Page 51 of One Little Kiss
“Shut up, Beast,” the Lanie lookalike growls, entering the room with a little girl still attached to her hip. “I’m Lexi, by the way. You’d think these jackasses would have had some etiquette lessons with all their money, but just ignore them.”
As soon as she says her name, I remember GG talking about her other granddaughter, Lexi. My arms instinctually wrap around Weston in case I need to run. I’m beginning to think they’re all insane.
“Everyone get out here,” GG calls from the hallway. “Stop crowdin’ her.”
Lexi crouches in front of Weston and me. “Hey, buddy. Do you want to come play with me and AJ in the other room? Beth is there, too.”
Wes glances from me to the little girl in Lexi’s arms and then to Colton. He slightly nods his head with a warm smile, and Weston beams. It’s like Colton just poured salt all over my busted-up heart. It makes me hate him a little.
Moisture dampens my eyelashes, and I blink to keep them at bay as Wes hoards as many toy trains as he can carry. “Leave those here, buddy. They aren’t ours. We have to leave them here.”
“Go ahead and take them, Wes. They are yours, forever. I won’t take them from you.”
It’s one thing to tell me what to do, but this asshole does not get to mess with my kid. Weston, sensing I’m about to correct him, scatters from the room with all the adults scurrying behind him. I stomp across the room, anger making my hands twitch with the need to break something.
“How dare you?” I seethe when I’m inches from his body. “You do not get to tell him what to do. You do not get to undermine my authority with him. Is this some kind of sick joke to you? This is my life, Colton. My fucked up, exhausting, thoroughly chaotic life. You don’t get to go messing around in it on a whim, you arrogant, self-obsessed, prima donna playboy.”
He takes a step forward, forcing me back. Then another, and another, until my back is against the wall and I’m breathing hard.
“One more time, Win. Everyone else in this fucking world can misjudge me. You cannot.”
“Why? Why does it matter what I think about you?”
“It matters,” he rumbles, “because you’re the only one in my life that I need to impress.”
“Why?”
“Because from the second I saw you, I was invested. The way you read with such intensity. The way you pushed when I pulled. The way your eyes sparkle, and your competitive nature. You got under my skin in a way I haven’t been able to give up, even when you ghosted me. It matters because, despite what you say, you need my help, and I need you.”
“To fix your reputation.”
His finger hooks under my chin, and my lip quivers as he raises my face within inches of his. “To fix me, Winnie. I don’t give a shit about my reputation. I need you because I think you’re the missing part of me.”
“Y-You don’t know me.”
He grins, and my knees buckle. If the wall wasn’t holding me up right now, I would certainly fall. “That’s the best part about me, baby. I dive into the deep end and learn as I go.”
“That’s not how I work.”
“We’ll figure it out together.”
“You’re crazy.” Shaking my head, I try to clear my thoughts. I can’t think when he’s this close.Too close. My body bends to his will so easily it’s terrifying. And heady. I need to keep my wits about me. “You can’t just move strangers into your home.”
“Why not?”
“Colton, be serious. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. And I have Weston to think about. He’s the only thing that matters to me. I know what it feels like to have a dad walk out on you. I’ve had the displeasure of it happening twice. I can’t have him getting attached to you, and then have you bail when it’s not fun anymore. I won’t do that to him. Plus, you don’t know me!” I wail. “You don’t know what kind of mess I have on my plate.”
Colton reaches for my hand with graceful speed, clasping it to his chest. “I know your mother passed away. That you were her only caretaker, and that it was a horrific way to die. That it caused you unbearable pain. I know you’re concerned about Weston and his struggles, but I can already tell he’s an incredible kid. I know he calls you mom, and you both love and hate it.”
“How—”
“I see it in your expression when he calls you mommy. You are his mother now for all intents and purposes, but I see the guilt you carry for accepting that honor. I know your father is a piece of shit more interested in money than Weston’s care. I know the big, shitty pieces of your life, and I know I can help make them better. I also know that you’ll need to fill me in on all the details that made these big events so painful whenever you’re ready. So don’t tell me I don’t know you, CC, because I do. And I’m still here. I want you and Weston. I want it all.”
Gah! What the hell?
“I’m sorry, Colton. But you’re insane. You know about me, that doesn’t mean you know me. What did you think was going to happen here? I was going to wake up, look around, and think, hey! I just hit the jackpot! Score! Let’s live happily ever after? This isn’t a fairytale, Mr. Westbrook. My sad excuse for a life will not clean up your reputation. I won’t allow you to use us that way. I appreciate you taking care of me when I was ill, but if you think I’m just going to move in with you because you said so, you really don’t know me at all.”
I huff past him and turn in circles in the hallway. This house is like a freaking maze. Finally getting my bearings, I find everyone in the family room talking to the sheriff, who looks anything but pleased to be here.
