I stiffened at the insult. "Anna—"
"Anyway." Anna flicked her hand as though the affront wasn't important. "You see, we've always been very close, Burke and I, so I couldn't understand why he didn't tell me about you. I assumed you were a fling gone wrong. Basically, I assumed you'd trapped him into marriage."
"That's not . . . Anna, where did you get that idea?"
Anna shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I don't know you, Kinsley. I tried to be nice the first time I saw you, and it was my responsibility to tell you all the important details about being in this life. But, I don't like Madalyn, and you bonded with her immediately. It makes me uncomfortable."
I couldn't believe the nerve of this woman. "After being insufferable the entire day, making certain I knew about Harper and Burke’s affair and telling me what I could and couldn't purchase, you tattled to Burke, crying that I was mean to you. And then you continued to send me texts about how I should look and dress and act. You've made it clear you don't think I'm good enough for Burke."
Looking down, Anna picked at a loose piece of thread on her skirt. "It's still my duty to see that Burke is well represented, despite how I feel about you."
Yet another subtle insult. "Then why are you here?"
"I haven't seen Burke since Finn's birth. He refuses to speak to me. If there's one thing he does impeccably, it's the cold shoulder. Because of you, he’s shut me out completely, as though we weren't raised in the same house."
Of course; because of me, not because of her actions. "Then I have to ask. Are you sincerely apologetic, or do you want to get back into Burke's good graces?"
Anna nodded. "It's a fair question. I'll be honest, it's both." When she tilted her head in thought, it was easy to see there wasn't an even split between the two choices. She hated my guts, and the feeling was mutual. "I'm expected to treat you with respect, and I want Burke's forgiveness. I saw the way he cut Ma and Dad out of his life without hesitation, and I don't want that to be me."
So it came down to money and the lack thereof. "Then I'll be honest in return. I don't think you and I will ever be friends. First off, you judged me without getting to know me. Second, you lecture and make incorrect assumptions. Third, I value Maddie's friendship, and if you can't accept that about me, then I can't accept you."
"There's one more thing." After fidgeting in her seat, Anna continued. "I can't have children, and I want them. It's important to carry on what Logan has created, and I can't give him that. We've tried everything, but there's nothing left for us except adoption. I was, and still am, jealous that you got pregnant on a lark."
"It wasn't planned, that's for certain." But look at how much Finn’s birth had brought me. "Anna, if you want to spend time with your nephew, I'm on board with that. If you hate me because I bore a child and you can't, that's on you. You could have had a sister and, instead, you created an enemy."
Anna remained silent at that statement, staring at her shoe as she bounced her booted foot.
"By the way." I waited for Anna to look up before continuing. "I hope you and Harper gossip about me all the time, and I hope you tell her how fantastic the sex is between me and Burke." Rising, I said, "She’s truly missing out on the raw, savage fucking he gives me every night. Seriously, he can't keep his hands off me. We’ll have a houseful of babies before long, and all you’ll be left with is that stick up your ass."
With that, I left the room. Anna hadn't even said the words. There wasn't a genuine apology in her tone, her expression, or her excuses. Though I should probably leave well enough alone, I headed to Burke's office and rapped sharply on the door.
Caden opened it wide enough that I could see all three men. Burke stood behind the desk, his jacket off and his tie loose. Logan was standing on the opposite side, similarly dressed.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I need to get this off my chest." I focused on Logan. "Your wife didn't even bother to pretend she was here for an actual apology. She made it clear it's my fault she wasn't nice to me and admitted she thinks I trapped Burke into marriage by getting pregnant on purpose."
Logan glanced at Burke before returning his gaze to me. "I don't know how to respond to that."
"There's nothing you can say that would make it right," Burke said. To me, he said, "I hope you told her to leave."
"I thought you might want the honor. Assuming she hasn't run away with her tail tucked between her legs."
Without hesitation, Burke strode for the door. With a grin aimed at his son, he took Finn from my arms, and I walked by his side.
"Anna said she came because you cut her off, and she doesn't like it. I guess you're good at it."
"She never apologized?" he verified.
"No, she just said she's not good at eating crow. She mentioned she's expected to be more respectful to me, but that's the closest she came to an apology. Everything else is my fault."
He snorted, coming to a stop in the entrance to the living room.
Anna waited in front of the fireplace. When she saw him, she rushed in his direction. "Burke!"
When he spoke, I shivered at the arctic chill in his voice. "Save it, Anna."
Halting in her tracks, Anna glared at me. "What lies did she tell you?"
"Kinsley merely said you didn't apologize. Isn’t that the truth?"
