The Awakening Read Online Free PDF

She had been fifteen when she moved out and worked part time at a fast food restaurant until she’d given birth to Gabriel a few months after her sixteenth birthday. Tyler, the boy who’d gotten her pregnant, refused to have anything to do with her. After Gabriel was born, she’d called her mom, but she’d refused to come see the baby, saying that she and Laura’s father would allow her to come home only if she gave the baby away. It was like a knife slicing her open—after fifteen hours of labor, exhausted, she’d burst into tears. Shortly after, with her baby Gabriel, she’d snuck out of the hospital and left Arlington.
    Now, four years later, they lived hand to mouth. She needed the paycheck that Mrs. Friessen refused to give her to pay this month’s rent and buy food for her and Gabriel. Laura gazed at the one-room basement suite with the double bed in the corner, a worn sofa, a small kitchen table with two chairs, a cook top stove, and a camper fridge.
    Laura strode to the beige tweed sofa that belonged to Jerry, her scumbag landlord. She dropped down and watched Gabriel, her dark-haired little boy, playing with the wooden blocks, oblivious to anything going on around him. “Hey, buddy, we’re going to go for a car ride in a bit.” She slid beside him on the floor and glanced around at their meager possessions. Everything would most likely fit in the trunk of her car. It was getting late, and she dared not be there when Jerry came back. She feared what he’d do to her.
    It took her about a dozen trips to pack up her blankets, her clothes, Gabriel’s toys, and the small amount of food she had. The fridge was mostly bare except for milk and cheese, but it was cold enough outside that the food wouldn’t go bad in the trunk.
    Just as the sun set and the first raindrops fell, Laura Parnell pulled away from her rundown rented suite in the rusted-out Volvo that she’d picked up for two hundred dollars the previous year.

Chapter Six
    “Couldn’t you at least put on a suit and tie?” Caroline whispered before turning and facing Alexis as she strode into Andy’s library wearing a short black dress with a scoop neckline that outlined her curvaceous figure. Her dark, rich hair had been curled and hung in thick waves, her makeup was impeccable, and she carried herself as Andy imagined any politician’s daughter would.
    Andy just glared at his mother as he strode to the bar and poured himself a generous amount of bourbon. He’d made no effort to clean up, wearing his dark jeans and red shirt with the top two buttons open. His father whistled as he strode in, obviously following orders, as he was dressed in a dark suit and blue silk tie.
    “Alexis, you look absolutely stunning.” Todd leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then strode to Caroline and kissed the cheek she offered.
    It amazed Andy how his mother flipped a switch when important guests were present, as if she were the loving wife and Todd the devoted husband. The two of them could have won an award with their performance.
    Alexis sat on the leather sofa in front of the fireplace. Caroline took Andy’s usual wing chair. “Oh, Andy, pour me a glass of wine, please. Alexis, would you like a glass of wine?”
    “Yes, that would be lovely. Red, if you have it?” She didn’t smile at Andy. Instead, she glanced around the room.
    “Alexis, we are so glad you’re here as our guest. I was just telling your father how much we were looking forward to this visit.”
    Andy turned his back and poured the two glasses of wine. He handed one to his mother and the other to Alexis.
    “Thank you, Andy,” said Alexis.
    If anything, she had impeccable manners.
    “Andy, Alexis is going to be here for the next few weeks. Apparently, she’s quite the horse person, and it would be lovely if you could take her out for a ride.” Caroline gestured with her hand. “Andy, sit down and join us.”
    Of course, where she was pointing was right beside Alexis, and