Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
“I think what’s important is to remember that people don’t change. Milo, back me up here.”
I looked over to where Milo stood in the corner of the lobby, silent, watching the exchange between his mother and adoptive brothers. She hadn’t said a single word to him yet.
Only now, once Leander brought attention to him did she turn to her other son.
“Milo, honey.” She flashed her bright beauty-pageant grin. She was a beautiful woman, or you could tell she once had been. She looked worn now, her skin tight in places where she’d obviously had work done—not very skilled work—and sagging in others.
Leathery-tan, extra-large fake breasts were hiked up in a gravity-defying bra, showcased by a blouse that bared an incredible amount of cleavage for a woman of any age. I averted my eyes so I didn’t accidentally catch a nip slip.
“Milo, honey,” she repeated as she approached Milo. “I’ve missed you so much. I’d love to catch up. Pretty please.” Her voice was high-pitched and she made praying hands.
To be honest, she was starting to make a bit of a scene. I saw Milo’s eyes darting around and maybe that was what he was thinking as he nodded grimly. He put an arm around her shoulders and guided their mom deeper into the restaurant.
Leander threw his arms out like, what the hell? But Janus just put a hand at the small of my back and I went forward, eyebrows raised. Well, this had taken a turn. Especially when I couldn’t help the little squeak that came out at the quick steps to keep up with Janus’s long strides. When he looked down at me with a grin, I knew he knew exactly what had elicited it. These damn glass balls!
Unlike his brothers, Janus seemed perfectly fine with their trainwreck of a mother showing up out of the blue. But I hadn’t forgotten all that Milo had told me about her. I wasn’t inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. I’d known too many stage mothers like her in the business. Obsessed with living through their children’s celebrity…
But there wasn’t any time to ask Janus anything about it, because the next second we were in the intimate dining room of the little Italian restaurant. The hostess was quickly arranging for another chair and table setting to be brought to the table that had been set for four.
Leander stalked forward and yanked out a seat to sit in, a storm cloud over his head. The hostess just glanced between us all quickly before hurrying away again, obviously sensing the vibe. Milo sat beside Leander, and it was odd to see him so tightly wound. Usually he was the easy, fun one when the rest of us were tense.
Their mother turned to Janus and started chatting at him. I could only say at him because it didn’t seem required that he respond. Or that anyone was listening. She just seemed like one of those people who never stopped talking.
“I had such a time of it getting here. You would not believe the delays I had to endure! At Heathrow we were on the tarmac for forty-five minutes. Forty-five minutes, can you believe that! And I was in coach. Coach. Can you even see me riding in coach?”
She shook her head in disgust. “I mean, during the Who’s Counting Now years, we all rode in the best of the best. Private jets. Or at least first class. Oh,” she laughed, putting a hand on Janus’s arm as she sat down in the center chair of the three left empty. Which effectively forced Janus to seat me beside Milo and then take the seat beside Leander, several chairs away from me.
I didn’t know whether to be a little offended or touched that Janus wouldn’t ask his mother to move so he could sit by me.
I was his…fiancée? Or was I?
There had never been a ring and we hadn’t discussed it outside of his spontaneous proposal that night a month ago. Not with him working so much. I mean, how exactly was it supposed to work if we got married? Would we still… be a group along with Milo and Leander? Or was asking to marry me trying to lay some kind of singular claim on me. Was that what I wanted?
I reached for the glass in front of me when I saw Janus taking his mom’s hand.
And as if reading my mind: “Mama, will you switch seats with me? I hate to abandon my fiancée to Milo over there. He’s too charming.”
She’d been in the middle of a stream of saying something, but she glanced over at me again, as if only now remembering my presence since first acknowledging me. “Oh! I guess that makes sense.”
But she didn’t react at all to the word fiancée. At least not when it came to Janus. I could only stare at her. She’d made such a big deal of rumors about Leander and Lena, but now here her other son was telling her that he was getting married and she was barely—