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“Thank you. It’s great to see you, too. Merry Christmas.” I slipped off my coat, and he traded me the bags for my black trench coat. I leaned close and whispered, “Any drama yet?”
He chuckled. “No. They’re in the parlor having cocktails and appetizers, and the newlyweds seem very happy.”
“Wyle’s here, right?”
“Yes. And the first thing he asked when he walked in a few minutes ago was if you were here yet. I think he’s anxiously waiting for his—” He paused as he thought it over.
“Wingman?” I teased. We’d always said that when we were young.
“Yes. That’s it. Would you like me to bring the packages in for you?” he asked, as he slung my coat over his arm.
“I’ve got it, but thank you. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
He nodded, and I made my way down the long hallway. Their home was very formal, but it was the one place that felt like home to me because I’d spent so much time here when I was growing up. My father had sold the home I grew up in shortly after my mother passed away, as none of us wanted to be there. This had become home base. Wyle had lived here during his last two years of high school, and this was where I came when I visited during college.
When I walked into the parlor, my grandparents were talking with my brother, and there was no sign of my father or his… new wife.
“Maddox!” my grandmother shrieked when she saw me and pushed to her feet. She had gray hair that was always in some sort of stiff hairstyle ending at the nape of her neck, and she wore her trademark black skirt that ended below her knees and a white silk blouse. I dropped the bags beside me on the floor just before she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight. She was the closest thing that I had to a mother now, and I loved her fiercely. The only thing we ever disagreed about was my father.
Her only child.
She loved him despite all he’d done, and she desperately wanted Wyle and me to repair our relationship with him.
I would do almost anything for this woman.
I’d walk through fire. Take a bullet.
But being close to my father was not something I would consider.
I didn’t trust him. I didn’t like him.
Hell, I held him partially responsible for my mother’s death. Because even though ALS had claimed her body and sucked the life from her day after day—her broken heart also contributed to that brutal experience.
There was no coming back from that.
After hugging her, my grandfather was next, followed by Wyle, who hugged me so tight it was bordering on painful and then leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Buckle up. You aren’t going to believe this shit.”
Here we go.
Mrs. Winters, who’d been working for my grandparents for the last decade, came around with a glass of champagne and handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said, noting that everyone had a glass sitting on the table in front of the couch as they all returned to their seats and reached for their drinks. I sat on the blue velvet chair beside the couch and took a sip of the bubbly when my father walked into the room from the other entry on the far side of the room, with Claire Strauss beside him. “Maddox, my boy. I figured you’d be delighted to see your new stepmother is a dear friend of the family.”
I spewed champagne from my lips, and my brother barked out a laugh. Claire was the daughter of John Strauss, who was my father’s closest friend. We’d practically grown up together, and my mom had always pushed for me to date her. But Claire had always felt more like family than a possible girlfriend, and I’d never considered crossing that line.
Obviously, my father’s moral line in the sand was nonexistent.
But I did not see this coming. She was my age, for starters, and I highly doubted John would be okay with this.
I pushed to my feet as Mrs. Winters hurried over to hand me a few napkins and helped me clean up. “Excuse me. You caught me off guard.”
I cleared my throat and reluctantly took his hand when he extended it to me. Because that was as close as our relationship went. A handshake was a struggle.
“Hi, Maddox. Nice to see you,” Claire said as she walked in for a hug. I patted her on the back, trying to figure out why in the hell she would be with my father. “It’s been a while. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Obviously. You’re boning my father and carrying his evil spawn.
“Nice to see you, too.” I stepped back and forced a smile.
