Sweet Life by Mia King

Author:Mia King
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

True to her word, Kavena got Malia to move in. Marissa had insisted on trying to talk to Malia herself, but Kavena flat-out rejected the idea.

“Forget it,” Kavena had said. “You’ve done enough. Besides, I have a vested interest in this, too. I don’t want any whack jobs around Isaiah.”

Marissa wanted to argue but knew Kavena was right. Plus she needed to put her energy into finding another tenant in order to be able to make ends meet. So Marissa let Kavena do all the coaxing, and three days later they had a new housemate.

“Don’t mention the boyfriend,” Kavena warned in a low voice when they watched Malia pull into the driveway later that week. “He was picked up by the cops about a week after he dumped her. DUI, and not the first time, apparently. He has a couple of other kids, too, and it sounds like he has the deadbeat dad role pretty much mastered.”

Marissa grimaced. “I suppose this means child support is out of the question.”

“Yup, especially since he doesn’t think it’s his kid. Malia says it’s actually a relief. Now that she’s rid of him, she doesn’t want him back. Shucks, I’m relieved. She’s a smart girl and deserves better. Come on, let’s give her a hand.”

From what Marissa could see, Malia only had a couple of suitcases and a few boxes.

“Are the rest of your things in storage?” Marissa asked as they brought everything into Malia’s room. She had put Malia in the room facing the pasture in the back of the house, which was spacious and received a lot of early morning light.

“No,” said Malia. Her hand fluttered regularly to her stomach, which was just starting to bulge slightly. “This is all I have. Tom loaned me some furniture for my last place, and the rest came from Rent-a-Center.”

“Oh,” Marissa said. She added brightly, “Well, if you start getting baby gifts, you’ll have plenty of room to store them. You could even fit a crib in here . . .”

Malia looked Marissa right in the eye. “I’m not planning on being here that long,” she said quietly. “I really appreciate you offering me a place right now, but I’ll need to find another place eventually, before the baby comes.”

“Oh, well, of course.” Marissa glanced briefly at Tom, who was wisely keeping his mouth shut.

Malia looked visibly uncomfortable. She seemed more vulnerable and defensive. It was a huge difference from the vibrant, friendly young woman Marissa had met—and felt threatened by—before. “I haven’t told anyone at work that I’m pregnant. I just passed my first trimester but I haven’t been able to find the right opportunity to break the news.”

“I’m not going to say anything,” Marissa assured her. She wanted Malia to know that the past was water under the bridge. “It’s not as if I don’t have a few things going on that I’d like to keep to myself. Besides, Paul and I hardly talk about anything other than Pansy these days. As far as I’m concerned, what you do here is your business.

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