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“I have to finish buttering the bread to put in the oven, Daddy.I need to go.I love you!”Sarah’s voice came over the line, and I managed to respond appropriately.
She was telling me she loved me.She sounded like she meant it.She was happy.
I should be relieved.Not ready to strangle the woman giving me my daughter back.
Ten Years Ago
Oakley wanted me to react.This was her forcing me to admit that what I felt for her went deeper than friendship.I told myself that I couldn’t give her that.Telling her that I was fucking in love with her and wanted to murder my own cousin for touching her wasn’t going to help either of us.
I put the empty glass of whiskey down harder than necessary as I turned to walk outside.Go anywhere but stay in this fucking house, watching my little cousin—who I knew had cheated on Oakley just last week—act as if she belonged to him.
The smell of berries, pine, gingerbread, and sugar cookies filled the air at Sebastian’s mansion.Their annual Christmas party was always massive and over the top.I didn’t want to be here.My father had informed me in so many words that I had to be.This was family business.We came to all family business.So, here I was, enduring it.Hating every motherfucking moment of it.
I wanted to go inside and snatch Oakley away from Wells.Take her with me.Somewhere our age difference didn’t matter.Where I could hold her, kiss her, tell her that, yes, I loved her.I was infatuated with her.She owned me.All the things I knew she wanted to hear, but I couldn’t say.
The cold night air hit me as I stepped onto the back veranda, covered in twinkling holiday lights, several Christmas trees, and a decorative fire centerpiece.Few people were out here due to the frigid temperature.It rarely got this cold in the winter in Georgia.I ignored the bite of the icy wind and stood with my hands jammed in the front pockets of my dress slacks.The deep green sweater I was wearing wasn’t enough warmth, but my anger was doing a pretty damn good job of keeping me warm.
“I know you don’t fucking smoke, so why are you out here?”Thatcher drawled behind me.
I glanced back at him as he lit up a cigarette he’d just stuck between his teeth.The ridiculous bow tie and tux he was wearing would be comical on anyone else.However, Thatcher held his threatening persona just fine in it.He’d first come down to the party in a brown leather jacket, jeans, and boots.His mother had been extremely unhappy about it, so this was his response to it.The man never did anything halfway.It was all or nothing.
“I needed some air,” I replied, turning my attention back to the fire.
He let out a hard laugh.“Bullshit,” he replied.“You needed to get away from the sight of Oakley Watson and Wells.”
I clenched my teeth and wished like hell I smoked.I could use something right now to take the edge off.He was right, and there was no use in arguing with him.King might be my best friend, but we were all tight.Thatcher was no one’s best friend because he didn’t allow anyone close enough.There was a darkness in his soul that warned you to stay back.Not to dig too deep.We respected it.
“She’s too young,” I said when he walked over to lean against the railing in front of me.
“Yeah, she is.But she’s hot as fuck, and she wants you.That’s hard to resist.”
I inhaled deeply through my nose.It was difficult to hear that her want for me was strong enough that even my friends saw it.I was doing my best to respect her.Just be her friend, but the more she threw herself at me, flirted with me, found reasons to be near me, the more my self-control was slowing chipping away.
“She’s with Wells,” I said, knowing that meant nothing to me.Wells didn’t deserve her.
Thatcher cocked an eyebrow.“Yeah, and Wells knows she wants you too.Why do you think he’s fucking other girls?He’s not even being careful about it.He wants her to find out.He’s trying to hurt her because she wants you,” he finished, then stuck the cigarette between his lips and inhaled.
“He’s fucked other girls?I thought it was just the one last week.”My anger turned into full-blown fury.I was going to hurt him.
Thatcher let out a humorless laugh.“Girls, my friend.Many.He’s become a fucking whore.I’d be surprised if Oakley doesn’t already know.It’s not like she’s paying any attention to him in there.All she’s done is look at you all night.The needy look in those pretty blue eyes was making me fucking hard, and it’s not me she wants to crawl up and play with.”
Dammit, I didn’t need that image in my head.
Turning, I headed back inside.
I had to make a decision.If Wells was cheating on her, she needed to know.I couldn’t have her yet, but whoever did was sure as hell going to respect her.Treasure what they had.Or I was going to kill them and enjoy it.
Nine
Oakley
We had spent the past two days painting the mural on Sarah’s bedroom wall, then making dinner, followed by watching a Halloween movie.Tomorrow, we were going to go to the Halloween store so she could pick out a costume for trick-or-treating.I wouldn’t be here for that, but I wanted her to have what she needed.I wasn’t sure Wilder would think about it.He clearly hadn’t thought to decorate for the holiday.
Once she was bathed and in the bed with Belladonna at her feet—in the room I was sleeping in because I didn’t like her sleeping with the paint fumes in her room—I went back downstairs to clean up the kitchen, then get to work on the orders I had to fill from my Etsy store.Although I preferred painting, I had found I made more money using my artistic ability digitally.
I made a comfortable living by creating and designing greeting cards, invitations, stationery, gift cards, place setting name cards, and custom orders for specialty items to sell on my online store.
Sure, I had moved out of my nice, fancy apartment with a gym and Olympic-sized pool, but I had my grandparents’ house that Granny had left to me.I sold Dolly—my Lexus that I had loved—and bought ol’ Betsy, who was dependable most of the time.I no longer had health insurance or a 401(k), but I was young still.What mattered was that I was now available for Sarah.She had needed me when Sylvia got off her meds and started acting unstable.I was using my artistic side now, too, and making money with it.
