Both men turned to her, twin expressions of surprise on their faces, as if they’d forgotten she was even in the room. That thought only reignited the anger her guilt had smothered.
Killian recovered first. “Of course, princess. What do you want?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw her father visibly recoil at the pet name. Honestly, if the man beside her had been anyone other than Killian O’Rourke, she might have been able to enjoy her father’s clear discomfort. “I want to live my life, exactly the way I had planned. I want to finish my internship with Mr. Williams?—”
“Absolutely not.” Killian’s expression shifted, hardened in a way that had her fighting the urge to pull back from him. “You will not get within a hundred feet of Richard Williams. I’m sure your father can find you someone else to intern with.”
That spark of anger flourished to a raging inferno. “Just because you squirted your baby batter inside me does not give you the right to control my life, Killian.”
“Aria, for fuck’s sake.” Looking even more pained than before, Braden ran a hand over his face. “Don’t be so crass.”
“I’m just saying. This is my life and I’m not going to suddenly drop everything just to be some rich asshole’s trophy wife. I’m not my mother.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished with everything she had that she could take them back. “Dad… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“It’s fine.” Though it was clear from the look on his face and the tightness in his voice it wasn’t fine, not by a long shot.
“No, really, I’m sorry. I don’t think you’re just some rich asshole.”
“Only me, then,” Killian said, his voice tinged with amusement. “I suppose it’s an upgrade from ‘fucking mob boss’, so I’ll take it.”
“What on earth is going on in here?”
As one, they all turned to the doorway where Lottie stood still dressed in her pajamas, her hair piled in a messy bun atop her head.
Great.
“Everything’s fine, Lottie-bug. Go back to bed.”
At Braden’s command, Lottie simply cocked a brow and folded her arms beneath her breasts. “I was in bed, until I heard you all trying to shout the house down around me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I’ll tell you later.”
Lottie let out a snort of pure derision. “Which is it, Braden? Is it nothing or will you tell me later?”
“Watch your attitude, little girl.”
“I’ll watch my attitude when you stop keeping secrets.” Turning, she pinned Aria with a look and jabbed a finger in her direction. “You. Talk.”
There really wasn’t any point in keeping Lottie out of the loop. And she was self-aware enough to admit that the way her father had spoken to Lottie was under her skin and she wasn’t in the mood to give in to him. “I came over to tell my dad who the father of my baby is. But apparently he hired Killian to find out for him, and Mr. O’Rourke came by to deliver the same news.”
Mouth falling open with shock, Lottie whirled back to her husband. “Braden Elliott! What the hell is wrong with you? After you promised Aria you wouldn’t ask her about the father again?”
“I promised I wouldn’t ask her. I never promised I wouldn’t try and find out on my own.”
“That’s a distinction without a difference and you know damn well if I tried something like that with you, I wouldn’t sit comfortably for a week.”
Ugh. She did not want to be thinking about her father and Lottie doing… that.
And judging by the look on Braden’s face, he wasn’t any happier about having the subject brought up in mixed company, either. “You are well on your way to that fate right now, Charlotte Ann.”
“Because I’m calling you on your bullshit? You’re better than that, Braden.”
“Because you know how to call me on my bullshit without being outright disrespectful.”
The rebuke had color flooding Lottie’s cheeks. “I’m sorry for the disrespect, Sir, but you shouldn’t have gone behind Aria’s back like that. It’s not right.”
To Aria’s eternal surprise, her father sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You’re right, Lottie-bug. Aria, I’m sorry I betrayed your trust by asking Killian to find the information for me.”
