Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
I swallow, my gaze darting to the opening of the kitchen.
Our parents aren’t there, but they could be any second. I can’t play his stupid intimidation games right now. The night may not have been a total success, but it wasn’t a total failure, either. He could change all that right now.
I sidestep him, and thankfully, the kitchen is big enough that I have plenty of room to get around him.
It helps that he doesn’t try to chase me.
My heart still pounds, my mind half-expecting him to grab me around the waist and yank me back against him, but then the doorbell rings, and relief floods my body.
Hannah’s here.
“I got it,” I call out cheerfully, quickly making my way to the door.
Hannah’s waiting on the other side with her hair down and a large tote purse slung over her shoulder, likely with tomorrow’s clothes inside.
“Hey,” I greet her cheerfully. “Perfect timing.”
“Movie just end?” she guesses as she steps inside. “I looked it up online and saw how long it was, so I tried to time my arrival right when it ended.”
I nod. “We were just cleaning up. Have you ever seen the movie? It was really good.”
“I have not.”
“We’ll have to watch it someday.” I stop at the end of the cavernous hall since Mom and Hayden are standing in the living room. “Hannah, this is Landon’s dad, Hayden Atwater. Hayden, this is my best friend, Hannah Dupont.”
Hannah offers a friendly smile, and Hayden offers one back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hannah. I’ve already heard so much about you.”
“Some of it was even true,” I say lightly as Landon saunters out of the kitchen. Back to the parents, I say, “We’re gonna go upstairs.”
“Have fun,” Mom says as I start up the stairs.
I hear Hannah’s light footsteps behind me, but I hear Landon’s heavier footfalls, too. I’m not worried about him following me up these stairs tonight even if he has been drinking because Hannah is between us, and I know he won’t mess with her. It’s only me he messes with.
Chapter Sixteen
Landon
“So, how is it having a new stepsister?” Arden asks.
His tone is knowing and fucking obnoxious because he knows as well as I do that no matter what happens between her mom and my dad, I’ll never see Parker as anything like a sister.
“Fantastic,” I say sarcastically, tipping back my beer bottle and taking a swig. “For me, not so much for her.”
Arden smirks. “I’ll bet. She’s got a lot of sass. Needs someone to show her how to use that mouth.”
My eyes flash and I slide him a dark look. “Watch it, fucker.”
He holds up his hands in mocking surrender. “Hey, I wasn’t volunteering for the job.”
Sure he fucking wasn’t.
It’s not like it would matter if he did. Even if he didn’t slightly fear me and he could pull out all the stops going after her, Parker would never give that asshole the time of day. He’s not her type.
Not that there’s any way of knowing what her type is, I guess.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter.
Her type is me, whether she likes it or not.
The reminder of Aladdin surfaces unpleasantly, and not for the first time since that fucking dinner, I look toward the road, my thoughts on heading back to the country club to finish what I started.
Of course, my dad warned me to stay away unless I was there with them—and to be on my best behavior, in that case—but he knows I won’t fucking listen, and the truth is, he doesn’t care. He’s only making this powerful show of wanting to parent me all of a sudden because he thinks Gemma’s into it.
And, annoyingly, he’s right.
He couldn’t have just picked up some generic bimbo who didn’t give a fuck, could he? What’s wrong with him? Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to date someone half his age who cares more about purses and grabbing cocktails with the girls than his relationship with his son from a previous marriage? What kind of man at his age with his bank account picks an actual adult woman with a teenage daughter of her own for his second chance at a happy little family?
It’s sick, that’s what it is.
He never does anything right.
Well, I guess he’s the one who convinced Parker to live under the same roof as me.
Fine, one thing.
I smirk, draining the last of the beer in my bottle as I remember the way she used to hide from me when we only went to school together.
Little fucking coward.
Which is ironic since she’s an emerald.
The house of the courageous—except when it comes to me.
I run my hand along the sleek curve of my emerald green Jaguar, then I glance up toward the house. It’s late. I’m sure she and Hannah are fast asleep, dreaming of rainbows and unicorns or whatever the fuck girls like them dream about.