Page 44 of The Devious Husband

“Hello?”

“Hi! This is Sierra. Your, um, your sister-in-law?”

Valeria chuckles softly. “Hi Sierra,” she says, sounding amused. “It’s so good to hear from you, and thank you for not murdering my brother in the months since you’ve been married.”

It’s my turn to laugh, and my cheeks flush. “Well, don’t thank me just yet,” I mutter, unable to help myself. My words earn me a giggle from Valeria, and I relax, pleased she doesn’t seem to dislike me after the coldness I treated her with when she tried to speak to me before I got married.

“I was… well, I’m trying to choose a birthday gift for your mom, and I just wanted to ask you if you knew what I should buy her. Is there anything she likes?”

“Hmm,” she ponders. “There is one thing she’s really been wanting from you specifically.”

I tense involuntarily. “Oh?” I inquire nervously.

“She wants cookies! Ever since she found out about your obsession with cookies a few years ago, she’s been making remarks about eating a cookie that meets your standards.”

Years ago? How could that be possible? “Do you think she’d like it if I baked her some cookies myself? It isn’t much of a present, but?—”

“Yes!” Valeria says instantly. “Nothing would make her happier!”

I grin to myself, feeling oddly shy. “Okay, I’ll do my best. If I start now, I should be able to make enough for everyone.”

“Sierra?” Valeria says hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“Would it be okay if I came over and helped you?”

I blink in surprise, my heart warming. “Of course,” I tell her, my voice soft. “I’d love that.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in ten minutes or so.”

I nod dazedly as she ends the call and walk into the kitchen to check that Xavier actually has everything I need. I frown in surprise when I find all my favorite appliances, something dark and ugly unfurling deep in my chest. Xavier doesn’t like anything that’s sweet, so there’s no way he bakes, and Valeria has her own home on the Kingston compound, so why would he have all of this? It hadn’t occurred to me that he would’ve dated women in the past, and he’d have brought some of those women here. I’d been so fixated on Valeria that I completely dismissed all the other rumors about him and some of his brand ambassadors and business partners.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts when one of Xavier’s security guards leads Valeria into the kitchen. “Hi!” she says, her smile dropping as her gaze roams over my face. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head and force a smile. “Oh, no, nothing at all!” I say as I begin to pull out appliances and ingredients. He’s got high grade vanilla extract, but it’s completely sealed and brand new. It doesn’t make sense.

“Xavier lamented so much about which things to buy for you,” Valeria tells me, a knowing look in her eyes. “He forced me to accompany him to ten different stores to make sure you wouldn’t want for anything, and his staff have all been instructed to regularly replace anything you might need.”

I stare at her wide-eyed and blush fiercely as I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Am I that obvious?”

She hoists herself up on the kitchen counter and shakes her head. “No, you’re just very similar to Xavier. Possessive. Crazy. Hopelessly in love.”

“I’m not—” I almost deny being in love with Xavier but then think better of it. We’re supposed to act like a couple in front of his family, and I really should be trying to make a good impression on my sister-in-law.

“Tell me how I can help,” Valeria says, a sweet smile on her face.

I nod and gather our ingredients. “My grandmother taught me this recipe,” I explain. “But somehow, my cookies never taste quite as good as hers. I haven’t figured out what the secret ingredient is, but my cookies come pretty close. We’ll have to work in batches to make enough for everyone.”

Valeria nods, and we work together quietly for a while. I normally don’t like having people in the kitchen with me, but she never gets in the way and somehow seems to anticipate what I might need before I even ask for it.

“Valeria?” I say, my voice carrying a hint of uncertainty. “I wanted to apologize for treating you so coldly that day in the restroom.”

She grins. “No need to apologize. If anything, it’s exactly what I was hoping to see. Sierra Windsor, filled with jealousy and throwing the words my fiancé around like they truly meant something to you.”

I look down, unable to refute her words. I really was jealous, and I’d felt so possessive, when I really had no right to feel that way. I still don’t.

“I also need to apologize, for taking so long to tell you that I’m Xavier’s sister.”

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