Page 69 of The Fiancé Hoax

Gen crossed her arms in a huff. I could practically feel the anger emanating from her. I just hoped she wouldn't make a scene.

The next three children displayed their artwork, and the teacher wrapped up the presentation. The parents stood up and approached their kids to congratulate them.

“Don't make this difficult, Gen,” I said under my breath.

She ignored me and crossed the room to Lily. Felicity and I followed close behind her.

“Awesome job, sweet pea,” I said to Lily. “I'm so proud of—”

“Lily, darling, you know I hate cats,” Gen interrupted. She looked down at Lily with a frown. “Why would you make that picture of a cat for me?”

“Gen, this is not the place,” I muttered under my breath. “We can talk about this later.”

Lily blinked up at us. “I made it…” Her voice trailed off in the last few words, and she fidgeted with the bow on her dress.

“What's that, dear?” Gen asked.

“I made it for Felicity,” Lily said. She looked at the floor.

I put my hand on her shoulder. “You did a great job, Lily. It’s a beautiful picture, and you did so well speaking up in front of everyone.”

Gen was fuming. She turned to me. “I suppose this was your idea, Cooper?”

I ignored Gen.

“Lily, I’ll see you later, okay? I'll pick you up from school this afternoon.” She nodded. I bent down to give her a hug. “I'm so proud of you, kiddo.”

I turned to Felicity. “Will you stay here with Lily while I talk to Gen for a couple minutes?”

“Sure,” Felicity said. She gathered her long skirt and kneeled to be at Lily’s eye level.

Gen opened her mouth to say something, but I surreptitiously grabbed her elbow to steer her away before she could.

I wouldn’t allow her to make a scene in my daughter's classroom. Lily had gone through enough without her parents arguing in front of her teacher and friends.

“Bye, Lily,” Gen called over her shoulder.

I glanced back to see Felicity hugging Lily. Silently, I led Gen out the door to the hallway. She yanked free of my hand and scowled at me.

“What the hell, Cooper? Keep your hands off me.”

“Gladly,” I said. “But I wasn't going to let you ruin Lily's day like that.”

“I'm the girls’ mother, Cooper. Not her!”

“But you’ve never acted like it, Gen. In fact, this is the first school event of Eva’s or Lily’s you’ve ever attended.” I kept my voice low and calm. “Why should Lily make a picture for you? You’re never around.”

Gen rolled her eyes. “I won’t be judged by you, Cooper. And I’m not fooled by”—she waved her hands through the air—“your little act. You’re just playing house with that girl.”

“It's up to the judge to decide.”

“Yes, it is,” she hissed. “And I'm going to make sure I get the money.”

My eyes widened as her words hung in the air.

When she realized what she’d said, she quickly corrected her slip of the tongue. “I mean, the girls! I'm going to get custody of the girls.”

I chuckled to myself and took a step closer so I could speak under my breath. “You know, my offer still stands. I can just give you a lump sum. We both know the money is all you want.”

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