Page 78 of Beyond the Hate

I shrug. “What’s the big deal? I can ask you again later if you prefer.”

“I prefer.”

‘She must have hired him,” Regan announces.

“Hired me? I own two businesses. I’m not an employee.”

She nods. “Exactly. You’re a billionaire. You wouldn’t date my sister.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with your sister?”

“We love Aunt Paisley,” Luna and Emma say.

“Do you always speak in unison?”

“No. Sometimes we...”

“…finish each other’s sentences.”

“I’m glad none of my brothers were twins. They were enough trouble as it was.”

Luna bats her eyelashes while Emma widens her eyes. “We’re not trouble.”

Darcy crosses her arms over her chest and glares at her children. “Which is why you went to wait in the car when I asked you to.”

“But we want to know how many children Aunt Paisley is having,” Luna says.

“We want cousins to play with,” Emma adds.

Darcy’s nostrils flare. “Go wait in the car.”

The twins study their mom for a long second before whirling around and running out of the house. “Bye, Aunt Paisley. Bye, Uncle Eli.”

Warmth slams into my chest.Uncle Eli. I want to be their uncle Eli. I want to be Paisley’s family.

I shove those thoughts away. Family doesn’t stay. Family can leave. Family can destroy your heart.

I squeeze Paisley’s hand. “We should be going. We don’t want to be late.”

“You don’t have to pretend any longer,” Darcy says. “The children are gone now. You can let Paisley go.”

“We’re not pretending,” Paisley says.

Regan rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure. This isn’t Cinderella. The nerdy stepsister doesn’t get the billionaire.”

“Did you ever read Cinderella?” Paisley asks.

“Are you saying I can’t read? Just because I’m not a nerd the way you are, doesn’t mean I can’t read,” Regan spits out.

“There’s more to life than books.” Darcy rakes her gaze over Paisley. “Such as taking care of yourself.”

“A little makeup wouldn’t hurt,” Regan says.

“And some fashion sense.”

Regan opens her mouth to speak again but I hold up a hand. “Aren’t you going to stop this?” I ask Paisley’s mother.

Eleanor wrings her hands together. “They’re only teasing.”

---