He stood and started to pull some clothes on. As he poked his head inside of his shirt and tug it down, he remarked, "I think she wanted you to like her more than your mom. Logan and I haven't been quiet. She knew you weren't happy with Analise any more than we were. But now…" He trailed off as he looked towards the door.
"But now," I prompted.
He shook his head and bent to grab my clothes. He handed them over as he sat beside me again. "I have no idea."
As I fitted my bra on and reached back to clasp it, I muttered, "I bet she thinks I'm like my mom now."
He didn't respond.
I looked up and saw the pity in his eyes.
"Don't," I hissed at him. "You don't feel sorry for me, not now after all the crap that's happened to me."
The corner of his mouth curved up. "You don't know my mom."
"I know you respect her." I held his gaze for a long drawn out moment. "I know you love her and you want to protect her."
"I did." He leaned forward and kissed me. "But that was before I realized something."
"What's that?"
He stood and waited until I pulled on my underwear and jeans to tug me beside him. Then he drew me in his arms for a tight hug and spoke against my shoulder, "I'm pretty sure my mom went after your bio dad to get back at your mom."
I lifted my arms and hugged him back. "Why do you think that?"
"Because in my mom's thinking, Garrett's the only guy your mom couldn't get."
"Why do you think that?" I leaned back and looked up.
He ran a finger down the side of my face in a gentle caress. "It's something I might do, if I was pissed off enough."
"If that's true, then…" A stone dropped to the pit of my stomach and a cold feeling started to sweep through my body. "Then you're right. I should be scared of your mom."
He grinned down and lifted me so I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our eyes met and held as his hand spread out over the bottom of my back. He leaned forward and nipped at my lips. I grinned and caught him in a deep kiss when he did it again.
When he started to walk out of the room and to the elevator, he sighed against my lips, "I won't let her do anything, Logan too." He breathed against me again. "I think that's why she's so mad. We won't let her hurt you."
When the elevator rose to their floor, he set me on my feet. The door opened and he took my hand in his. "You ready for this?"
I gave his hand a squeeze.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
When we entered the top suite, I drew in a deep breath and let go of Mason's hand. He glanced back, but I shook my head. I needed to do this on my own, somewhat. Logan sat on a couch in the corner. He had two bags of chips on the table in front of him, a small television in his corner, and a cooler beside him. His smile couldn't be wider on his face and when he saw our entrance, his hand slid into the cooler. It came back up with a beer and he started to chug half of it down.
"Are they here?"
I flinched at the tone of their mother. When no one answered, she came around the corner. Her hand was raised to fix an earring in place. When her eyes lit on me, her hand fell down in slow motion. She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest as she lifted her head high and her shoulders were squared.
For a moment, I was speechless. She was beautiful. She had a model's body, tall and lean with long legs. She wore a white business skirt with a pale pink cashmere sweater over it. A necklace of white diamonds rested above her cle**age. They matched the diamonds in her ears and I caught a flash from her wrist. My eyes couldn't get any bigger at the sight of the diamond bracelet there. Even her pale pink high heels shimmered from the diamonds on their straps.
She had golden blonde hair, which looked streaked from sunlight and that rested high in a loose bun. Tendrils fell to the nape of her neck and with her clear blue eyes; she looked the image of a goddess. But her lips had formed into a sneer as she took her time to study me in turn.
Her wrist flicked at me with irritation. "This is Analise's daughter?"
Logan choked out a laugh, but guzzled some more of his beer.
Mason and their mother threw him a glare. He sank back against the couch and raised a hand across his lips. They were zipped.
Mason frowned at him, but sighed. "Yes, mother. This is Samantha."
Someone buzzed on the door and Logan jumped to his feet. He scurried around the room to open the door. Garrett Brickshire straightened as he viewed the room dressed in a navy blue suit. He'd been leaning with an arm near the top of the door.
"What's he doing here?" Mason rounded to his mother.
Logan's eyes widened. His smile grew and he hurried back to his seat. He picked up a bag of chips this time and started to munch on them.
Their mother grimaced, but swept past us. She rested a hand to Garrett's chest as his lips skimmed a kiss to her cheek. She gave Mason a small smile. "I figured it's appropriate. He is her real father after all, and you know about the two of us. We can deal with two birds with one stone tonight. Mmmm? Don't you agree?"
Mason glanced at Logan. "You okay with this?"
He made a show of showing his zipped lips again and shrugged.
"Thanks." Mason didn't hold back a wry tone to his voice.
Logan bobbed his head up and down as he reached for another beer.
And then there was another buzz at the door. Helen frowned as she walked to it and peered through the peephole. "Who could that be—oh my god." She turned back with a panicked look on her face. Her chest started to rise and fall at a rapid pace and she seethed at Mason, "Were you behind this?"
"What—no…"
Garrett rubbed a hand over his jaw and shook his head. A low baritone chuckle escaped him. "Now, darling, it only seemed appropriate for me to call her. She is my daughter's real mother after all."
"Garrett," she snapped and cursed at him. "Now's not the time to be charming."
He lifted a shoulder and arched an eyebrow before he perched on a couch's end. "Answer it, darling. They're going to find out anyway and it might as well be now. They can't be angry at us later for withholding information. I know Analise would throw that at me."
"Mom, what's going on…" The words died in Mason's throat as she opened the door and his father walked in, followed by my mother. Both of them wore reserved expressions, but when Analise saw Garrett, she sucked in her breath. Her face stretched at every angle over her skull. She looked in pain and then her eyes swung towards Helen. A confused look replaced the horrified one.
"But now," I prompted.
He shook his head and bent to grab my clothes. He handed them over as he sat beside me again. "I have no idea."
As I fitted my bra on and reached back to clasp it, I muttered, "I bet she thinks I'm like my mom now."
He didn't respond.
I looked up and saw the pity in his eyes.
"Don't," I hissed at him. "You don't feel sorry for me, not now after all the crap that's happened to me."
The corner of his mouth curved up. "You don't know my mom."
"I know you respect her." I held his gaze for a long drawn out moment. "I know you love her and you want to protect her."
"I did." He leaned forward and kissed me. "But that was before I realized something."
"What's that?"
He stood and waited until I pulled on my underwear and jeans to tug me beside him. Then he drew me in his arms for a tight hug and spoke against my shoulder, "I'm pretty sure my mom went after your bio dad to get back at your mom."
I lifted my arms and hugged him back. "Why do you think that?"
"Because in my mom's thinking, Garrett's the only guy your mom couldn't get."
"Why do you think that?" I leaned back and looked up.
He ran a finger down the side of my face in a gentle caress. "It's something I might do, if I was pissed off enough."
"If that's true, then…" A stone dropped to the pit of my stomach and a cold feeling started to sweep through my body. "Then you're right. I should be scared of your mom."
He grinned down and lifted me so I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our eyes met and held as his hand spread out over the bottom of my back. He leaned forward and nipped at my lips. I grinned and caught him in a deep kiss when he did it again.
When he started to walk out of the room and to the elevator, he sighed against my lips, "I won't let her do anything, Logan too." He breathed against me again. "I think that's why she's so mad. We won't let her hurt you."
When the elevator rose to their floor, he set me on my feet. The door opened and he took my hand in his. "You ready for this?"
I gave his hand a squeeze.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
When we entered the top suite, I drew in a deep breath and let go of Mason's hand. He glanced back, but I shook my head. I needed to do this on my own, somewhat. Logan sat on a couch in the corner. He had two bags of chips on the table in front of him, a small television in his corner, and a cooler beside him. His smile couldn't be wider on his face and when he saw our entrance, his hand slid into the cooler. It came back up with a beer and he started to chug half of it down.
"Are they here?"
I flinched at the tone of their mother. When no one answered, she came around the corner. Her hand was raised to fix an earring in place. When her eyes lit on me, her hand fell down in slow motion. She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest as she lifted her head high and her shoulders were squared.
For a moment, I was speechless. She was beautiful. She had a model's body, tall and lean with long legs. She wore a white business skirt with a pale pink cashmere sweater over it. A necklace of white diamonds rested above her cle**age. They matched the diamonds in her ears and I caught a flash from her wrist. My eyes couldn't get any bigger at the sight of the diamond bracelet there. Even her pale pink high heels shimmered from the diamonds on their straps.
She had golden blonde hair, which looked streaked from sunlight and that rested high in a loose bun. Tendrils fell to the nape of her neck and with her clear blue eyes; she looked the image of a goddess. But her lips had formed into a sneer as she took her time to study me in turn.
Her wrist flicked at me with irritation. "This is Analise's daughter?"
Logan choked out a laugh, but guzzled some more of his beer.
Mason and their mother threw him a glare. He sank back against the couch and raised a hand across his lips. They were zipped.
Mason frowned at him, but sighed. "Yes, mother. This is Samantha."
Someone buzzed on the door and Logan jumped to his feet. He scurried around the room to open the door. Garrett Brickshire straightened as he viewed the room dressed in a navy blue suit. He'd been leaning with an arm near the top of the door.
"What's he doing here?" Mason rounded to his mother.
Logan's eyes widened. His smile grew and he hurried back to his seat. He picked up a bag of chips this time and started to munch on them.
Their mother grimaced, but swept past us. She rested a hand to Garrett's chest as his lips skimmed a kiss to her cheek. She gave Mason a small smile. "I figured it's appropriate. He is her real father after all, and you know about the two of us. We can deal with two birds with one stone tonight. Mmmm? Don't you agree?"
Mason glanced at Logan. "You okay with this?"
He made a show of showing his zipped lips again and shrugged.
"Thanks." Mason didn't hold back a wry tone to his voice.
Logan bobbed his head up and down as he reached for another beer.
And then there was another buzz at the door. Helen frowned as she walked to it and peered through the peephole. "Who could that be—oh my god." She turned back with a panicked look on her face. Her chest started to rise and fall at a rapid pace and she seethed at Mason, "Were you behind this?"
"What—no…"
Garrett rubbed a hand over his jaw and shook his head. A low baritone chuckle escaped him. "Now, darling, it only seemed appropriate for me to call her. She is my daughter's real mother after all."
"Garrett," she snapped and cursed at him. "Now's not the time to be charming."
He lifted a shoulder and arched an eyebrow before he perched on a couch's end. "Answer it, darling. They're going to find out anyway and it might as well be now. They can't be angry at us later for withholding information. I know Analise would throw that at me."
"Mom, what's going on…" The words died in Mason's throat as she opened the door and his father walked in, followed by my mother. Both of them wore reserved expressions, but when Analise saw Garrett, she sucked in her breath. Her face stretched at every angle over her skull. She looked in pain and then her eyes swung towards Helen. A confused look replaced the horrified one.
