“We were so worried.” To my surprise, Juliet has tears in her eyes as she hugs my Little girl close. “We heard you getting spanked and crying but then your Papa showed up and wouldn’t let us go check on you. Is everything okay? Are you—holy shit, is thatblood?”
Three sets of furious eyes swing my direction, and I hold up my arm both to show them the source of the blood on my babygirl’s nightgown and to fend them off if necessary. “Don’t worry, girls. It’s not hers.”
“No wonder you were crying so loud,” Isabella whispers, her tone full of awe and more than a hint of admiration. “Youscratchedhim?”
“Yeah.” Glancing over her shoulder, Natalie flashes me a sheepish smile before turning back to her friends. “It was kind of an accident. Well, not really, I was trying to get him to let me go because… never mind. It’s a really long story that you’ll hear about soon. But I’m fine.”
The chiming of the doorbell interrupts their reunion, followed by furious pounding and the sound of Maxwell’s voice.
“Evander! Open the fucking door!”
Tori whips around, her mouth falling open. “Daddy?”
“I took the liberty of calling the others,” Lucas explains when I glance over at him. “When I heard all the commotion down here, I had a feeling you’d want them here.”
Thank god for Lucas. I do indeed need to speak with them, and the sooner the better. “You assumed correctly. Girls, stay here with Lucas while I go get your Daddies.”
Arms folded, Juliet glares up at me. “I’m coming with you unless you tell us what’s going on right now.”
“You can either choose to stay, or Lucas can keep you here over his knee. Which is it going to be?”
Shoving her hands behind her, she shakes her head. “I’ll stay, Uncle Evan.”
“Good girl. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Trusting that Lucas will be able to keep them corralled for at least that long, I head out of the living room and to the entryway.
“Evander!Open the fucking?—”
Maxwell cuts off with a snarl as I yank the door open. “It’s about goddamn time. Where’s my babygirl?”
Jasper and Gideon are right behind him, all of them in various states of dress, and it occurs to me that this is the first time I’ve ever seen any of them in anything but a suit. Why that should amuse me so much, with everything else going on, I’m not sure but I’m smart enough not to let that amusement show.
“They’re in the living room, but you’re going to have to wait. We need to talk.”
Natalie
“What’s going on? Why did they call our Daddies?” Wringing her hands, Tori looks from me to Papa to the living room door. “Are we in trouble?”
Guilt stabs at my chest. “You’re not. But I am.”
“Oh, Nelly,” she groans. “What did you do now?”
I want to tell them. I really do. But the words stick in my throat, and I can’t seem to force them out. Tears prick my eyes, and all I can do is shake my head.
Luckily, I’m saved from having to answer by my Papa. Lucas scoops me up, cradling me in his arms like an actual baby as he settles on the couch. “It’s all right, little one. Your Daddy will make it all better.”
“Makewhatall better?” Juju demands, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“We should wait for Evander,” Papa tells her firmly, though not unkindly. “This isn’t a discussion for us to have without your Daddies.”
“Forget it. I’m going out there.”
“Juliet, if you step one foot outside this room, I will not hesitate to spank you.”
“And Papa spanks hard,” I tell her solemnly. “Not as hard as Daddy, but really hard.”
Hovering by the door, Juju crosses her arms and stomps her foot, looking very much like a Little girl on the verge of a full-blown tantrum. “I don’t care! I want to know what the fuck is going on!”
