Page 110 of No Romeo
Because it didn’t matter. I loved her when I thought she’d cheated; I loved her now. I loved her no matter what.
Maybe we’d both go the rest of our lives trying to protect the other from secrets concerning that piece of shit.
Lola gripped my hand as we stepped up to the Lancasters’ front door—double door, because they were rich—and I forced those thoughts back down.
“No swearing,” she said.
My head whipped around, my nuts freezing off in the cold. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Yes. And no stealing anything.”
I huffed. Like I would steal something from them. They loved Gracie, and Chad was okay now that I knew he was railing Kyle-B-Wan instead of Lola.
“Just behave.” She placed a quick kiss on my lips. “In as much capacity as you have.” Then she rang the doorbell.
Chadwick Beaverlichtenstein answered the door and showed us into their gleaming marble foyer. Their Christmas tree was as tall as my house with presents out the ass underneath it, all wrapped in shiny, matching, expensive paper.
All I could see was cash money and opportunities. Because you could take a thief out of Dayton, but you couldn’t put him in Barrington without him wanting to steal everything.
Lola leaned into my side. “Don’t even think about it.”
“It smells like lavender and exasperations.”
She frowned, and I pinched her side.
“I know. I know,” I said, planting a kiss on her cheek. “It’s aspirations. Give me a fuc—”Don’t swear. Don’t swear, you cock-sucking weasel—“break.”
Footsteps pattered down one of the hallways before Gracie shot around a corner and kamikaze dived into my legs. “King Buttmunch!”
“Princess Dingleberry.” I made a bow before scoping her into my arms.
Chad groaned. “Mom is going to love that.”
“The stench of Dayton will be strong tonight, Chadwick.” I clapped a hand to his back, and he stumbled a little. I bit back the urge to ask him about Kyle and his Chewbacca-purring ass.
Gracie sniffed my shirt, throwing her head back to glance up at me. “You don’t stench, Hendrix. You smell good.” Then she hopped down and hugged Lola. “Tell King Buttmunch he smells good.”
Lola huffed beside me. “This is going to be a shi—shiny show.”
Mr. and Mrs. Daddy Warbucks came out, smiling. The mom stepped forward and held out her hand. “I’m Emma. It’s so lovely to finally meet you, Hendrix.”
I fought the scowl that wanted to shape my face when I took her hand, then Mr. Warbucks.
Lola had sworn they were nice, but that was my first time meeting them. Not to mention, I’d never set foot in a Barrington house and not had the cops called on me. Which, in my defense, made perfect sense. But they were smiling at me like the opening scene in one of those low-budget slasher films. One where the unknowing couple got an invitation to a dinner party only to be murdered and have their dead carcasses spread out on the table in some rich-person ritual.
I shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
When he walked off, Lola nudged my ribs hard enough that I almost coughed. “Why did you do that?” I whispered on our way into the huge dining room off the foyer.
“You’re looking at them like you need to take a shit. They aren’t about to kill you and wear your skin.”
She knew me too well. “How the hell am I supposed to know they aren’t?” I glanced at the large dining table pre-set with nice china and way too many forks. Who needed that many forks? I placed my lips by her ear, inhaling her Country Peach smell. “This is really giving me some Hannibal Lecter vibes.”
“They’re nice.Benice.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the table, shoving me into one of the fancy chairs beside her.
Gracie sat on the other side of me, grabbing my hand as Mr. Lancaster stood at the head of the table. “Shall we pray?”
I leaned in beside Lola. “Lettuce pray.” This would be the first time in my life I actually had…
