AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Scrubbing a hand over the stubble on my jaw in frustration, I used my other hand to make a rewind motion. “Back up, would you? Maybe start from the beginning.”
Some of what she liked to call word-vomit would have been great right then. It happened mostly when she was stressed. Random thoughts simply spilled out. I kind of needed that at the moment. But she didn’t seem stressed in the least. If anything, she actually appeared to be comfortable in the same room with the woman her mother had punched in the face only a few short months previously.
I glanced back at my mother, trying to determine whether she’d had a nose job since then, but other than a slight new curve to her nose, I didn’t see any difference. Then again, she’d spent so much time in perfectly contoured makeup that the subtle curve to her nose could have always been there, just well hidden behind artistically applied foundation and bronzer—or whatever the fuck women used to hide their supposed imperfections.
“Yesterday was your mom’s birthday,” Nevaeh reminded me.
“Happy belated birthday, Mother,” I gritted through clenched teeth. “More context, Kitten. Now.”
“I flew to Virginia and went to her birthday party with Lyla. Your mother is now aware that Darcy was having an affair with Miles, and that baby Jonah is his son, not yours. She knows that I’m not the home-wrecker she accused me of being, and we made up. With the gossip a little out of hand—what with pictures of Miles and Darcy all over the local papers back in Virginia, especially the ones of his ass and little bits all over the front pages of some of the less-reputable trash mags—she needed a place to decompress. I offered her sanctuary with us so that she could spend a little time with you before the wedding. The two of you can get to know each other again before the big day. You can walk her down the aisle before the wedding or something. Or my brother can walk both my mom and yours down the aisle. Whatever works best. We still haven’t figured out that little detail about the wedding yet. Anyway, Belinda is relocating to California to be closer to us.”
It all came out in a rush, and I quickly rethought wanting her to do the cute word-vomit thing.
“Did I fall asleep on the flight home and just haven’t woken up yet?” I muttered. “Because this feels like a really weird dream, baby.”
“What Nevi means is, she and Lyla got their rightful payback for my attempt at hiring a rather unsavory surprise for your bachelor party,” Mother explained with a weak lift of her lips. “She very graciously offered me a place to stay so that I didn’t have to deal with the press after the evidence of your father’s infidelity hit the papers. The good news is that my divorce attorney says I’ve got a great claim to get half of everything without a battle. Not that I need his money. I have plenty of my own, as you know. But I want to hit him where it hurts the most, and that’s his bank account. Taking half of his assets, including stock in the business, will be the ultimate revenge.”
Sighing, I replayed everything in my head before pointing at Nevaeh. “You and Lyla used the dossier pictures from December to publicly embarrass my father and Darcy. Now his ass is literally all over the society pages back in Virginia.”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“There was a confrontation between you and my mother, but no bodily harm was done?”
“Not between us, no,” Nevaeh said with a casual shrug. “There was a near miss between Belinda, Miles, and an extremely heavy iron statue. But I wrestled that out of her hands before she could bludgeon anyone with it. Darcy did try to attack me, but Lyla used her Jedi fighting powers and twisted Darcy into this weird human pretzel before basically tossing her into Miles, who fell on his ass hard enough that rumors are spreading that he fractured his tailbone. But Lyla says there isn’t much weight to that gossip because, as far as she knows, he didn’t even go to the doctor or hospital. Other than that, there were no physical altercations.”
“Did you take security with you?” I demanded, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach at what could have happened if my cousin hadn’t been with Nevaeh. “Other than Lyla?”
“Barrick refused to let me step on to PopPop’s plane without one of the bodyguards on the payroll.”
I angrily slapped my hands on the island's surface, causing my mother to jump. “Barrick knew about this and didn’t tell me anything?” I roared.
Nevaeh didn’t even flinch. Instead, she calmly lifted her mug and took another sip before replying with a pout in her voice. “Stupid Mia narced on me, and he insisted on the muscle. It’s not like I couldn’t have gone on my own. I’m getting my doctorate, for fuck’s sake.” She glanced at my mother. “Tell him, Belinda. I’m about to have a freaking PhD to my name. I can handle a ride on a plane and going to a party on my own. Obviously, I’m capable of making logical decisions.”
“But you’re a little bitty thing.” Mother surprised me by arguing in my favor. “And so beautiful, darling. I would be worried for your safety too.”
I gaped at the woman who’d birthed me for a long moment before snapping my mouth shut and giving my fiancée a glare. “See? Even she thinks I’m not being overbearing where your safety is concerned.”
“Oh, hush up, you.” She wagged a finger in my direction. “All I can say is that I hope we have only boys when we do decide to have kids. Daughters will be too overwhelmed with all your high-testosterone protectiveness bullshit.”
I leaned in until I could taste the coffee on her breath. “Are you going to make me worry about you when I have to go on business trips, Kitten?” I murmured softly.
“Of course not.” She erased the last of the distance between our mouths and kissed me, not giving a damn that my mother was sitting right across from her. “I’ll be a good girl from now on, Brax.”
“You better,” I growled, brushing another soft kiss over her lips. “Or I’ll tell Drake.”
“Narc!” she exclaimed, stabbing me in the chest with her long, elegant index finger. “That’s playing dirty, mister.”
“I know,” I said with a grin before turning my head to find my mother glancing around, looking at anything but Nevaeh or me. Public displays of affection weren’t something she was used to. Watching the ease with which Nevaeh initiated it made her uncomfortable. “Speaking of Drake, how does he feel about our guest?”
“He and Mom were displeased when we first got back. Daddy might not have known I’d gone to Virginia. He maybe…sort of…thought I’d gone with you. When he found out PopPop loaned me his plane, there might have been an angry phone conversation between the two of them that Mom had to calm down.” Nevaeh looked over at Mother and rolled her pretty eyes. “All men think that the ‘poor little woman’ can’t take care of herself.”
“All a real man thinks is that the woman he loves is too precious to risk losing, so he has to protect her at all costs,” I corrected her. “And that doesn’t answer my question. Drake and Lana weren’t happy about this new arrangement?”
“Not at first. But then Belinda apologized to Mom, who graciously accepted. After that, Daddy thought it was a great idea to have her stay with us so that she can not only be here for the wedding, but spend time with you, getting to know you again after the long years you’ve spent apart.”
I pushed back from the island, realization hitting me square in the chest as love poured through my veins for the little kitten who fucking owned me. “That’s why you did this,” I whispered, in total awe of her. “It wasn’t about revenge for the bachelor party or playing games. Your huge, generous heart couldn’t stand that my mother and I were at odds, and she wasn’t going to be at the wedding. You went to Virginia hell-bent on mending the rift.”
“You definitely picked a woman worthy of your love, darling,” Mother murmured quietly, and I dragged my gaze away from Nevaeh to look at the woman who had given birth to me. Respect filled her eyes as she looked at my woman with a small, appreciative smile on her face. “In the little time that we’ve spent together, I’ve gotten to know more about her than it took years for me to discover about Darcy. Nevi has a soft heart, but a backbone made of steel. Her family may be a little unorthodox, but they are good people who raised an amazing child. I’m so glad you two found each other.”
