"I know it isn't ideal, but it has to be done so I can protect you and my son."
Duty over with, I went to the garage, finding Mike and Sam waiting on me. They knew I had to visit my parents once Anna and Maddie arrived to take Kinsley shopping. Silently, the three of us climbed in the SUV and left the property.
Though I'd gone over different speeches in my head, I still didn't know what to say. I'd forbidden Anna from opening her mouth about Kinsley, explaining that I preferred to be the one to break the happy news.
When we arrived, months of pent-up fury gathered in my gut, ready to spew at both of my parents. If a rival Family had found her before I did, who knows what might have happened. If I'd known all along about my baby, I could have been there for my son from the beginning, and Kinsley would have moved in with me sooner. She would already be my wife, and I would have had the past seven months to lose myself inside her tight heat and watch her stomach grow.
Knowing their security detail had already announced me, I walked in the front door of my parents' house without knocking. Elena hovered in the foyer, but Carson was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is my sperm donor?"
Elena wrung her hands. "Upstairs in bed. It's not a good day for him, Burke."
Ignoring her protests, I sprinted up the stairs to their bedroom. Pushing open the door and seeing my father reading in an armchair only served to further piss me off. Carson merely glanced up at the intrusion.
Spinning at my mother's entrance, I aimed a lethal glare in her direction. "Really, Ma? You've become a liar."
"Burke, how could you—"
"I know about Kinsley Hawthorne."
Silence descended for long moments as Elena gaped and Carson's face reddened.
"I ran into her in Bristol, where she fled in terror after you threatened her life." I pointed at Carson, who struggled to rise. "You had the gall to assume you knew what was best for me, that you could run my fucking life and make decisions on my behalf! Well, guess what? That's my son she's carrying, and you are both hereby cut off."
Elena gasped, but I plowed on.
"You are cut out of my life, out of my son's life, and out of the Family. Any subsidiaries that were still in your name have been transferred to me. Feel free to apply for social security, you fucking bastard. You're gonna need it."
My footsteps thundered down the stairs as Ma followed me, her pleas falling on deaf ears. Part of me wished I'd confronted her separately, but she lost that chance when she lied to me repeatedly. Now she could spend the rest of her days focusing her misguided devotion on Carson, and no one else.
14
Kinsley
I know it isn't ideal, but it has to be done.
Burke's crappy proposal swirled in my head as Anna chattered nonstop beside me. The last thing I wanted to do was to go shopping, but I’d assumed it would be better than listening to Burke go on and on about how he was doing me a favor. It rapidly became clear just how wrong I'd been. Anna annoyed me, and riding in the back of the vehicle made me nauseous. Subconsciously, I rubbed circles over my taut belly. Baby boy rolled over, and I smiled secretly. He deserved every advantage in life, and that was why I'd agreed to sacrifice my happiness.
"So just remember to defer to him at all times. I suppose you're lucky since you'll be his wife and you only have to worry about one man. I have to remind myself who comes first, Logan or Burke. It was easier when it was Dad since I grew up under his authority."
Tuning in to the tail end of Anna's monologue, I didn't know what to say. "Um."
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Anna waved a dismissive hand. "I don't think Burke has assigned you a personal security detail yet, but he will. You can't leave the house without them, ever."
My head pounded. "Sounds fun."
Maddie snorted, and I shot her a smile. "I've already noticed some dude following me around. Apparently, I rate high enough for a stalker, but not private detail."
Leaning forward to see Maddie around me, Anna said, "That's not funny."
"Neither is that stick up your ass, but I'm still laughing."
Anna's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Turning to the window, she ignored me and Maddie for the rest of the ride. If I'd known sooner that was the secret to shutting her up, I'd have insulted her right off the bat.
Finally, the furniture store came into view. I thought it odd that the parking lot was empty in the middle of the day. The driver got out first, opening the door for Anna, and I scooted out after her. Maddie closed the door when she got out, earning a disapproving look from Anna's guard.
"Am I not allowed to close my door?"
