AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Thirteen
Lucy had always beengood with kids and thought that she had Leo’s youngest two wrapped around her finger after the previous week. But apparently, the older ones had convinced them that Lucy was bad news. Even Aubrey, who she had brought home weeks before, was not impressed she was dating her dad. So much for her never wanting Lucy to leave her.
Leo had met her at the door when she arrived. He had informed her that he had told the kids at lunch, and they were not excited about him getting married again. Oddly, she was starting to doubt wanting to be the third Mrs. Montgomery, but Sera had been told, and the woman was planning the wedding as they spoke.
Shutting the door after she got into the house, he stopped her by taking her hand.
“Lucy, I have something for you before we talk to the kids.” He pulled her back to him but didn’t let go of her hand.
“Okay.” She looked at him in question. Were they giving gifts? Because if so, she had nothing. Maybe she should have brought wine or something, but only Leo could drink it, so it would have looked odd.
Leo reached into his jeans pocket, his sexy, tight jeans that made her mouth water when she saw him in them. Pulling out a ring, he slid it onto her hand. She almost choked when she looked at it. The ring was bigger than Mabel’s, and Mabel had gotten a rock from Cliff.
“Leo, I can’t take this.” She shook his hand from hers and pulled the ring off.
“Yes, my fiancé would wear my ring,” he replied, grabbing it away from her and slipping it back on her finger.
“Something smaller, maybe?” She looked at it again. It was very pretty, but not something she could wear on a day-to-day basis. Definitely not something she could cook in, but then again, she didn’t cook much anymore.
“You get to keep it after,” Leo stated, still holding her hand so that she didn’t take it off.
“I don’t want it. When it is over, I will leave it.” She looked at it again, already missing it when she said goodbye to this life.
With the ring argument over, he let go of her hand and left the ring on through the formal introduction to the children and to the meal that she had been invited to.
Lucy wasn’t letting some negative vibes from teenagers get in the way of her and food that night. Leo had ordered stuffed shells from a local restaurant. They were good, but once again, they were short on sauce and could use about a quarter more seasoning. Lucy was digging into her third shell by the time Leo had convinced the others to even try them.
“This is not something I eat, Dad,” Addison stated and pushed away her plate.
“Have you even tried them before?” Leo asked his daughter.
“Nope, but I know I won’t like them,” Addison confirmed.
“Me either,” Amelia stated from beside her sister. The two blondes were in complete agreement about the meal. They were acting exactly like they had in Leo’s office not so long ago. It had taken hours for them to warm up then, and Lucy wasn’t expecting anything less now.
“What don’t you like about them?” Lucy asked the pair. So far, the older ones hadn’t voiced their hatred of the food, but they weren’t eating either.
“I don’t even know what’s in them.” Addison looked at the lonely shell that on her plate.
“Tomato sauce, sausage, ground beef, two or three cheeses, and seasoning all stuffed into a shell, and more sauce is added.” Lucy shrugged. It was an easy dish, and she had always loved when they served them while catering.
“Gross,” Alexis pushed her plate away from her and rolled her eyes. It was the first thing she had said during the meal.
“What’s gross about it? It’s spaghetti with less mess,” Lucy told her.
“No, it’s gross,” Alexis stated stubbornly. She narrowed her eyes at Lucy.
It seemed all three of her sisters agreed with her assessment. Oddly, this was a go-to meal at the Lovely house. Everyone ate it and loved it. Add garlic bread, and they were in hog heaven. Watching Alexis poke her shell with a fork, Lucy decided to do what her stepmother would do in this situation.
Having just added two more shells onto her plate, she stuck her fork in the middle of the biggest one and flung it at Leo’s second daughter. The shell hit her on the chin and rolled down her black T-shirt onto her lap. Her blue eyes looked at Lucy in shock at what had just happened.
Lucy stabbed the next one and flung it at Addison, who had called the shells gross. Addison was ready for it and tried to catch it in one hand, but it fell apart mid-air, flinging sauce and meat all over her face and cat T-shirt. She managed to fling back the bits that remained on her hands, but the kid was smiling as she did it, and Lucy hoped that she got some in her mouth so that she knew how good it was.
This time, Lucy had to dig in the pan to fling one at Aubrey before Alexis threw back the one that had landed on her lap. Aubrey had been watching her sister and missed the fact that she was under attack until it hit her face. Both shells hit Lucy, one after another, and she couldn’t stop them from hitting her white shirt and face, realizing only as the sauce spattered across her chest that she hadn’t dressed for a food fight.
Grinning at her enemies, she went for another and quickly threw it at Amelia, who had been safe until then. Then she sent one back to Alexis, who was suddenly aware of the battle and sent it lobbing back at Lucy.
By the time Lucy’s pan was empty, the room was covered in sauce, and so were the four girls. Leo had come away with nothing on him; his girls were good at aiming.
