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Apparently, the girls got bored with the princess movie and strong-armed the Marine into a Barbie makeover. They’d pulled out all the stops and raided June’s stash, as well as Bryce’s limited supply of cosmetics, to give the Marine a whole new look.
It was terrifying.
And funny.
“Look what we did, Aunt Beamer!” Addison shouted, her high-pitched voice shrill with excitement. “Doesn’t he look bee-autiful?”
To her surprise, June chimed in, grinning wickedly. “Do the duck-lip face, like I showed you.”
Ryker pursed his lips in the way thirsty women did on their ’gram, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow in a parody of a come-hither look.
Bryce giggled, then laughed, then bent at the waist as the humor took over, racing through her body like water over dry, parched earth. She felt as if she were suddenly lighter, the laughter lifting some unseen weight inside.
“What? You think the purple lipstick is too much?” Ryker deadpanned.
“I think you pull it off nicely.”
His mouth widened in a smile. Even with the blue eyeshadow, insanely long, mascara’d lashes, and the purple lips, the expression melted Bryce’s heart.
She’d opened her mouth to make some joke…and noticed the girls were no longer hovering behind Ryker but were babbling to someone in the living room.
“…Grandma Payne, you’ve got to come see Mr. Ryker’s face!” Cecily’s little gravelly voice insisted.
And suddenly her nieces’ grandparents appeared in the apartment’s narrow hallway. Adele and Harvey’s expressions radiated disapproval.
“You let them in?” Bryce asked Ryker, feeling like someone had kicked the chair legs out from under her when she’d been leaning back, relaxing.
“He didn’t have to. We have a key you gave us months ago in case of emergency, and besides,” Adele said, her face the same pinky-red color as her shirt, “we got a text from June. She wanted us to come get her.”
Bryce’s head swiveled to her oldest niece. “What?”
June stared down at her chipped, black pedicure as she spoke. “I told you. I’m too old for a babysitter.”
Hurt, anger, and annoyance swept Bryce’s buoyant jubilation away like a fast-moving hurricane.
“Even when I win, I lose,” she muttered, then faced the Paynes. “I was downstairs meeting with clients so I can make enough money to cover my attorney fees. My sitter canceled at the last minute, and I had nobody else to call—you were at a golf tournament, weren’t you?”
“Harvey’s gout was acting up, so we didn’t go.” Adele held up a hand to forestall Bryce’s response, adding, “Besides which, we are always available for our grandchildren. They are our priorities. As they should be for you.”
Bryce felt as if her face were blasted with the heat of a 450-degree oven.
“I’m trying to make a living here. I was only downstairs, and besides, Ryker is more than a capable sitter,” she argued, gesturing toward the man in full face makeup beside her, who appeared to be attempting to blend into the faded wallpaper. “He told me he cares for his daughter on weekends, for God’s sake.”
Adele gasped. Then she rounded on Ryker, eyes narrowed and her finger wagging in his face as her voice rose.
“Your mother will be appalled to hear the lies you’re spilling, Ryker Matthews. Don’t think that I won’t tell her how you tried to take advantage of Bentley’s grieving sister. You should be ashamed of yourself, pretending to be a father. What were you doing? Using Drake’s baby as some kind of…lust lure?”
Lust lure? Drake’s baby? Adele’s words hung in the air around Bryce like an exploded bag of flour until they finally settled into her brain.
“You…you’re not Lisi’s father?” she finally managed.
Ryker’s face got that closed, Marine-tight expression and he shook his head once. “No. I’m Elise’sgodfather. I was…babysitting for Drake and Kate while they were away.” He paused, a muscle ticking in his jaw, then the next sentence plopped from his mouth. “I’m sorry. I forgot you didn’t know—”
“Spare me the apology and leave. Actually…” Bryce pivoted to face the Paynes, the flames of her anger boiling off her former tears. “You can all leave. Feel free to tattle about this to your attorney, Adele. I’ll email mine and tell her I was doing the best I could in a hard situation, and I’ll be sure to include the fact that you barged in to handle the texting tantrum of a twelve-year-old instead of simply calling my cell phone first.”
“We aren’t the enemy,” Harvey began. “We’re all on the same side—the girls’ side.”
“Right. Well, it’ll be in the judge’s hands soon enough. I think you should leave.” Bryce’s gaze swept the Paynes to include Ryker. “All of you.”
