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Things weren't any better the next morning. The girls barely spoke to each other while they made breakfast. A few months ago, Jason would have called anyone a liar if they'd said he would miss their constant chattering. But anything would be better than the ice-cold silence currently filling the room.
He was contemplating the merits of taking Evie for a hike after breakfast, to see if it would give everyone enough space to get over whatever their issues were, when all hell broke loose. It was like watching a movie in slow motion as Teagan turned, holding a bowl full of pancake batter, and rammed straight into Evie. The bowl flipped out of her hand and covered Evie's pretty pink sweater with dripping batter.
Evie's short, high scream stopped everyone in their tracks. "My sweater! Teagan, it's ruined!"
"Why the hell were you standing right behind me?" Grabbing a roll of paper towels, Teagan began wiping at the batter.
"Oh my God, stop! You're just making it worse," Evie snapped.
Narrowing his eyes at her, Jason opened his mouth to scold her, but he was cut off by Teagan's snarled, "Sorry."
Turning to Luca, she smiled with so much fake sweetness, it was bound to give someone cancer. "Was that sincere enough, Daddy?"
When Luca responded, the ice in his tone dropped the temperature of the kitchen several degrees. "Excuse me, darlin', do you want to try that again?"
"Tea, stop it. You're going to get in trouble again." Rushing to her sister, Ro tugged on Teagan's arm. "Let's take Trident for a walk."
The dog in question lifted his head at the "W" word.
"Stop right there." Both girls stopped in their tracks at Luca's snapped order. "Teagan Anne, you want to try that apology again? You've been nothing but rude to Evie since last night, and it stops now."
Teagan threw her hands in the air. "I have not! And if you would have listened to me last night, you'd understand that."
"I did listen to you."
Ro linked her arm with her sister's and tilted her chin up at Luca. "Then you really need to get your hearing checked, because you didn't listen for shit."
"Rowena Gypsy, you're skating on thin ice already, young lady. I wouldn't add to it if I were you." Octavius's growled warning went unheeded by his wife and her sister.
"Listen to O, Rowena," Luca growled, never taking his eyes off of his wayward fiancée. "Or you can get your bottom whipped right alongside your sister."
"Would you all just shut up!"
Stunned silence filled the kitchen, and everyone turned to look at Evie. Still dripping pancake batter, she fisted her hands on her hips and glared at each of them in turn. "Luca, Tea is right. She was joking around with me, and you took it too seriously. And you know why?" Luca opened his mouth to answer, but she rolled right over him without missing a beat. "I'll tell you why. It's because you're so worried about protecting me, you're all but jumping at shadows on my behalf. Teagan's apology wasn't sincere, because she didn't owe me a goddamn apology! And if you'd bothered to fucking listen to me when I tried to tell you that last night, everything would be fine."
Stepping forward, Jason reached for her. "Evie, let's go upstairs so you can change and we can talk about this."
"No!" Jerking away, she jabbed a finger at him. "You're the worst one of all! I told you I wanted you, Jason. I told you I wanted you to be my Daddy, and you still insist on treating me like a fucking China doll. It's insulting."
"Insulting?" Dropping his hands, he stared at her, baffled. "How?"
"I'm not weak! I thought I was, but then you told me I wasn't. And just when I start to believe you, the lot of you start treating me like I'm as weak as I thought I was. It's confusing and insulting, and I fucking hate it!"
Stunned by the outburst, Jason rubbed the back of his neck, searching for what to say next. "I was trying to give you time to adjust."
"I've had time, Jason. I've had three months of all of you showing me what it means to have people who love me and care about me. Those last few beatings I got? They were nothing, because I knew the five of you were working to get me out of there. He wasn't in control, because I knew I could leave and you would be there. And to have you all act like I'm some wounded bird is a fucking insult to everything I've done to rescue myself."
It was Teagan who broke the silence once Evie finished her speech. "That was a lot of analogies for one tantrum, Fancy."
"Fuck you, Teagan." Scooping some of the batter off her shirt, Evie flung it at her sister. She missed and nailed Luca in the face instead. After a heartbeat of horrified silence, Teagan threw her head back and howled with laughter. A scowling Luca swiped the batter off his face and looked over at Jason. "Are you going to do something about that tantrum or just stand there with your mouth open like a damn fish?"
He looked over at Evie, who was watching him with an openly defiant expression. All right. She thought she was ready? Then he was more than happy to take off the training wheels.
Chapter 9
The moments ticked by in silence with Jason watching her, his handsome face set in an unreadable expression. Then, as if he'd come to some kind of decision, he gave a little nod and strode across the kitchen to the utensil crock. Her heart slammed against her ribcage when he grabbed a wooden spoon out of the crock and turned back to her. Without a word, he wrapped his hand around her arm and led her into the living room.
When she realized what he had in mind, she pulled against his hold. "Jason, no!"
