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“Perhaps,” he acknowledged. “But you’re throwing him in the middle of our problems. That’s not good parenting.” Her eyes formed slits, but then she smiled cattily and pulled Shane into his bedroom. “What are you—?”
She closed the door with a click, and then removed her dress with a couple of deft motions. It whispered to the floor, and she stood before him in a black push-up bra and a matching thong.
“Dear God.” He averted his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. What was she thinking? The boys were just down the hall, and he’d made it clear he was dating Faith and couldn’t be less interested in her. “What are you doing? Put your clothes back on.”
Her fingers feathered over his back and snuck around his chest. She pressed herself to him from behind, her breasts squishing into him. He yanked free of her and skirted around the bed, putting it between them and trying desperately to look anywhere other than at her. “Diana, get dressed. This isn’t funny.”
“I’m completely serious.” He could hear the pout in her voice. She’d always been able to do that. It was part of the reason she was such a good actress. “You and I used to have fun together. We were compatible, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be that way again.”
He buried his face in his hands and groaned, wishing he could rewind the clock and hash it out with her in the kitchen instead of letting her manipulate him into taking her somewhere private. Because he had no doubt this was what she’d intended all along. While he was preoccupied, she rounded the bed and cornered him. The only chance at escape was to either push past her or leap over the bed, which was growing more appealing with each passing second.
“Back off,” he said, looking at the space to the side of her head. “I’m with Faith now, and she makes me happy. If you don’t leave immediately, I’m banning you from the property. I’ll change the locks and file a restraining order. How would that look to your Hollywood big wigs?”
“You don’t mean that.” But Diana retreated and grabbed her dress, shimmying back into it. “I’m not going to let that little nobody take my family.”
He threw his hands up in exasperation. “We haven’t been your family for years, so she isn’t taking anything from you. If you remember correctly, you traded us in for fame and fortune. You can’t expect us to wait when we didn’t hear anything from you for months at a time.” He strode forward, escorting her from the room. “We’re divorced, and as far as I’m concerned, divorcing you was the best decision of my life. Now get out.”
“But what about dinner?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
“You can take it with you or leave it for us. Up to you.”
She sighed, sounding truly put out. “I’ll leave it. I’d hate for the boys to miss out.”
“Great. So if you’ll just grab your purse and say goodbye....” He led her into the kitchen, where Dylan was still waiting.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“Your mum is heading back to her hotel. She’ll call you tomorrow to discuss what you want for your birthday, and neither of us will be bothered by what you decide. It’s all about you, okay?”
He nodded. “She’s not staying for dinner? Because I thought—"
“So did I,” she said sadly. “But your dad said it would be best for me to go.”
Dylan glared at him. “Why can’t she stay? She’s the one who made the food.”
Shane sighed. Here she was, making him the bad guy again. He could hardly admit what she’d done. Not to their son. “It’s better this way. Trust me.”
Dylan shook his head and stormed away. Diana gave Shane a sly smile as she left. He walked her all the way to the door, then locked it behind her.
A small voice caught his attention. “Daddy, is the scary lady gone?”
He turned to find Hunter behind him and hugged him tight. At least he had one person on his side. “Yeah, she is. Let’s finish dinner, shall we?”
The Sundayof Dylan’s birthday party rolled around, and Faith collected the cake from Megan and transported it to the Walker house. Dylan had opted to keep most of his plans as they had been—with one exception. Diana had made a call, and two members of the Black Caps—the New Zealand men’s cricket team—would be coming to mentor the kids and play a game with them. Everyone seemed happy with the result. Dylan got what he wanted, and Diana had the opportunity to flaunt her connections.
For her part, Faith was nervous. She hadn’t met Shane’s parents or his sister, and today would set the tone of their relationship going forward. If they picked up on Dylan’s uncertainty toward her, or decided she was unworthy of Shane, it could sway him. She knew he held his family in high esteem. Especially his sister, Gabrielle, who had never liked Diana, and to whom he believed he should have listened all along.
What if Gabrielle didn’t like her?
Pulling up outside, she took a moment to gather her wits and her courage, then got out of the car and eased the cake off the passenger seat. The door to the house was ajar and she nudged it with her foot until it opened.
“Hello,” she called, letting herself in. She could hear voices but couldn’t see anyone. She found three strangers in the kitchen, along with the world’s most adorable pair of children.
“Faith!” Hunter cried and hurried over for a hug.
She set the cake on the counter and bent to embrace him. “Hi, cutie pie.” She ruffled his hair, laughing when he squirmed and pulled a face. She waved to his companion. “Hi, Iz.”
Izzy Cane was a little older than Hunter, but they had been fast friends. She bounced over, her cloud of dark hair bobbing behind her. “Can I have a hug too?”
