Read Bound to You for Free Online Page B

horrible scum.”
    Her sister was right, but she also didn’t realize the harsh truths of their current situation. She was too young. “You need to go to school and get a good education, so you don’t end up like me.”
    “ Oh yeah,” Bri said. “I’ll be at Vanderbilt going la-de-da while you’re married to scum and Ethan’s calling that scumbag Dad. That’s what I’ll do. Sounds like a great plan. How do you expect me to live with that?”
    Jenna reached out for her sister’s hand, but Bri pulled back. “Honey, I haven’t paid the mortgage in two months and I can’t pay it this month. The payments alone are five times more than I make in a month. I thought the life insurance would be more but now that’s gone and in two weeks we won’t even have any furniture. I’m barely keeping us afloat. You just don’t realize.”
    “ Blah, blah,” Bri said. “You’re making this all my fault.”
    “ No, I’m not.” Was she? “How?”
    “ You’re only doing it so I can go to college. You’re making it my fault.”
    Jenna went ahead and turned on the lamp, realizing this wasn’t going to be a short conversation. “It’s not your fault.”
    “ It’s Dad’s fault,” Bri grumbled. “That college money was mine.”
    Jenna struggled to remain calm. She’d made up her mind to forgive her father for all his faults and only remember his positive traits. That was the only way she could function. “This is just the situation we’re in. And I won’t have to be married to him for long. Brandon said his grandfather is very sick.”
    Bri gawked at her. “ Ugh . That makes it even worse.” She fell back on the bed. “I’m not going to college. I don’t care. Promise you won’t do it. I’ll take Ethan and run away if you do.”
    Jenna sighed. She knew her sister wasn’t serious. She also knew her sister was right. There had to be another way. She’d thought of a few, but none ended with Brianna going to Vanderbilt. “It might not matter, anyway. Brandon was supposed to call and let me know if he had enough money to help. So, maybe he changed his mind.”
    Brianna sat up. “I don’t care about him. Say you’re changing your mind because I’m not leaving no matter what. Call Sam Strickland and see what he says. Why does he get off scot-free?”
    “ This isn’t about him.”
    “ I know. It’s about me and my school. My fault!”
    Jenna held up her hand. “I told Sam. He ran for his life. Forget about that.”
    Bri jumped off the bed. “Then sue him! How could he do that?”
    “ Child support would help, but it’s not enough. I think he’s only just scraping by himself. I’m barely making over minimum wage. We need a way out and marrying Brandon is a way out. Just… go to bed.”
    “ Then, see, it doesn’t matter,” Bri said. “You have a college degree and you’re still not earning anything good. So, what difference does it make if I go?”
    “ Dad helped me get that job. I was pregnant and no one else would hire me. I’ve been sending out resumes, looking for something better, but…. It’s different for me. I have a child, you don’t. Look. Just go to bed, okay? We can’t figure this out in the middle of the night.”
    “ No,” Bri said, standing her ground. “Not till you promise you won’t marry him. If it’s my fault then it’s my choice. I hate the Scumbag Stewarts. I won’t go to school on their dirty money. Yuck! It makes me sick. Promise or I’ll hate you forever.”
    Jenna closed her eyes and tried to think. Once she had the house off her back, either by selling it or through foreclosure, she could just, just, support herself and Ethan - if she found an extremely cheap place to live and miraculously inexpensive and safe daycare. But Bri would be on her own.
    “ I’m not taking money from Ally Stewart’s family,” Bri insisted. “No way. I hate her. I’ll die first. I’ll end up owing her for the rest of my life and you don’t know how she is. She’s