Page 52 of The Tangle of Awful

“Don’t take this out on her,” I rush out. “She’s so fragile with her mom missing and her dad kicking her out. Please, Dad.”

His gaze softens. “I’m not going to punish her. Or you. In fact, I’d be happiest if we never discussed this again.”

I nod and make a motion of zipping my lips with the fingers that still smell like Aubrey. “Not a word.” I make a motion toward the house next door. “I’m going to go out with Dempsey. Maybe everything will be back to normal by the time I get back.”

Unlikely, but I can pretend.

“Normal,” Dad repeats, a pensive expression on his face. “Normal would be great.” He walks over to the window again, back once more facing me, and grows quiet.

Good.

I’ve fixed Dad’s little fixation by revealing how not-so-innocent his stepdaughter is.

He’ll remember who she is and everything will go back to normal for him.

But for me and Aubrey?

Torment will soon be her new normal and I can’t fucking wait to dole it out to her.

Hugo

It takes everything in me to hold my composure until I hear the faint hum of the garage door opening, signaling Spencer’s departure.

Un-fucking-believable.

I’d been so wrapped up in my own shit with Aubrey that I’d completely been blind as to what was happening right under my nose—under my own roof—with my own son.

I thought they hated each other. And yet, the same day I had her in my lap with her lips on mine, she also had her tongue down my son’s throat.

Bile creeps up my throat. The media would have a field day with this shit. Father and son secretly making out with the same goddamn girl. Worse yet, she’s family. My stomach twists at the thought of everyone in Park Mountain a witness to our family drama.

That can’t happen.

It’d cost me the election for sure.

And then they’d start asking questions about where Neena is. Conclusions would be drawn and suddenly, my ass would be in jail for the murder of my wife. I’ve seen enough crime TV to know the husband is always the suspect. Now, because of my dick, I’d have motive too.

She’s not dead.

At least I hope not. I mean, I want to kill her because she takes such great satisfaction in ruining my life, but I know Neena. This is another stunt of hers.

What happens when she finds out her daughter was grinding against my cock this afternoon?

A shot of anger spikes through me again, this time directed at Aubrey. She seemed pretty fucking into me earlier. When I stopped what was happening, she was upset. I’d witnessed firsthand the hurt on her face. Longed for another taste of her pouty bottom lip.

She was pissed at me and decided to seek revenge by kissing Spencer?

I storm out of Spencer’s room and head straight for hers. Twisting the knob, I send the door flinging against the wall with a loud bang. It would be smarter to cool off before addressing her, but I can’t. I need to know what happened. More importantly, why.

Her figure appears in the doorway of her bathroom. She’s wide-eyed and her lips are parted. The white towel wrapped around her body is snuggly tied, showing off her sexy curves. Her long blond hair is damp, dripping rivulets of water down her upper chest.

“Hugo?” she squeaks out. “Is everything okay?”

No.

Nothing is okay.

Everything is all fucked-up and has been ever since she walked back into our lives this week.

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