Enticing: Chapter 13

Well, I didn’t see that plot twist coming.

—Addie’s Secret Thoughts

My eyes close as I suck in a jagged breath. This was hard enough before Coraline handed my baby to my own personal hockey hottie over there—not that he’s mine—but then you add in the way his big hand cups the back of Lennox’s head and the way his blue eyes keep looking from her to me . . .

I’m pretty sure my brain is mid-malfunction.

It’s too much.

The man. The marriage. My life.

“You want to tell him or should I?” Coraline asks, and I think I finally truly understand what I mean when I say one of my characters growls. Because the sound that vibrates deep in my chest is threatening.

Can I kill my sister?

Fine. I know I can’t. But the brat is going to pay for this . . . eventually.

No time like the present to pull up the big-girl panties because the post-baby-number-two panties definitely got bigger.

Sonofabitch.

I hold Leo’s eyes and force my shoulders back for the hit that’s likely coming fast and hard. “Our parents are Gregory and Felicity James.”

It takes about sixty seconds before he puts the pieces of the puzzle together, then as if in slow motion, I watch the shock wash over him before understanding takes its place. “Like the owner of the Boston Bay Hawks, Greg James?”

I nod, desperately wanting to know what he’s thinking.

Knowing your parents weren’t the greatest is one thing. Having someone else say it is something else entirely.

“Damn, Addie. I was really sorry to hear about their plane going down. To lose one of them like that had to be hard. But both of them . . .” he trails off and runs a hand down my arm and squeezes my hand while balancing Lennox. It’s smooth and natural, like he’s done it a thousand times. Impressive and not at all what I’d expect from a bachelor in his mid-twenties.

I’m not sure my ex was ever that good with Izzy when she was a baby, and I’m even less sure that I should keep comparing the two.

“Thank you.” I swallow. “It wasn’t easy. But we survived,” I admit, and Coraline agrees.

“Let’s just say Mom and Dad were as controlling in life as they are in death, and they rarely approved of either of our choices,” Cori adds, and Leo looks from her to me.

“The inheritance?” he asks, and I nod because yes, my parents were billionaires, and I can barely afford to live. If I’d gone to med school like they wanted, I have no doubt I’d be living like a queen. But I made my choices, and I don’t regret them. Not even Gavin. Because as awful as he was, I have Izzy and Lennox because of that horrible man.

Forcing my emotions back into the box where I like to keep them neatly tucked away, I remind myself to have some semblance of control. “They definitely set up both our inheritances in a way that would allow them to maintain the control over our lives in death that they wish we’d allowed them to have in life.”

Coraline fakes a cough, and I glare before elaborating, “They were never fans of Izzy and Lennox’s father, and we lost them before I left him, so my best guess is the inheritance was their way of trying to make me leave him. My mother always said if he was the one, we would have gotten married when I got pregnant with Izzy. She thought since we hadn’t, it was clear we should break up. She wanted me to find someone more suitable.” Remembering the fights we had over Gavin through the years brings all the frustration back to the surface.

“So they didn’t like your ex, but you did?” The question might be reasonable, but I bristle all the same. Not because I’m at all protective of Gavin, but because I’m not ready to dump all my dirty laundry at Leo’s feet. Not now, when I feel like I’ve already been flayed open and left like one big, exposed nerve.

“We didn’t have a good relationship, and I should have left him before I did. But hindsight is twenty-twenty. And it doesn’t do any of us any good to play the what if game,” I try to sound calm instead of like I’m completely dying inside, talking about any of this.

Leo kisses Lennox’s head, and my heart cracks. “If you’d have left him earlier, you wouldn’t have her.”

Fuck him for being so damn perfect.

“Listen,” Cori interrupts, thankfully, because this man just stole my voice and maybe the first piece of my heart. “Our father was known for being a dick. It’s okay. We know it. Luckily, he wasn’t always that way with us. But dear old Mom and Dad thought it would be smart to put solid-gold strings on our inheritance. Indisputable ones. The entire estate is split fifty-fifty between the two of us, but Addie doesn’t get her half until she turns thirty or gets married.”

“And Coraline has to finish law school and then wait until she turns thirty or gets married to get hers,” I finish for her.

“You’re kidding. Your parents were billionaires, and they didn’t leave either of you access to anything?” he fumes for us, and damn him for chiseling away at the walls I’ve spent so much time fortifying.

Coraline skims something on her laptop, then looks up at us. “Okay. I just reread the stipulations, and nowhere in the contract does it say how long you have to remain married, Addie. But if you’re really thinking about doing this, which I 100 percent think you should, you’ve got to keep a couple of things in mind.”

I stare at her, waiting. “Like what?”

Am I seriously considering this?

I shouldn’t be.

“Right now, the board has complete control of the organization, and Uncle Jerry isn’t going to want to give that up.”

Leo looks at me, silently questioning.

“Uncle Jerry was Dad’s best friend, and he’s also the CFO of the Bay Hawks,” I add, and Cori nods.

“If you get married and divorced a month later, Uncle Jerry will contest the legality of the marriage.” When I choke a little, she nails me with a glare. “You know he’ll do it. All he’s ever wanted was to run the organization, and he’s been running it all for almost two years without having to answer to anyone but the board. He’s not going to want to give that up.”

Lennox babbles happily in Leo’s arms, and her small fist grabs the front of his white t-shirt, happy to nearly choke him. He doesn’t get pissed when I’m pretty sure she gets a fistful of skin. This giant of a man just kisses her fist.

Maybe . . . maybe we can do this.

“So we stay married for at least, what . . . a year?” he asks as a sexy grin spreads across his face, and I wish I knew why the hell he’s smiling like that when he should be running.

“Yup,” Coraline agrees. “And listen, I’m not a lawyer yet, but I know how this all plays out because Jerry and the board are going to dig.”

“What’s that mean?” I ask.

“It means you can’t tell anyone this isn’t a real marriage. That makes it fraud. Everyone needs to think it’s real. Everyone. That means, as far as your bigass family knows, it needs to be real, Leo.” She turns and pins me with her stare. “And you . . . that means the girls have to believe it too. There’s no way Jerry and his goons aren’t going to fight to avoid relinquishing the organization.” The look in Cori’s eyes says everything she’s not, and I bristle.

“He can have it—” I start.

“He can’t. They can’t.” She slams the laptop closed and rises, clearly pissed. “Marry him, Adelaide. Get your inheritance and take control of mine. You have the right to do it. You can’t give it to me early, but you’ll have my voting rights until I’m thirty. Use them. Keep Jerry where he is, or fire him and find someone else. But make sure that ignorant fuck knows he can’t mess with you. And make sure you have all the power you need to keep your girls safe from their father. It’s our birthright and theirs too. They all need to think your marriage is the most important thing in the world to you. They need to believe it. And once they do and you’ve taken control of your own finances, then you can do whatever you want. You can pay off Lennox’s hospital bills. Get a safe car. Fix the fucking water heater. Pay your property taxes and stay here or sell it and move. You’ll have options.”

Tears burn the backs of my eyes. “I’m not a good liar, Coraline.”

Leo pulls me against his chest, and in a move so unexpected I can hardly believe myself, I wrap an arm around his waist and let the first tears fall.

“We can make this so believable, you won’t feel like you’re lying, Adelaide.” His words are quiet and confident. Powerful. “I promise.”

Lennox smacks my cheek with her chubby palm and plants a wet, open-mouth kiss on my nose.

“That’s what I’m scared of, Leo,” I breathe out, trying to sound stronger than I feel.

“I won’t hurt you or the girls. I’ll protect you.” he promises, and I wish I could believe him, but experience has taught me otherwise.

“Can you make everyone believe it, Sinclair?” Cori asks him.

“Got any plans tonight, ladies?” He runs his hand over my hair and tugs at the ends, forcing my face up to his. “Because it sounds like we’ve got a coming-out to plan, and I just so happen to have a game later.”

“That could work.” Cori looks between Leo and me, a slightly unhinged smile on her face.

“I guarantee the Kroydon Kronicles is going to be talking about it, if you’re there. Two birds, one stone. My family will see us together, and when the Kronicles write about it, we’ll have social proof.”

“Ohh . . .” Cori stands. “Social proof. Now you’re speaking my language.”

“You want me to bring the girls to a hockey game?” I tilt my head back to look at him and force down a hysterical laugh. This is such a bad idea. “How do you know they’ll write about it?”

“Leave that part to me.” Everything about Leo is quietly confident.

He’ll get through this unscathed . . . but me . . . I’m not sure I’ve got it in me to survive Leo Sinclair.