"You never took care of him," I said to her. I couldn't believe she was here. "You've sent every single one of your sons away, and they always arrive in the worst condition—scraped up, covered in bugs, bruised."
"You don't know how hard it is to be a mother," Payslee said with a fake sob.
Hunter stepped in front of me and held out three one-hundred-dollar bills. Payslee's eyes were greedy as she watched his hand.
"You want this?" Hunter asked, his tone low. "Then you need to leave. That's part of the stipulation for my giving you cash. You can't just come here begging for more money."
"Yes, yes, I'll leave." She snatched the money out of Hunter's hand and hurried off.
"What is she doing here?" I snarled at Hunter when he turned around. "You said you had it under control."
"Calm down," he retorted.
"She's in town," I said, moving into Hunter's personal space. He glared at me but didn't move. "She could be trying to kidnap Henry."
"And I thought my life was a soap opera," Jack muttered.
Liam held back a laugh. "You think she's going to kidnap Henry?"
"Yes," I insisted. "Do none of you see how serious this is?"
"You are severely overreacting," Hunter said, brushing past me.
"He needs to get laid," Liam said sagely. "It will take the edge off. Think of your heart and your cholesterol. You're almost in your midthirties, Mace. You're ancient."
"Dad doesn't want the boys back," Hunter said as he headed to his car. "And their mothers are too brainwashed to take them back. You saw what condition Payslee is in. She just sees us as a bank account."
"And you just taught her that she can come here for a handout," I snapped.
"I'm paying her off with peanuts," Hunter scoffed. "I make more money moving money around than I use to pay her off. I have it under control."
"You need to tell me every time she contacts you," I said, wrenching open my car door. "And I'm going to have Remy put the concertina wire back up."
There was laughter from the kitchen when I returned to the house. Hunter arrived home at the same time I did, and when we walked into the kitchen, there was Josie, with all of our younger brothers. Even Garrett and Archer were sitting around the island, putting toppings on oblong pieces of dough. The scene was domestic and relaxed.
"What?" she asked when she noticed us standing in the doorway. "It's a crime not to use this kitchen for what God intended!"
27
Josie
"We're making pizza," I announced. Hunter made a disgusted noise and turned on his heel. I wasn't sure what I'd done. "Am I not supposed to be here?" I asked, confused.
"Ignore him," Mace said. He regarded me; his eyes seemed warm.
"Sit down, Mace. I'm going to make you a surprise pizza."
"How was the meeting?" Adrian asked him.
Mace shook his head slightly. I wondered what was up. "Did you do all this?" Mace asked, surveying the scores of little bowls filled with chopped ingredients.
"Me and all my sous chefs," I said. "Now what should we put on Mace's pizza?" I asked them.
"Candy," Henry said, handing me a bowl.
"You're putting gummy worms on pizza?" Mace asked with a frown.
"I'm making a dessert pizza," I told him. "I have extra dough left. Don't worry. I won't put candy on yours."
