I’d call him out on his use of the word toxic, but it happens to be true. If anything, Char and Deb take toxic to a whole new level.
“Of course, I fear them, and, if you were wise, you would, too. Face it, there’s no one else on this side of the continental divide who can strike the fear of payback in you the way they can. Besides, what prank would even be worthy to take on the divas of damaged psyches? Let’s be realistic. Those old gals are twisted, and I shudder to think what their devious minds might conjure up in the name of retribution.” Although it would be fun to watch Jax, the casual billionaire boy, squirm as a little good old-fashioned recompense is doled out via his mad maven of a mama.
His bedroom eyes wince my way as he leans in. “Why are you grinning at me that way?”
“I thought you were used to women falling all over you with a greasy smile.”
“I am.” His knee grazes over mine once again. “And usually when they’re baring their fangs, they’re getting ready to bite. See anything you’d like to sink your teeth into?”
“Down, boy,” I’m quick to reprimand.
“Not so fast, Pops.” Sadie gets that squirrely look in her eyes. “I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss a good naughty invite.”
Mack pushes Sadie aside. “Down, girl.” She opens her mouth to say something else, but all that manages to eke out is a small choking sound. She draws another breath and gasps. “Oh my word! You did it, Sadie!”
“I did?” She scoots my way a notch, in the event the Fireball my sister just imbibed has inspired her to test out her uppercut on my sweet pixie friend.
“Yes! You just gave me the brainstorm of the century.” Mack’s eyes swirl like pinwheels. “I’ve got the ultimate prank we can pull on those mischievous mavens as they get ready to turn a sexy sixty.”
“Give it to me,” Jax says while looking at my sister, but his knee rubs over my own, warm and lingering, and I can’t help but think he’s throwing out the perverted invite once again. Something tells me Jax isn’t one to hear no very often, and the thought of sending him home without a vaginal pocket to place his penis brings a dark smile to my face.
“The two of you”—Mack slides a shot of liquid gold to both Jax and me—“are going to pull the ultimate prank on our mothers.”
I avert my eyes at the thought. “Well played, Mack. So when the ax falls, you’ll be safely on the sidelines with Sadie. Right. There’s no way I’m pulling anything on those two beady-eyed biddies, unless you enlist yourself along with Jules and Kali, too.” Jules and Kali are Jaxson’s sisters—one older, one younger, both far more affable.
Mack bounces in her seat, giddy with excitement. “No can do. What I have planned only the two of you can pull off.”
Sadie knocks back her drink and slams the shot glass to the table. “Don’t keep us in suspense. Midnight is nearing—and I’ve got a loose set of lips to wrangle up.”
“Okay.” Mackenzie closes her eyes a moment as if summoning all her strength for the effort. “You know how Mom and Deb have been after the two of you to get together ever since you were in the womb? Well, I say give them what they want.” A tiny dimple in her left cheek digs in as she indulges in a self-gratifying smile.
“I don’t get it.” I look to Jaxson, who seems to be warming to the idea, wetting his lips, chest expanding like a sexed-up baboon. “Oh, wait”—I sit up straight—“you don’t mean…”
“Yes.” Mack clasps my hands tight. “The two of you pretend to be knock-down, drag-out, head over heels in love. And then, once their sixtieth birthday bash slash huge announcement settles down, you lay it on them—whamo!” She slaps both hands down on the table so hard, half the bar turns to see if shots were fired.
“That’s cruel, Mackenzie.” I’m the first to protest. “That’s heartless.” That’s brilliant is what it is.
“It’s a heart stopper,” Jax adds in that low octave that makes my girl parts bounce on cue. Dear God, this man is a hormonal weapon of mass destruction.
“It will kill them.” Now it’s my knee rubbing up against his. Take that, Mister Women-in-My-Presence-Don’t-Require-Personal-Space.
“It will kill them.” Jax bears those luminescent eyes into mine, and I’m prisoner to his haunting good looks. It’s not fair. The universe knows I’m a sucker for black hair and blue eyes, those dimples that I actually once stuck my finger in while Jaxson did his best impersonation of an electrical socket. I used to get thirsty for a tall glass of water just looking at his eyes, and now I’m just thirsty for him.
Sadie clears her throat, but neither Jax nor I am willing to break our stare. “You can always let them down easy. Haven’t they earned something just this side of heart stopping? I mean—showing up at prom? That was pretty brutal. And the time they held a surprise birthday party for you, Pops—and yet the invites they sent out were actually to your faux engagement party? Remember the lines at the return counter? I was with you. It was brutal.”
“I forgot all about that.” My entire body burns with something just this side of anger as a sense of self-righteous revenge percolates in me anew. “I was thirteen for shit’s sake!”
Jax taps the table with a dead look in his eyes. “My mother made me pick out a ring.”
“They deserve it.” Mack inches those shot glasses toward the two of us, and Jax and I each glom onto our own.
“They deserve it.” He lifts his glass as if toasting the idea.
“They deserve it.” I touch my glass to his, then Mack’s and Sadie’s.
“To love!” Mack raises her suspiciously empty glass a little higher, and we do the same.
“To love,” we cry out as a group.
Mack is quick to excuse herself, citing the fact she needs to check on Dave and the kids before disappearing. Sadie outright blows us a kiss before trotting off to the deep end of the bar where there’s enough testosterone and cologne to drown in.
Jaxson Stade brazenly runs his knee over mine with those oven-heated eyes searing me from the inside. “You in this, Eight Ball?”
Eight ball. Now there’s a blast from the past. Jax thought up that pool-based moniker after I insisted that the eight ball was demonic and we should banish billiard games from our after-school repertoire. In my defense, I was seven, and he went right along with it until his father almost tore him a new one for falling for something so idiotic. Jax actually had a great father whom he lost just as we were about to leave for college. And as far as I know, it’s still a pretty sore subject, so I don’t dare contest him on the silly name just yet.
“That’s right, Gordo.” A cheesy grin glides over my face. Jax was Gordo to my Lizzy aka Lizzy McGuire—the show I enjoyed best during my storied childhood with this panty-dropping prankster seated before me. Those were the good old days. I have no idea where they’ve gone.
Jax holds out his hand, and I place my palm over his and we reinitiate our once secret handshake, two pats, a firm shake, and a knuckle bump. That’s what best friends do. They have great monikers that outlast collegiate life and secret handshakes that imbed themselves into our muscle memory. His hand is thicker, stronger than I remember it. Everything about Jaxson Stade is far more heart-stoppingly masculine than I ever remember.
“It’s good to have you back, Poppy.” Something just this side of fatigue is layered in that look he gives me. It’s probably closer to regret or resentment.
“You don’t have to fake it with me, Jaxson. You hate this. I’m the last person on the planet you want to even pretend to like.” I growl over at him without meaning to. “Don’t worry. As soon as our big reveal is through, I plan on being on the next plane back to L.A.”
The band stops playing, and the lead singer starts in on the New Year’s countdown as couples scurry together to get their midnight molestations underway.
“Now go ahead and get back to that boob parade you’re the grand marshal of,” I snip. “I’d hate for any of your bodily members to miss out on their shining moment.”
An
d with that, I head back into the icy night, slipping all the way to my mother’s loaner in my thousand dollar L.A. Louboutins and freezing in my flimsy leather jacket.
I shiver all the way back home, wondering just what in the hell I’ve gotten myself into.
Jaxson
Poppy Montgomery.
Now there’s a name that never leaves my conscious—but that face, those hot full lips I would love to take a bite out of, they never seem to leave my dreams. It’s one thing to think about her, but another altogether to have her here in the flesh. Her beating heart was just a second away from mine last night. I didn’t want her to leave like that, but it seems like my entire life I’ve had the ability to chase her away. It wasn’t always that way—somewhere around sophomore year I turned scaring Poppy away into an unintentional art form. Wish to hell I knew what I did wrong. I rack my brain trying to figure that out every damn day.
“Penny for your thoughts.” My mother comes up beside me as I stare out the window at the construction crew working busily away on this the first day of the new year. I didn’t hang out after Poppy left last night. In fact, I followed her home just to make sure she got there safe. I hung back far enough for her not to notice. I’m not sure she would care if she did. I’m not sure why I care. I’ve never been hated so much by anyone the way that girl hates me. Not that I didn’t secretly enjoy every moment we’ve ever spent together. I made all of her rage worth her while. Half the things I did in my life were meant to infuriate that girl.
“It’ll cost you a billion,” I tease as I sigh at the sight. “Contractor says two more months. You think you can handle my man stink for that long?”
Mom tips her head at me in the way only moms can do when they’re looking at you from under their lashes. For the most part, she’s a shorter, far more feminine version of myself, and I’ve always been proud to take after her in more ways than one. She’s a strong woman. Full of fight with a feisty heart. “Only if you throw that stink in the shower every now and again.”
“Will do.” I ruffle up her hair.
The property my mother owns is more or less a compound spread over three hundred acres. The day I turned eighteen I moved into the guesthouse about a stone’s throw from the main house. My father died just prior to that, and I knew I didn’t want to leave a house full of my favorite women all alone in the countryside.
My older sister, Jules, was dating at the time, and Kali was still in middle school. And now that Jules is newly divorced—the asshole who thought it was a great idea to marry and knock her up—left her with a two-year-old boy whom I’ve become a surrogate father to, I couldn’t live too much farther. I’ve given the guesthouse to Jules and my sweet nephew Jensen while I’ve built—am in the process of building, a new home for myself just about a half mile down the road. Kali is still in the house with Mom, and I think everyone is happy with this new arrangement.
Mom gives a little chuckle. “Word on the mean streets of Oak Grove is that Poppy Montgomery flew in on her broomstick last night.” She gives a little wink while stirring her coffee. I know that broomstick quip was meant to rile me up more than it was an insult toward Pops. Mom loves Poppy as if she were her own. “Charlene invited us to dinner tonight to welcome her back. How many stocks of Stade Steel do I have to bribe you with to make sure you show up for that good time?”
My heart gives an unnatural thump. Here it is—show time crept up on me a hell of a lot sooner than I expected. “Of course, I’ll be there. And you know that big announcement you and Char have happening in just a few weeks?”
Mom jogs in place, nearly spilling her coffee as she gets worked up like a giddy schoolgirl. Her eyes burn bright as blue flames. My father used to say I have my mother’s eyes, and that’s something I don’t mind at all. I happen to think my mother is beautiful both inside and out, no matter how certifiable she’s proven to be over the years.
“I’ve got a little announcement myself I’ll be making tonight.” I give a quick kiss to her cheek as I take off.
“Wait a minute!” she calls after me. “An announcement? You know I’m no good with suspense! I can’t wait until tonight!”
A dark laugh pulses through me as I head out into the icy air, the snow billowing in mounds alongside the driveway. I start in on a sprint as I go to track down Kali and Jules at the guesthouse. I don’t think either of my sisters will care that I’ll be dating—or in the least pretending to date Poppy. Jules might flinch, but she’ll get over it. There’s only one person whom I think might do a little more than flinch, and that person is Conner Montgomery. He’s been like the brother I’ve never had, still is. I see him every damn day ever since I hired him as head of legal at Stade Steel.
No, Conner will not appreciate me anywhere near his baby sister. That’s too bad for Conner because we’re all grown up now, and I’m done listening to anything he has to say on the matter.
I should have never listened to begin with.
The guesthouse is quaint, which is a nice way of saying small as hell, but I made it work for eight long years. And much to my sister’s credit, she has managed to strip this tiny abode of any signs that a grown man ever lived in it. Instead, she’s turned it into a shabby chic disaster that any thirteen-year-old girl would die for.
Jensen runs over and whacks me on the knee with his toy fire truck that lights up and shrills an obnoxious howl in my ear. He’s redheaded and freckled and cute as a bug, and at the same time a doppelganger of the father who left him.
“Hey, buddy, why don’t you show me how to work the TV?”
“I knows dat!” The look of persistence in his eyes gets me, and I tuck a quick kiss to the top of his head. “I can do it for Mommy!” He takes off for the sofa, and I nod for Kali and Jules to join me at the table. My sisters all share my mother’s features, same dark hair, same siren blue eyes. There’s a saying in Oak Grove that the Stades are all dimpled lookalikes. It’s fair to say they’re right.
“What’s up?” Jules plucks Kali’s phone out from her hand, and now they’re both frowning over at me.
Just as I’m about to fill them in on my latest, possibly greatest deception, a fist grows in my throat, and I can’t seem to push the words out. There’s something about having this false relationship with Poppy of all people that seems to have struck a nerve. I couldn’t get her out of my head last night. Not that it’s anything new, but this time there was a genuine level of heartache behind it. Poppy and I are fragile. We have been for so long. I’m not sure what this will do to us. One thing is for sure—it’s going to get messy.
“What is it?” Kali’s eyes widen, large as windows that let you peer right into her sweet soul.
“It’s a surprise.” There. It’s about all I can manage at the moment. “I’m making an announcement tonight at the Montgomery’s. I’ll need both of you there.” I couldn’t tell them the truth. If Mom gets a whiff of this being a ruse, she might break them for the info, and I’d hate to put them in that position.
“You’ll be at the Montgomery’s?” Jules’s face tempers to repulsion. Jules is well aware that Poppy broke my heart. Ironic since Poppy is yet to be let in on that fact. “You do realize that Poppy is in town.” The look on Jules’s face is priceless. You would think having Poppy Montgomery in my life is the equivalent of head lice. Jules tips her chin down, her expression stern as shit. “Is it about the company?”
Ever since that clown she was married to took off, she’s seen the world through crap covered glasses. It’s as if she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not that her life will ever be hard. Our grandfather ensured that very thing once he founded Stade Steel. Nope. Forever the three of us will be well taken care of far beyond any material wealth most of the world will ever know. I think that’s why we strive to be close, to keep the lines of communication open, and to never, ever lie to one another—like I’m doing now.
“It’s not about the company.”
Kali huffs a quick laugh. “This has to do with he
r, doesn’t it?” Her face brightens with the question as if calling me out on my bullshit.
Kali was at the bar last night along with that kid she hangs out with twenty-four seven, Cole—and so help him God if he offends her with a simple wink. I don’t have a very high tolerance toward people of the opposite gender treating either of my sisters poorly. I’m still in the process of making Ron’s life a living nightmare for leaving Jules and Jensen—but at the moment, I appreciate him out of their lives. It makes room for peace, for me, for our family to grow tighter as a unit. After my father died, I became the man of the family and that’s exactly who I plan on being until my dying day.
“Well?” Kali’s eyes bug out. “I knew it. I saw the way you two were sitting at that table last night. And the way you both left at about the same time. Eww! Did you bring her to your room and screw her?”
Jules chokes out a laugh. “I bet if you woke Mom up, she would have cheered from the sidelines.”
As sick and twisted as that sounds, I know it’s true.
Jules sours as if on cue. “Don’t tell me you and that hussy have something happening between you. She treated you like less than dirt for the better half of your life. I’m not going to let her take advantage of you that way. And if she’s suddenly your best friend again after all these years, I can’t help but wonder if it’s some Stade Steel green she’s after.”
Poppy isn’t a gold digger, but as much as I want to defend her, it’ll only rile Jules up. Jules can be rabid once she gloms onto a subject. Get her lathered up in a heap, and there’s no letting go of it on her part. And the last thing I want her shredding to pieces is Poppy.
“You’ll have to wait and see like everybody else. Dinner tonight at the Montgomery’s. It’s going to be a memorable night.”
“I bet.” Kali kicks me from under the table as if she’s already enjoying the prospect of Poppy and me toughing it out. Not that the thought of being with Pops would be tough on any level. I miss her. The old Poppy, Eight Ball to be exact. I miss the old us. I miss my father being here and our mothers colluding to get us together. I miss a lot of things. But this new version of what we’ve become is one thing I can do without.