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Lucas had his hands on his hips and was watching her with an expansive grin on his face.
"What do you think it means?" I asked her, half-expecting her to express some childish explanation of genetics and where babies come from.
Claire's eyes widened. "This means we get to keep living in the Penthouse!"
Lucas burst out laughing.
"Claire!" I hissed.
Claire spun on her heel and looked at Lucas. "Is that true? Is that what that means?"
Lucas pressed his hands on his knees and crouched before her. "That's exactly what that means."
Claire jumped, pumping her fists into the air. "Now no one can bully me at school!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Claire, what do you mean? Who bullies you at school."
Claire's shoulders slumped, and she pressed her lips together. "Well, it's not a big deal."
"Uh huh," I whispered, taking her hand. I sat on the edge of the slide and held her hands. "Why are people bullying you at school?"
Lucas took a step back, aware that the conversation had taken a turn.
"Mom, I just didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt your feelings."
Oh, great. "What are they saying?"
She chewed her bottom lip. "Some of the kids just make fun of me for only having a mom. They say that kids who are raised by single moms grow up to be whores."
The laughter that spilled out of me was pure anger. "Oh, yeah?"
Still holding one of my hands, she gripped Lucas's hand and swung both of our arms. "Don't worry, mom, that's not a problem anymore because now we're a family."
Lucas ran a hand through Claire's jet black hair and sighed. I was glad he could be relaxed about this....but me? Oh, I was five seconds away from getting fucking triggered.
"I'm going to go play now!" Claire darted for the swings, but I gripped her hand to stop her from running off.
"Claire, who said that to you?"
Her jaw clenched. "Mom, I shouldn't have said anything."
"Claire, I just want to know. Okay?"
She sighed, her shoulders raising and falling. Then her eyes slipped past me toward the entrance of the park. "Well, them, mainly."
Standing up, I twisted around to see two identical boys lunge through the gate of the park. Behind them, Rachel Carlyle was shouting at her twins to slow down. Oh, hell no.
"Okay, I'm going to play now!" Claire said, yanking her hand away from me and sprinting across the park toward the monkey bars.
My hands planted on my hips. "You have to be fucking kidding me."
"Olive," Lucas weaved a hand around my back, pulling me into his chest. His touch normally comforted me, but right now, it bothered me. He was trying to subdue my reaction.
"You heard what she said? The Carlyle twins. As in Rachel Carlyle and—"
"Senator Carter," Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I know."
I pressed my hand against his chest. "And that doesn't bother you?"
