Page 21 of Mother Pucker

Ugh, I hate how good of a husband he’s turned out to be.

He’s also turned out to be great with all our kids, despite the fact that the entire reason he and Liv got married was to restore his image as someone who loves children so he wouldn’t lose his baseball team. A fake marriage that, in the end, turned very real.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to figure out how I’m going to divulge this to Liv and Delia. They’ll be so disappointed. “Okay, at least give me a chance to tell them myself.”

Beckett seems to think about my request. “I’ll give you until next Saturday.”

I squint at him, knowing he didn’t become a billionaire by sucking at negotiations. “That’s . . . oddly specific. Why next Saturday?”

He purses his lips, clearly trying to fight a smile. “The Bolts have their first away game of the season at the end of next week, and Rowan really wants you to–”

“Wait a second.” My mouth opens in shock. “How do you know what he wants?”

“Come on, Pip. My brother owns the damn team, and it’s no secret we talk. Don’t worry though, you’ve been cleared to go with them . . .”

I get to my feet as conflicting emotions stir inside my chest. On one hand, I feel a sense of thrill–something I haven’t felt in a long time–at the prospect of being alone with the gorgeous defenseman, but on the other, I’m still saddled by my fears. “I haven’t made a decision on that. Plus, Kai needs me here.”

Beckett rises to his feet as well, giving me a skeptical look. “Remember the smaller hills we just talked about?”

“Leaving Kai here alone isnota small hill, Beckett.”

“He won’t be alone; he’d be in good hands with all of us. And you’d only be gone for a few nights. He’ll be fine, Pipsqueak. You can leave one of those long lists of yours–”

“The health and well-being checklist,” I supply. “It’s a list of reminders for him, like brushing his teeth before bed with charcoal toothpaste, and taking his vitamins, and–”

“Right. That.”

I squint at his forehead, wishing I could read his thoughts. “Why are you pushing this? What’s your agenda?”

Beckett raises both hands. “I have no agenda. I’m just trying to do right by my brother’s team. Rowan’s a key player, and if it’ll help him to know you’re there, then I figured I’d try to convince you.” I’m about to argue when he barrels past me. “And who knows, perhaps the time away will be good for both you and Kai.”

I’m not convinced–the man is more calculating than a calculator–but I’m also too tired to argue. I turn back toward the side entrance to the house. “Good talk, soft-serve.”

I’m just about to lock the door when I catch a glint in his eyes. “Your little secret issafewith me, Pipsqueak. Don’t you worry your coiffed little head about a thing.”

Pain in my ass . . .

Insincerity oozes off him like his barely veiled threat, and I swear, I want to drop-kick him back to his mansion in Florida.

“Is anyone else missing the mirrors inside their makeup compacts?” Delia asks, coming into the kitchen while looping an earring through her earlobe. With her custom-tailored suit and her blonde hair styled into a perfect twist at the back of her head, she looks stunning. “All of mine seem to have disappeared.”

The twins, Phoebe and Colette, whisper something to each other with their heads close together at the kitchen bar, hovering over what looks like a circuit board of some kind.

They glare at Kai and Winnie–Liv’s nine-year-old, and the kid Kai feels closest to aside from Liam–who seem to be exchanging their own silent conversation.

What exactly is going on between the four of them?

“Not me,” Cortney responds with a smirk, watching Dylan place the pieces of a complicated puzzle he bought her intotheir correct positions. The woman is a genius with puzzles. “I took stock of all the mirrors inside my makeup compacts this morning.”

“Mercury is in retrograde,” Dylan responds, staying focused on her task. “And I don’t wear makeup during this time, so I couldn’t tell you if anything is missing.”

Okay, then.

I place my empty cup of lemon water on the counter, still sweating from this morning’s workout. “I thought it was just me. A few of the mirrors from my vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, non-toxic makeup kit were missing yesterday. I just thought maybe they’d fallen off somehow.”

Kai clears his throat, and both Delia and I notice Winnie kick him under the bar before the twins give him another threatening glare.

“Alright, you four,” Delia starts, her hands on her hips. “I don’t have time for whatever it is you’re up to, but I know you guys have something to do with this. So, who’s going to cough up the details?”

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