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“What pictures?” Carter asked.
“The ones hidden in a shoe box at the top of her closet.” Evangeline toyed with a button on her cardigan.
Everyone’s head swiveled to Zoe.
“You mean the one labeled private?” Zoe narrowed her eyes at her little sister.
Evangeline flushed. “I might have accidentally knocked the box down and they might have accidentally fallen out. And I might have accidentally looked at them…and tried on the ring with them.”
Zoe glanced behind her, checking the door. All she needed was for Christian to overhear this family conversation, before she had a chance to talk with him.
Melanie’s eyes widened. “There’s a ring?”
“Does anyone get to have any privacy around here?” Heath asked.
“You lost all rights to privacy when your marriage ceremony went viral on YouTube,” Carter pointed out.
Zoe slid her gaze to the webpage she’d minimized. The video had gotten over three million hits. “We’re nowhere near ‘cute kitten rescued by hot fireman’ levels.”
Carter crossed his arms. “What a relief.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.
“Has anyone given any thought to the location situation?” Logan asked, snatching an unopened bag of chips from Heath after he’d returned from the pantry.
Everyone, including Zoe, stared at him in confusion.
“Well, Romanov lives—and I’m taking a big leap here—in LA, while Zoe lives, well, not in California. As in they have homes on the opposite sides of the country. Hell, isn’t he British? Where will they live?”
“Who says he’s going to live that long to find out?” Luke countered.
Zoe narrowed her eyes at her bloodthirsty brother. “Really, Luke? Your solution is violence? Way to be all doctory.”
Luke crossed his arms, unfazed by her insult. “You got married because blondie over there told you to be wild with him.”
“I didn’t say Ian specifically. I just said a hot guy or five to have a good time with,” Melanie snapped.
Good Lord. Zoe grabbed a pillow and hugged it. “That’s not helping.”
“You sure you didn’t steer her in the famous direction just so you could help your business out, Melanie?” Luke sneered. “I’m sure you wouldn’t dream of asking to take exclusive photos of the newlyweds.”
“That’s out of line.” Melanie had never tried to use anyone for anything. Luke was being unreasonable, even more than usual. How he’d ever accomplished having a great bedside manner as an intern was beyond Zoe’s comprehension.
“Now, wait a damn minute, Luke,” Carter said, jumping to his wife’s defense.
“I’m not waiting a damn anything. Prepare yourself when Zoe comes home alone and heartbroken.”
Zoe’s blood boiled. Just because she did something that they didn’t expect or, God forbid, approve first didn’t mean she couldn’t have her happily ever after. “Way to trust my judgment, Luke.”
“Your judgment?” Angry dark eyes met hers through the computer screen. “You assured me the rumors being blogged about you and Romanov were nothing. Just a mutual agreement to be seen together. And now we know you lied your ass off.” Luke tossed a scowl at Melanie. “She learn that from you, too?”
“You’re really over-reaching, Luke. If you don’t stop, I’m going to reach over and beat your ass,” Carter growled.
Luke shook his head and held up a hand. “All I’m being is a realist. Something the rest of you should be doing, too.”
He marched off screen. Zoe heard a door slam.
Carter cleared his throat. “Our main goal is to make sure that momma does not find out about this until you call her. Now.”
“Fine,” Zoe said.
She told her siblings good-bye, her stomach sinking with each response. Luke didn’t bother coming back inside. She closed her laptop and put her head in her hands. What had she been thinking?
Leah Ambrose was going to have a full blown fit with a capital HISSY. Zoe had taken away another chance at planning the dream wedding Leah never had, and God knew somebody was going to pay.
***
Christian paced the balcony, wishing for a cigarette. The sun beat down on his head and a trickle of sweat made its way down his back, but it wasn’t because he was hot.
For once he was nervous, unsure of what to do next. The screen of his phone showed a missed call from his brother. Sebastian never called him. Never texted him. He only spoke to him when necessary.
Maybe he should try to mend thing with his brother. Start things fresh. He pressed call on his phone’s screen. They could go slowly so Sebastian would know he was serious. That he was—
“Did you use the remaining brain cell living in that empty head of yours to get the chit to sign a pre-nup?” Vladimir asked.
Just what he needed. Crafty old fool knew he wouldn’t answer his call or return it. “Why would I do that?” he purposely slurred the words.
“Are you ever sober, Christian?” Vladimir sounded pissed. Excellent.
“Define ‘ever’.”
“As in if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I’ll cut off your trust fund.”
Then Christian would be a multimillionaire instead of a billionaire. Oh, the horrors. “Well, if I were to agree to your demands, then certain avenues would have to be traveled which would lead to a certain destination that would require me, i.e you, to pay out more than just my trust fun. Savvy?”
“I don’t find this remotely funny. Why can’t you grow the hell up and act like a man?”
“Let me consult my magic eight ball and I’ll get back to you.” Christian gripped the balcony’s railing with one hand, his knuckles whitening.
“Is she pregnant? Is that why you had to marry the woman?”
He had to have sex with the woman first, but decided not to enlighten his father of that little fact. “You do realize this is the twenty-first century? And there are ways to prevent that.” Ways that he‘d employed every time.
“Answer the question.”
“No, but at the rate we’re going....” He let his words trial away before he continued, “What shall the brat call you: Vlad? Grandpa? Hey You?”
His father let loose a string of profanities, mostly in Russian, that impressed Christian’s jaded ears.
“I didn’t realize one could do that with sheep or fish guts.” He could hear his father’s teeth grind over the phone, the sound making Christian smile.
