“Some days are tougher than others, you know that.”
He nodded as I sat. “Sorry I ambushed you at Dad’s office. I just thought having Alex work with us would make things better between Alex and Dad. If you’re mad at Alex,” he started but I cut him off.
“I’m not.”
“So what’s wrong?”
I sighed. There was no way I could tell him. “Like I said, some days are worse than others. I just feel a little overwhelmed sometimes.”
“I can help you,” he offered hopefully. “So can Alex. Like last year.”
The knot in my stomach twisted. “Give me some time to think about it,” I said. “Now you have to go get packed. Your mom will be here before you know it.”
He nodded and closed the folder he was working on before he left the room. As if my day wasn’t stressful enough, I would soon have to face off with the ex-Mrs. Fullerton. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Just as I expected, she wore a hateful expression on her face from the moment I opened the door. She brushed past me. “I’m here to pick up my son.”
“He’s packing,” I explained as I followed her to the living room.
“Good,” she said as she spun to face me. “That’ll give us some time alone.” Her eyes were icy blue as she glared at me. “You may have everyone else fooled, but I saw through your game from the moment we met. You’re nothing but trailer trash that got lucky, and you’ll never fit into this family, I don’t care how many of these idiots you’ve snowed.”
My jaw clenched as I crossed my arms in front of me. “When are you going to get it, Elise? I don’t care if you hate me. This isn’t about us. This is about Jonathan.”
“Please,” she sneered. “Once your baby is born you’re going to forget all about him and you know it. He’s not your winning lottery ticket anymore. Now that you have a Fullerton heir of your very own, they’ll have to blast you with dynamite to get you away from this family.”
My eyebrow arched. “I guess you’d know.”
Her face screwed into a scowl. “You don’t know what I’ve been through for this family. I earned my place here. You weren’t around when Malcolm marched around here like the maniacal tyrant he was, making everyone miserable from the very moment I walked into this house.”
“Then why make it harder than it has to be?” I asked.
She stepped closer. “Because they don’t deserve easy. They got everything they ever wanted only to throw it away, used and damaged and ugly.” She held out her arms. “Just look at me. And don’t think Alex is any different. He’s not. In fact, he may be worse. At least Drew never denied being a womanizing, sexist jerk. He never said, ‘I love you.’ He never promised to be faithful.” She glared down her nose at me. “You think you’re the first one they’ve bounced between them like a tennis ball? That’s their favorite game. I can guarantee you won’t be the last, no matter what they tell you now. Maybe it’ll be a new secretary down at the office. Or you’ll end up with a new nanny for the new baby. As you get fatter, incubating a precious Fullerton offspring, a new crop of gold-digging whores will jump right in to take your place. A beautiful new girl will fall for the moony, romantic, unattainable Alex and Drew will go from chasing after you every night to sleeping in his study because he had to ‘work.’ He won’t stop until every woman alive knows who the real alpha male is, and just like us, they’ll all be powerless to resist. Then they’ll get the diamonds and the trips and the sex, while you get to smile pretty for the camera like nothing is wrong, and you’re perfectly content being just another brood mare for the stables.” She snickered. “So, yeah. I’ll take every goddamned dime I can get out of them.”
She glanced me up and down before she said, “You know, you should be down on your knees thanking me for giving Drew a reason to seduce you. As long as I’m around,
He nodded as I sat. “Sorry I ambushed you at Dad’s office. I just thought having Alex work with us would make things better between Alex and Dad. If you’re mad at Alex,” he started but I cut him off.
“I’m not.”
“So what’s wrong?”
I sighed. There was no way I could tell him. “Like I said, some days are worse than others. I just feel a little overwhelmed sometimes.”
“I can help you,” he offered hopefully. “So can Alex. Like last year.”
The knot in my stomach twisted. “Give me some time to think about it,” I said. “Now you have to go get packed. Your mom will be here before you know it.”
He nodded and closed the folder he was working on before he left the room. As if my day wasn’t stressful enough, I would soon have to face off with the ex-Mrs. Fullerton. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Just as I expected, she wore a hateful expression on her face from the moment I opened the door. She brushed past me. “I’m here to pick up my son.”
“He’s packing,” I explained as I followed her to the living room.
“Good,” she said as she spun to face me. “That’ll give us some time alone.” Her eyes were icy blue as she glared at me. “You may have everyone else fooled, but I saw through your game from the moment we met. You’re nothing but trailer trash that got lucky, and you’ll never fit into this family, I don’t care how many of these idiots you’ve snowed.”
My jaw clenched as I crossed my arms in front of me. “When are you going to get it, Elise? I don’t care if you hate me. This isn’t about us. This is about Jonathan.”
“Please,” she sneered. “Once your baby is born you’re going to forget all about him and you know it. He’s not your winning lottery ticket anymore. Now that you have a Fullerton heir of your very own, they’ll have to blast you with dynamite to get you away from this family.”
My eyebrow arched. “I guess you’d know.”
Her face screwed into a scowl. “You don’t know what I’ve been through for this family. I earned my place here. You weren’t around when Malcolm marched around here like the maniacal tyrant he was, making everyone miserable from the very moment I walked into this house.”
“Then why make it harder than it has to be?” I asked.
She stepped closer. “Because they don’t deserve easy. They got everything they ever wanted only to throw it away, used and damaged and ugly.” She held out her arms. “Just look at me. And don’t think Alex is any different. He’s not. In fact, he may be worse. At least Drew never denied being a womanizing, sexist jerk. He never said, ‘I love you.’ He never promised to be faithful.” She glared down her nose at me. “You think you’re the first one they’ve bounced between them like a tennis ball? That’s their favorite game. I can guarantee you won’t be the last, no matter what they tell you now. Maybe it’ll be a new secretary down at the office. Or you’ll end up with a new nanny for the new baby. As you get fatter, incubating a precious Fullerton offspring, a new crop of gold-digging whores will jump right in to take your place. A beautiful new girl will fall for the moony, romantic, unattainable Alex and Drew will go from chasing after you every night to sleeping in his study because he had to ‘work.’ He won’t stop until every woman alive knows who the real alpha male is, and just like us, they’ll all be powerless to resist. Then they’ll get the diamonds and the trips and the sex, while you get to smile pretty for the camera like nothing is wrong, and you’re perfectly content being just another brood mare for the stables.” She snickered. “So, yeah. I’ll take every goddamned dime I can get out of them.”
She glanced me up and down before she said, “You know, you should be down on your knees thanking me for giving Drew a reason to seduce you. As long as I’m around,
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