Enticing (Red Lips & White Lies Book 3)

I pocket my phone and rinse my coffee cup, then turn back to Izzy as she pushes her breakfast sausage through her pancake syrup. “You gonna be good for your mom while I’m gone?”

She thinks about it for a minute before stabbing a raspberry with her fork and popping that and her syrupy sausage in her mouth. “Are you coming back?”

Damn.

Are you, not when are you.

Maybe it’s not just Addie who’s been hurt.

“Yeah, short stack. I’ll be back in a few days.” I smile and ruffle her hair before heading into the living room and stop when I find Addie feeding Lennox. “I’ve got to get going if I’m going to make the morning skate today. And it’s not optional.” I brush my lips over her forehead, and she reaches up and grips the front of my shirt, holding me there.

It may be a small move, but for Addie, it’s a big step forward. Everything about last night was a step closer to earning this woman’s trust and her heart, and I fucking hate to leave her today.

“Hmm . . .” she hums, and that sound promises things I can’t cash in on for a few days, but I will when we get back.

The light glints off her diamond rings, and a sweet possession roars in my soul.

“I’ll see you at the game tonight, right, wife?”

She nods. “Gotta keep up appearances, right?”

“Sure, sweetheart. See you later.” I kiss her again because I want to. I don’t give a shit about appearances, just about her.

Addie

I sit across from Coraline later that day and dial the number to my parents’ lawyer, then hit speaker and wait. Eventually, I’m passed down the line to Mason Mathers, after speaking with a receptionist, and Mason’s assistant, then waiting on hold for over five minutes.

“Adelaide, how are you?”

“Hi, Mason.” My hands shake against my lap until I slide them under my legs. I hate this. I’ve never been a good liar. “I’m well, thank you. I hope you are too.” I don’t wait for him to answer. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I wanted to let you know I’ve gotten married.”

“You have?” He sounds surprised, and my hackles immediately rise. “I wasn’t aware you were seeing anyone.”

I raise my eyes to Coraline’s, and she shakes her head and lifts her finger to her mouth to silence me. “Mason. It’s Coraline. I’m with Addie, and I know she appreciates your kind words.” Cori looks up, annoyed but smiling. She loves to screw with someone, and Mason’s about to get screwed. “The wedding was beautiful. The kids are doing fantastic. And Addie would like access to her trust fund. We had a copy of the marriage certificate sent to your office and sent a copy to your email as well. You should be getting the physical copy today. We’d like you to get the process started immediately.”

“Adelaide got married, not you, Coraline. Correct?” he asks, and a vein in Cori’s forehead bulges.

“Correct. But since I only have a few months left until I take the bar, I thought I’d help Addie so she didn’t have to pay a lawyer. You know, considering our parents didn’t exactly leave her access to any money.”

Deafening silence hangs heavy in the room until Mason clears his throat. “Have you spoken with Jerry?”

“Not yet. I wanted to call you first, but he’ll be my next call,” I assure him and push down the involuntary tremor that rolls down my spine with that thought.

My stomach is in knots, just thinking about that phone call.

I know I have to make it, and it has to be next, but I really wish I didn’t have to.

Cori, however, is smiling from ear to ear. “We’ll definitely call him next and let him know the good news. I’m sure he’ll be happy to know Addie has found a good man. How long should it be before we can expect the assets to be transferred to Adelaide?”

“Do you have a prenup, Adelaide?” Mason asks, and Cori shakes her head again, warning me.

“Sorry, Mason, but I don’t really think that’s any of your business. We’re not asking you for legal advice. We’re telling you as the beneficiaries of our parents’ estate that Adelaide would like the portion of the estate she’s now legally entitled to. The terms were to be married or thirty years old. She’s married.”

Coraline is fierce and confident and so damn fearless that I sit here in awe, so grateful to have her in my life and as a role model for the girls.

“I’m looking at the email now, ladies. It looks like you just got married yesterday, Adelaide. Why are you worrying about this now, instead of enjoying a honeymoon?”

A dry, sarcastic laugh slips out before I can stop it, and Cori glares at me, like I’m giving away state secrets. “Because her husband is a professional hockey player in the middle of his season. We know you’re familiar with the ins and outs of that business, and you can understand the need to keep it simple for now. We’ll definitely send you an invitation to the big party they’re going to have once the season is over. But we appreciate your concern. Please transfer the assets immediately. We’ve sent you all the information you should need. You’ve got both our numbers, if you have any questions.”

“You haven’t graduated from law school or passed the bar, Coraline. Playing lawyer doesn’t make you one. When I have questions, I’ll call Addie.”

“I believe we’ve sent everything you need. You shouldn’t have questions,” Cori stops him, and I drop my head in my hands and groan.

“Can we please stop this pissing match?” If we’re playing good cop, bad cop, Cori is doing a bang-up job as the bad cop. “I’m married, Mason. I’m happy, and more importantly, the girls are happy. We’re all staying in Kroydon Hills because my husband plays for the Philadelphia Revolution. But even if he’s wealthy, I refuse to live off his wealth. I want to be independent. Something my parents wanted for me as well or they wouldn’t have put this stipulation in my trust. Please transfer everything to me immediately, so I can make the moves I choose to make with the money my parents left me. I appreciate your help. Have a nice day.”

I end the call and drop my head to the table and moan, “That was awful.”

“Crown up, sissy. That was the easy one. You don’t actually have to call Jerry, if you don’t want to, you know. Mason is the only call you had to make, and I don’t have a single doubt in my mind he’s already got Jerry on the phone right now, telling him for you. They’re two disgusting peas in a moldy fucking pod.”

I blow my hair out of my face and look across the table at Coraline. “I haven’t spoken two words to Jerry since the week after I left Gavin. They’ve known exactly where we’ve been this entire time, but they’ve kept their distance. All those months worrying Gavin would use his Daddy’s money to come after the girls . . .” I lower my voice, unsure where Izzy is playing, and as much of a horrible human being as her father is, I don’t want her to realize he just doesn’t care enough to even want a relationship with her or her sister.

One day, that ugly truth will be unavoidable, but no matter how advanced she is, nobody needs to know that at her age.

“I’ll never let him have them again. But I swear to God, Coraline. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Marrying Leo was a risk. I knew it the second I agreed to it, but I pushed away the fear of the consequences because I just didn’t see another way.

And that was before . . .

Before I realized he’s so much more than a way to access my inheritance. Maybe before I realized just how a good a man he is. How good he is to my girls and me. Before I admitted to myself that I’m falling in love with him . . . even if I can’t admit it to him yet.

“Mommy . . .” Izzy finds me and whines, something my girl never does. “I don’t feel so good.”

She barely gets the words out before she pukes at my feet.

Yup. That about sums up this day.