Read After All These Years (One Pass Away #2) for Free Online Page B

on its side. After three years, in
    a few short minutes, Sean had destroyed her dreams. It didn’t matter how
    unrealistic they had been. Or that Sean had never given her an ounce of
    encouragement. There had always been a spark of hope. Now there was none.
    “Your mother insists that you stop moping around your room,”
    Veronica Trumbo informed Riley.”It is unacceptable for you to miss family
    dinners when your parents are entertaining guests.”
    Her mother’s personal assistant often delivered messages.
    Corrine didn’t care what bothered her daughter. She cared how it looked to the
    outside world.
    “We don’t have family dinners. We have business meetings.”
    “Which you are expected to attend. Your mother insists.”
    Riley stared out the window. She was bundled in her favorite
    blanket, sitting in the cozy little nook window. The trees that filled her view
    never changed. Tall pines, green all year round. Riley loved those trees. Their
    scent filled her room on warm summer nights. Simply looking at them could
    soothe her like nothing else.The way she felt at the moment, they might as well
    have been a cement wall.
    “My mother can stick it up her—”
    “Miss Preston!”
    “Go away.” Riley couldn’t stir up enough interest to argue. “Let
    me know the next time they need to put me on display. I’ll be there.”
    “Your lack of familial loyalty is appalling,” Veronica
    sniffed.
    “Yeah. I’m a fucking ingrate.”
    “That kind of language is unacceptable, young lady. It’s
    offensive and vulgar.”
    “Then cover your ears, or leave the room. I’m about to let
    loose with words that will peel the paint off the walls.”
    She turned her head, her eyes boring into Veronica. The
    woman didn’t deserve Riley’s ire. She was doing her job. It was a case of wrong
    place, wrong time. Riley needed to vent, and Veronica was the only one handy.
    “Still here?”
    “Miss Preston. You are well educated. Cursing shows a woeful
    lack of imagination and creativity.”
    “I disagree. Listen to how imaginative and creative I can
    be.”
    She let loose a string of expletives so colorful Veronica
    almost fainted from the shock. For the first time in weeks, Riley felt like
    smiling. Thank you, Grandpa. He had never seen anything wrong with teaching
    a young girl how to express herself. He had warned her to use the words
    judiciously. Until today, Riley seldom swore. However, now that she had
    started, it felt better than she could have imagined.
    “Your mother will hear about this.”
    Red-faced, Veronica hurried from the room.
    “Then she can send you back with her disapproval,” Riley
    yelled. Then she muttered, “Bitch.”
    “Impressive.”
    Riley’s eyes widened. Gaige . Where had he come from?
    Knowing he must have heard every word she spewed at Veronica, Riley felt her
    cheeks heat.
    “I’m not going to apologize,” she said, her chin jutting
    out.
    “Why would I ask you to?”
    The room was meant for a small girl. Her grandfather had it
    decorated with her favorite colors. Purple and pink. Riley’s tastes had changed
    considerably in twelve years, but she hadn’t been able to change a single
    thing. The frilly canopy bed, the Hello Kitty wallpaper.
    Riley hadn’t thought about it until now. Gaige made the room
    seem twice as small and three times as childish. Sean’s words rang in her head.
    Immature. Between her childish outburst and the pink elephant floor lamp, she
    realized it would be hard to argue the point if he suddenly walked in.
    Having Gaige witness it was almost as bad.
    “Why are you here?”
    “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you around the complex.”
    “Oh, God.” Riley covered her face with the blanket. “He told
    you.”
    “Sean is worried about you, Riley. We all are.”
    “All? He told all of you? The whole team?”
    “Mind if I join you?”
    Riley slid to the side. The window seat wasn’t very big.
    Somehow Gaige wedged himself into the limited