

  “Stressed Out” by twenty one pilots

  “Lying in the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” Panic! At the Disco

  “Happy Birthday” by Altered Images

  “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles

  “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds

  “I Don’t Care” by Fall Out Boy

  “Perfect” by Simple Plan

  “Nothing Without You” Carney

  “Misery” by The Maine

  Listen to the entire playlist here.

  Acknowledgments

  This is the part where I make my Oscar acceptance speech and thank everyone that helped me…oh wait I mean I guess this is where I thank all of the people that put up with my shit while writing this book.

  Ben, you’ll always be the first. You deal with my crazy whenever I’m on a deadline. You pick up my slack when the house is a disaster and I forget what real food is. I love you. I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without you.

  To Aubrey, of course I’m including you. You’re always by my side and one of the people I can always count on. You’re stuck with me now!

  To Megan G. you’re the best! Not only because you’re one of my favorite people but also because you make my books look pretty with your awesome covers. I don’t know what I would do without you.

  To Alyssa, you’ve been the best publicist ever. I want you to help me promote every single book. Can I keep you? ;)

  To Caitlin and Ellie, I am so happy that I found both of you. You turn my ramblings into something that actually makes sense and is readable.

  To my tribe, you all know who you are. You’re some of my most favorite people and you make this journey even better by doing it with me.

  Last, but definitely not least I want to thank my readers. Without every single one of you I wouldn’t still be writing books.

  Oh, and as always I want to thank the guys in All Time Low. Your music graces every single one of my playlists for the writing of each book. Keep making your music and I’ll keep writing my books.

  About the Author

  Born on a small southeastern island in Alaska and raised in southern Oregon, Alexandria Bishop is a PNW girl at heart. By day, she goes to battle with a tiny dictator aka her toddler and by night, she can be found typing ALL the words of her contemporary romance novels accompanied by a glass of wine or two ;)

  When she’s not in mommy or author mode, she can be found drinking copious amounts of cold brew coffee, bingeing her latest obsession on Netflix, or attending concerts of her favorite pop-punk bands.

  She loves hearing from her readers and you can find her on social media here:

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