Logan groaned behind us. Something that sounded like a mix of laughter and curses slipped out. He snorted next and pressed his head into a couch cushion as his shoulders shook.
"Honey, what are you doing here?" Analise asked me. She was cold and formal.
"Helen? Why are we here?"
All eyes turned towards James, who was frowning at Mason.
Garrett stood from his perch and stretched to his fullest height. "She didn't call you. I did."
Analise jerked forward with fists clenched to her sides. "Why?"
He swung his head towards us. "Ask them. I was doing my fatherly duty." His lip curled up in a mocking manner.
"Sam?"
"Mason?"
"Garrett, what are you doing here? Sam, did you call him?"
I choked on my own vomit. "Are you kidding me?"
He drawled out again, "Nah, the girl doesn't want anything to do with me, Lise. You did a good job. She hates the sight of me."
I ducked my head and wished I could disappear. This was not somewhere I wanted to be.
"Why? What did you do to her?"
"Honey," James tone was soothing. "We were called here for a reason. Helen, you weren't behind this?"
She choked out an angry snort. "Are you kidding me? I'd like to handle our sons without your interference."
"And why would you have to handle them?" His tone cooled. "Mason? What is your mother referring to?"
Analise's look was filled with loathing as she glared towards Garrett. "Why in the world are you here?"
Helen's laughter peeled out this time. "I can take credit for that one, Analise." Her lip curled up in disdain. "You're going to find out anyway. Everything's going to come out now."
"What are you talking about, Helen?"
"Helen, let's spare some of the sordid details."
She threw a seductive grin towards Garrett. "I think I'm going to have to. Your ex doesn't look like she can handle all the details, not just yet anyway."
My mother paled and she jerked forward a step. "What are you talking about? Garrett, what is she talking about?"
He threw his head back and rolled back his shoulders. A cocky smirk came out. "I'm leaving my wife, Lise. I fell in love with someone else." And he threw a pointed look towards the middle of the room.
Analise seared everyone with a glare. "And why do I get the feeling you're not talking about your daughter?"
Helen smirked and poised with a hand to her hip. "He's talking about me, Lise. We were going to wait until his divorce was final, but we're engaged." And with that, she flipped a ring around on her finger. The diamond was double the size of my mother's. It sparkled as she wiggled her fingers around. "You like it? It matches the rest of my accessories. Only another woman can appreciate my outfit."
Mason groaned next to me and sat on the couch beside Logan. He passed the chips and the two munched away.
Analise gasped as the information sunk in and James cursed under his breath. He pulled his fiancé back with a hand tucked around her arm. "Are you kidding me, Helen? And how did the two of you meet? I'm supposed to believe it was by chance?"
"Oh no." Helen oozed with arrogance. "You see, when you started to run around behind my back with her, I hired a private investigator. And I learned all sorts of things, including the biological father of Samantha Jacquelyn Strattan. From there, all the pieces fell into place. It wasn't even hard to get the man Analise never could. Garrett and I had instant chemistry—"
He grunted. "We did. Screwed on the first date." He shrugged then. "Of course, it helped that my wife had already cheated on me and I learned about it that day."
"Oh my goodness." Analise bent over as she started to pant. "Honey, I can't breathe."
There was a look of enjoyment in Helen's eyes that had me snarling. I shot to my feet. "They called you here because of me. I'm screwing Mason."
And then someone else buzzed at the door.
James bit out a curse as he wrenched it open. He stopped in shock as David stood there, with Malinda behind him.
David scanned the inside and turned back. It wasn't long before Malinda left and he stepped inside.
"Great." Analise was livid. "This is great. Where'd your girlfriend go this time? She's not here to support you?"
David frowned, but his eyes rested on me. A tinge of concern had seeped into them. "I can see this is a family-only matter. Malinda came with me for support if I should need it. Her son came as well. I believe he's attending a party in this suite later on."
Logan choked on some beer and struggled to keep it in. Mason belted him on the back.
"Who called you?"
David glanced around, but Garrett lifted another finger in the air. The look of amusement was evident as he couldn't hold back a grin. "I did. Again, I thought it was only appropriate."
"Garrett," Helen hissed. "Stop interfering."
He extended a hand towards me. "She's my daughter. I called her mother and the man who's her real father. He raised her all her life." Then he strode forward and shook hands with David. "I'm the sperm donor. Nice to meet you."
"You too." The two sized each other up and after a moment stepped back.
Analise rolled her eyes. "You two are okay with each other?"
Garrett gave her a polite smile. "We've both had to deal with you."
David added, "It's a bonding experience."
Logan choked back another laugh. When everyone turned to glare, he displayed his zipped lips again and stuffed a handful of chips in his mouth.
"You let them drink in the open?"
Helen turned, at a loss. "Excuse me?"
"They're underage, Helen. They aren't allowed to drink." He gestured towards his sons, who both had a beer in hand. "And they're throwing a party here tonight?"
"Well," she glanced towards Garrett. "I had no idea. I had dinner plans for the evening."
My mother cleared her throat. "Can we get back to the part where my daughter said she was screwing her future stepbrother?" She glared at me. "I'd love to hear how this came about and why no one else seemed surprised."
No one spoke a word.
"Honey, what are you doing here?" Analise asked me. She was cold and formal.
"Helen? Why are we here?"
All eyes turned towards James, who was frowning at Mason.
Garrett stood from his perch and stretched to his fullest height. "She didn't call you. I did."
Analise jerked forward with fists clenched to her sides. "Why?"
He swung his head towards us. "Ask them. I was doing my fatherly duty." His lip curled up in a mocking manner.
"Sam?"
"Mason?"
"Garrett, what are you doing here? Sam, did you call him?"
I choked on my own vomit. "Are you kidding me?"
He drawled out again, "Nah, the girl doesn't want anything to do with me, Lise. You did a good job. She hates the sight of me."
I ducked my head and wished I could disappear. This was not somewhere I wanted to be.
"Why? What did you do to her?"
"Honey," James tone was soothing. "We were called here for a reason. Helen, you weren't behind this?"
She choked out an angry snort. "Are you kidding me? I'd like to handle our sons without your interference."
"And why would you have to handle them?" His tone cooled. "Mason? What is your mother referring to?"
Analise's look was filled with loathing as she glared towards Garrett. "Why in the world are you here?"
Helen's laughter peeled out this time. "I can take credit for that one, Analise." Her lip curled up in disdain. "You're going to find out anyway. Everything's going to come out now."
"What are you talking about, Helen?"
"Helen, let's spare some of the sordid details."
She threw a seductive grin towards Garrett. "I think I'm going to have to. Your ex doesn't look like she can handle all the details, not just yet anyway."
My mother paled and she jerked forward a step. "What are you talking about? Garrett, what is she talking about?"
He threw his head back and rolled back his shoulders. A cocky smirk came out. "I'm leaving my wife, Lise. I fell in love with someone else." And he threw a pointed look towards the middle of the room.
Analise seared everyone with a glare. "And why do I get the feeling you're not talking about your daughter?"
Helen smirked and poised with a hand to her hip. "He's talking about me, Lise. We were going to wait until his divorce was final, but we're engaged." And with that, she flipped a ring around on her finger. The diamond was double the size of my mother's. It sparkled as she wiggled her fingers around. "You like it? It matches the rest of my accessories. Only another woman can appreciate my outfit."
Mason groaned next to me and sat on the couch beside Logan. He passed the chips and the two munched away.
Analise gasped as the information sunk in and James cursed under his breath. He pulled his fiancé back with a hand tucked around her arm. "Are you kidding me, Helen? And how did the two of you meet? I'm supposed to believe it was by chance?"
"Oh no." Helen oozed with arrogance. "You see, when you started to run around behind my back with her, I hired a private investigator. And I learned all sorts of things, including the biological father of Samantha Jacquelyn Strattan. From there, all the pieces fell into place. It wasn't even hard to get the man Analise never could. Garrett and I had instant chemistry—"
He grunted. "We did. Screwed on the first date." He shrugged then. "Of course, it helped that my wife had already cheated on me and I learned about it that day."
"Oh my goodness." Analise bent over as she started to pant. "Honey, I can't breathe."
There was a look of enjoyment in Helen's eyes that had me snarling. I shot to my feet. "They called you here because of me. I'm screwing Mason."
And then someone else buzzed at the door.
James bit out a curse as he wrenched it open. He stopped in shock as David stood there, with Malinda behind him.
David scanned the inside and turned back. It wasn't long before Malinda left and he stepped inside.
"Great." Analise was livid. "This is great. Where'd your girlfriend go this time? She's not here to support you?"
David frowned, but his eyes rested on me. A tinge of concern had seeped into them. "I can see this is a family-only matter. Malinda came with me for support if I should need it. Her son came as well. I believe he's attending a party in this suite later on."
Logan choked on some beer and struggled to keep it in. Mason belted him on the back.
"Who called you?"
David glanced around, but Garrett lifted another finger in the air. The look of amusement was evident as he couldn't hold back a grin. "I did. Again, I thought it was only appropriate."
"Garrett," Helen hissed. "Stop interfering."
He extended a hand towards me. "She's my daughter. I called her mother and the man who's her real father. He raised her all her life." Then he strode forward and shook hands with David. "I'm the sperm donor. Nice to meet you."
"You too." The two sized each other up and after a moment stepped back.
Analise rolled her eyes. "You two are okay with each other?"
Garrett gave her a polite smile. "We've both had to deal with you."
David added, "It's a bonding experience."
Logan choked back another laugh. When everyone turned to glare, he displayed his zipped lips again and stuffed a handful of chips in his mouth.
"You let them drink in the open?"
Helen turned, at a loss. "Excuse me?"
"They're underage, Helen. They aren't allowed to drink." He gestured towards his sons, who both had a beer in hand. "And they're throwing a party here tonight?"
"Well," she glanced towards Garrett. "I had no idea. I had dinner plans for the evening."
My mother cleared her throat. "Can we get back to the part where my daughter said she was screwing her future stepbrother?" She glared at me. "I'd love to hear how this came about and why no one else seemed surprised."
No one spoke a word.
