23

Milli wondered if Lloyd had talked to anyone about all the drama Tonia had caused in his life. She had seen men fall into Marni’s orbit and stay there for years; some ended up losing their marriages.

“I promised to come back for her… I got home from Bootcamp a day early to surprise her and my family. I thought I was home alone, then I heard them upstairs. I just stood there at the door, watching my cousin screwing my girlfriend. I must have made a sound because they stopped. Both said they were sorry, and I punched Tim square in the nose. I hit him and didn’t stop. Tonia was screaming at me to leave him alone. When she said that she was having his baby, I froze.” His hands tightened on the wheel.

“Tim got up and hugged Tonia, said he was going to marry her. He begged me to forgive him and said it had just happened. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It felt like the time we were screwing around, and I fell off the barn, but this time it wasn’t my ribs that were broken,