And then, just like that, she drops him like a wet rag and leaps onto Demetri with far more sexual zest. Her legs are strapped around his waist, her lips unrelentingly locked over his.
Wow.
Lizbeth Landon is a one-woman show today. Boy, does she know which side her financial bread is buttered on. I mean, I know she has a thing for the devil, but must she be so liberal with her affection? If Demetri really wanted my mother, he should have stepped up to the plate right after he killed my father.
“Dear God, woman,” I bellow. “Control yourself.”
Bonus points for me for not calling her Mom.
Logan strides into the room holding a sleepy looking Jaxson, my sweet little lamb, with his sparse blond hair blowing back, soft as feathers, his big eyes trying to make sense of the chaos ensuing around him—something he’ll be doing for the rest of his life with this family, I’m sure.
“Ooh—” I begin to coo then quickly catch myself.
Retch, Messenger. Make it look real.
And I do. I retch at the sight of everything happening, and I catch Rory smirking with satisfaction in my direction.
Honestly, Chloe?I say.It’s exhausting being you.
“What happened?” Ethan jumps the couch as all the children gather around to watch the spectacle.
“Tampon’s back!” Misty shouts. With her cobalt eyes and wavy dark hair, she looks as if she might be able to pass as a Landon, but we learned the hard way, she belongs to Demetri. I’ve decided to sweep my mother’s indiscretion under the rug, and I really wish it would stay there.
“Daddy!” She tugs at Demetri’s leg. “Tampon home now?”
And there’s that. Misty has taken to calling DemetriDaddyopenly. I’m betting there’s no going back.
“That’s right, sweetheart.” He picks up his mini Fem in female skin. It’s true. Misty looks so much like Gage—likeSage. It makes me yearn for the daughter who loathes me. It certainly makes me yearn for the boys who love me.
Logan walks over, and Jaxson looks cautiously at me from the safety of his daddy’s shoulder.
“Chloe,” Logan says it coldly, unfeeling, and something in the pit of my stomach churns. “What are you doing here?”
Rory jumps up and slings an arm around my shoulders. “She’s here for me, Logan. We’re planning a party. The kind you have before you get married? We’re going to have balloons and a pretty pink cake, and everyone is going to celebrate us. But mostly me.” She bites down on her lip as she gazes upon him. I recognize that lusty look in her eyes. She wants to make another meal out of Logan, and just the thought boils my blood.
“That’s right,” I snip her way and give her an aggressive shake. “Messenger and I are going to have one hell of a ball. I’ll make sure of that.”
Tad barks like a seal, assuring the attention of everyone in the room.
“Listen up, family! I’ve got issues, and they’re far from over. It seems a little governmental agency known as the FTC thinks I’ve rigged my winnings.”
Gasps abound, and I swear I even heard one from Emily.
Oh, come on, I want to say. Everyone in this room was equally suspicious of how he was getting that loot.
Tad’s chest expands. “They’ve decided to freeze our bank accounts.”
A strange whistling sound comes from my mother as the color bleeds from her face.
“How will we pay the mortgage?” she howls. “How will we buy food and clothes and the organic utter salve that keeps my”—she pauses a moment to glance around at all the eyes feasted on her—“skin supple.”
Good Lord. We all know what she’s keeping supple—the question is for whom.
Demetri clears his throat. “Do not worry.” He lifts a hand while jostling Misty in his arms. “I vow to look after, and protect, provide all financial needs, and be a pillar of strength for any and all in this household. I will not allow such turbulent times to affect your daily lives, especially not at the holidays. Christmas is right around the corner, and I suggest we focus on joy, laughter, and light.”
Melissa’s jaw roots to the floor. “What about my dad?”
Chloe gives a dark laugh.Your daddy’s going to the big house, kid. Demetri is making his move—and good old Taddy Dearest will be moving to Rikers if Demetri has a say in it. Hell, he’ll probably reopen Alcatraz just for him. Demetri’s specialty is making the impossible possible—for all the wrong reasons.
