Fuck.
Oh, fucking fuck.
This is so bad.
“I wasn’t expecting all three of my future husbands to greet me at the door, but it’s nice to have such a warm welcome,” Vanessa says, her tone cutting through the air like a gunshot.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Vanessa?” Malachy growls, barreling down the stairs even faster.
“I came to have a heart-to-heart,” Vanessa says, planting her hands on her hips.
I’m normally excellent in a crisis. Except, I’m frozen in place.
How much trouble would it cause if I put a bullet in Vanessa’s brain right in the middle of our foyer?
“Well, shit. This is anything but a pleasant surprise. Ness, you’re looking as conniving as ever.” Patrick calls her by the nickname that shehates.
Movement catches my attention from the right of the stairs, and Lucky chooses this moment to bolt down the hallway to find out what’s happening. A gust of air passes behind me as I check on the boy, and I can only assume that’s Malachy reaching the bottom of the stairs.
“Who’s that?” Lucky asks, pointing at Vanessa before pulling the finger to his mouth to chew on near his back molars.
“I’d like to know the same thing,” Charlotte says, reminding me she’s witnessing this entire spectacle.
I finally get myself in gear, scooping up Lucky and circling over to wrap my arm around Charlotte’s lower back. I lead her toward the stairs, but she glances over her shoulder at the nightmare still playing out.
“Lukas,” Miriam calls out, coming down the hallway.
“I’ve got him,” I tell her.
“Holy fuck, Patrick. He looks just like you. Oh. My. God. Tell me that’s your kid,” Vanessa practically begs.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Pat chuckles an unfriendly sound. “It’d save your brothers twenty percent on the penalty.”
“It only counts ifI’mthe one coming to the table with a child,” Malachy says. “But you know the three of us well enough to understand that we’d honor the penalty, anyway.”
“But he is, right?” Vanessa asks, sounding seriously excited. “I mean, he looks exactly like you.”
“It’s time for you to go,” Malachy growls. “Anything that needs to be discussed can occur at the table with Wilder as our witness.”
“What the hell is happening?” Charlotte hisses as I lead her farther up the stairs.
“I will explain everything. Just allow us to get somewhere private.” I take the stairs faster than I normally would, but we need to get the hell out of herenow.
I had grand plans to show Charlotte the room I set up for Lucky. I wanted to surprise them both and make a bit of a show of revealing it.
It almost feels tainted now, like I’m giving her a gift to make up for our bad behavior. My fathers often bought my mother gifts after royally fucking up. She took them, but they never actually made a dent in whatever betrayal they were attempting to sweep under the rug.
I don’t think this qualifies on quite that level, but McCarthy, my MC prisoner, is going to help me alleviate some of my stress as soon as I put out this fire.
Charlotte seems confused, pointing at the door to her room as we pass, but I keep moving her forward.
“The room that connects to yours via the shared bathroom was mine and Patrick’s nursery. It sat empty for many years, as we had no need for it, but it was already conveniently decorated in white and blue.” I place Lucky on his feet and push open the door. “This is for you,” I tell him, patting his back as he bolts inside. Turning to Charlotte, I add, “And a bit for you too.”
“Whoa!” Lucky squeals as I lead Charlotte into the room. “All this for me?” He points at his chest, and I chuckle.
“It is.”
He runs over and lies down on the white toddler bed. He’s so long that his feet almost touch the footboard. I can’t decide if it’s an illusion because of where the pillows are placed or if he’s already on the verge of outgrowing the bed I just purchased.
