“You’re the one they parade around in public while they hide me away. I did everything to be perfect so they’d finally recognize me, but it was never enough. I was never good enough for them.” Her eyes shimmered with tears, and her face was red.
I shook my head, not quite following.
“You still don’t get it, do you? I’m not your cousin, Penny. I’m your sister! Your half-sister thatDaddyhid away in plain sight.”
I shook my head. “No. The timeline isn’t right.”
If Deanna was from Dad’s affair, she’d be a lot younger. She was only a few years younger than me. Unless…oh god! Unless the affair had been going on for years by the time we found out about it, or she was from yet another woman.
“Seems pretty right to me,” she said bitterly.
“Does my mom know?”
Deanna rolled her eyes. “Of course not. She’s a dumb bitch like you!”
Movement in my peripheral vision caught my eye. Someone was holding Prax back. He looked ready to strangle Deanna, but magical vines wrapped around him, stopping him.
I understood now where her anger came from, but that still didn’t make her actions forgivable. And there were too many eyes on us. I decided to take the high road.
“Listen, Deanna, I’m sorry you felt unwanted. But fucking with my life won’t change that. Your beef is with Dad, not with me. I’mnotthe reason why you never got the recognition you wanted. And if you want to know the truth, I never got the recognition you think I got either; I only ever disappointed them. They didn’t even comfort me when Travis left. Instead, they came over to tell me that I’d embarrassed them and told me to fix it.” I couldn’t stop the emotion from cracking my voice.“Anyway. I’m here with my friends, and I would like to enjoy my Saturday night, so please leave before I have you thrown out.”
Deanna could have just left, but instead, she decided to call me a stupid cunt. That was bad enough, but it was her trying to reach for Prax that did it. I concentrated my magic on her, lifting her up off her feet.
Her eyes went wide. “Let me go!”
I ignored her and walked her step by step out of the pub. It had been raining earlier in the day, and I was tempted to dump her in a puddle but decided not to…until she started running her mouth again, that is. That’s when I plopped her ass-first into the muddiest puddle in sight. I hoped that never came out of her Chanel dress.
Sure, it sucked for her that she was never recognized because she was Dad’s illegitimate child, but that didn’t give her the right to be a jerk to me. I wasn’t responsible for my dad’s actions.
Ignoring her insults, I turned and walked back into the pub.
Daryl met me at the door. “That is the most effective way to kick someone out I’ve ever seen. You didn’t even have to touch her. I need to hire you for security.”
I laughed, trying not to let my exhaustion show. The levitation spell had taken a lot more out of me than I’d expected: up till now, I’d never levitated anything heavier than a pencil. “Yeah… That was a long time coming.”
“Well, I suggest you take your incubus upstairs to finish your talk in private unless you want your conversation recorded by every phone in the pub.”
“That was all filmed, wasn’t it?”
“Yup. It’s going to be all over the internet. Sorry.”
I sighed. “Whatever. She’s the one who started it. She wanted my dad’s attention? She’s going to get it.”
Daryl waved to Gigi, and she released the spell restraining Prax as I walked toward the back hallway. I had barely made it through the door to the stairwell when Prax caught up with me. I gasped as he lifted me clean off my feet and held me to his chest.
“Oh god, Penny. I missed you so much. I can’t believe I forgot about you.” He planted kisses all over my face. “But it’s ok now. I remember everything.”
I sent him my frostiest look. “I guess freedom wasn’t as much fun as you thought?”
His brows knit together. “I never meant any of it. I never wanted to leave. Honest. But I needed to convince you to nullify the spell. You weren’t safe—that troll wasn’t going to give up on you, and neither were the others. I realized I was putting you in danger. So I lied to you. I’m so sorry.”
He brought out his phone and showed me the pictures. “I kept these because I was hoping they would help me remember. I kept your number but changed the name, then left a note tellingmyself not to call it but to pick up the moment you did. I’ve been waiting for your call for weeks.”
Really?
“I didn’t call because I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with just some fun with you,” I said carefully. “Your note implied that was all you could offer. So I made myself quit you cold turkey.”
“I lied about that, too. I want more than just a good time with you, Penny. I want forever.”