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  He now looked like he’d been completely neutered without the benefit of anesthesia. He gave everyone a sick smile before he turned and left, his wife following him.

  Now Susie let her gaze fall on Darryl. It hardened his cock to see the victorious, predatory smile on her face as she slowly walked over to the other chair and retook her place.

  She then turned to the reverend. “I told you, they’re just the most indescribable in-laws I ever could have asked for. Now, where were we?”

  * * * *

  Darryl walked Susie out to her car nearly an hour later. He didn’t have a class because it was his lunch and planning time. He walked around to the passenger side and got in while she stared the engine and cranked the AC.

  She waited for him to speak.

  “Um…Okay. I don’t want this to sound wrong, but there’s no other way to say it. What. The. Fuck?”

  She finally burst out laughing, giggling and snorting her way through the entire story. At first, Darryl felt gutshot, sick to his stomach, until he realized he’d sat through the successful execution of her retribution.

  “He honestly said that to you, huh? That he’d eaten better people for breakfast? Really? Who does he think he is, a Bond villain knock-off?”

  She held up her left hand. “Swear to a god neither of us believe in. That’s exactly what he said.”

  He grabbed her hand and stared at her ring finger. “So how much did I spend on this rock?”

  She laughed. “Too damn much. It’s actually CZ, but the setting is platinum and it cost me over eight hundred. I paid full retail. I literally ran into the store, slapped down my credit card, picked something bright and shiny that I could flash in Rev. de Papio’s face, and said, ‘Gimme.’”

  “Damn. I didn’t even get you a real diamond, huh?” He looked into her eyes. “Sorry I’m such a cheap bastard.”

  She grinned. “You’re not cheap. You’re thrifty, and I love that about you. Besides, he couldn’t tell the difference.”

  “You did get one thing wrong.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  He kissed her left hand and curled his fingers around it, staring into her eyes. “I never would have put the ring on your left hand. I would have put it on your right. I wouldn’t have made you take John’s rings off.”

  He spotted the tears in her eyes and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you,” she said, the adrenaline crash obviously hitting her. She trembled in his arms.

  “Does Grant even know?”

  “No, he’s got those meetings today.”

  “Dammit. I forgot about those.” He sighed. “So Marcus peeped on us getting freaky in the pool, huh? I knew you needed better privacy screening around your lanai.”

  “Yeah, you told me so.” She sniffled. “Sorry,” she softly said as she sat back.

  “No, honey, don’t apologize.” He thought for a moment. “Ruth knows Chelsey’s sister. It’ll probably get back to her like that, if it hasn’t already.”

  “Yowch. Double sorry.”

  “What’d I just say? It’s okay. I’d rather she hear that I’m marrying you than that I’m marrying Grant.”

  “I wanted you and Grant to get married. Maybe we can push this far enough into the future and then cancel it.”

  “What, I’m not good enough for you to marry?”

  She looked shocked. “What? No! I—”

  He silenced her with a kiss. “I was kidding.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Damn, we’re both gonna get our asses caned over this.”

  “It was an emergency.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly why we should have texted him. This was an emergency.”

  “Tell me he would have come up with a better solution in time?”

  “Probably not, but I’ll be damned if I’ll say that to him and risk an extra five on top of whatever he gives us.” He snorted. “So what, exactly, did you say to Marcus when you hugged him right before he left? He looked like you’d threatened to eat a baby or something.”

  “I told him the truth. That John had warned me long ago what a royal shit he was, and that he might eat people better than me for breakfast, but that I regularly snacked on pussies like him for lunch. Oh, and that if he ever tried a stunt like this again, I’d sue him for extortion and make sure all the papers knew what a royal shit he was for trying to ruin an innocent man’s life. And that I was sure the reverend would love to find out his good friend is a pervy Peeping Tom.”

  “You think that’ll keep him away?”

  “Next to money, appearances are everything to Marcus. He’ll probably pay for the wedding just so he doesn’t have to look like a shit in front of the reverend.”

  “No. Really? You honestly think so?”

  “After the big deal I made about what great people they were? Rev. de Papio just about thinks Marcus and Joanie walk on water. I had over fifteen minutes in there ahead of you guys, layering it on thick. Marcus won’t dare try some bullshit like that now. I took away his power.”

  “Rubbing his nose in it’s a dangerous game, though, babe.”

  Her voice dropped, hardening his cock again. “Not nearly as dangerous as I’ll be to him if he tries to fuck with us again.”

  “Did he honestly think you’d just roll over?”

  “Yes, he did. He’s used to getting his way in life. He hasn’t had to deal with me a lot. He saw me mostly in a subordinate position to John. He had no clue what I did on a daily basis running things. I had Ed deal with him to fend him off after John died. Ed and Kristin both. They ran interference for me.”

  He grinned. “Ah, you sneaky wench. Rule number one, never underestimate your enemy. He underestimated you.”

  “Greatly.” She leaned against the seat. “Fuck. I feel like I’ve run a damned marathon.”

  He looked through the papers she had, including a marriage license application. “Wow. When you commit to a bit, you go all the way. After he canes us, Grant’s going to be so damned proud of you.”

  “Hey, I cut my teeth in battle with a guy who’d practically memorized The Art of War by the time he was fifteen. And you’re damned good yourself. You didn’t miss a beat in there.”

  She held up a fist and he bumped with her. “I could tell you were up to something,” he said, “but I wasn’t sure why.” He let out a long breath. “Step one, we need to tell Grant. Step two…” He frowned.

  “Yeah?”

  “Step two, we need some privacy screening around your damn pool. I don’t want to give up pool sex just because your ex father-in-law is a Peeping Tom.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Actually, there would be a step three, because Darryl now had to pick Kyle up that evening when Chelsey “suddenly” had several late west coast calls she had to make at work. She called Darryl and demanded that he come get Kyle after work.

  Which Susie flat-out figured meant Chelsey was going to go out on a date—with Greg or someone else—and try to fuck up what she must have thought would be Darryl’s celebratory night with Susie.

  Bitch.

  Susie couldn’t promise she’d be as good as Darryl and Grant had been about not badmouthing the woman in Kyle’s presence.

  Darryl had called Susie at work, where she’d just finished updating Kristin about the latest events, to let Susie know about that new development.

  “Wow, she is a real piece of work, isn’t she?” Susie asked.

  “I know, but she’s Kyle’s mother.”

  “Remind me why we can’t sic Tilly and June on her?”

  “Because that would be wrong.”

  “But it would be satisfying.”

  “It would also lead to incarceration for them both,” Darryl said. “Do not tell them.”

  “Fine.” She had a thought. “Could we have them tell Grant about today for us?”

  “No, we have to do that ourselves. We’re still meeting at his work, right?”

  She sighed. “Right.”

  “I don’t wa
nt him blindsided by this when he gets home. And I’ll have to leave right from telling Grant to go get Kyle.”

  Susie stewed for the rest of the afternoon, despite Kristin’s nearly manic grin and frequent giggle fits over the fact that Marcus had the nerve to force Susie into this position in the first place, and Susie’s tactical nuclear response.

  Although Susie would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy getting one over on the man. And she would really enjoy it when Marcus ponied up money to help pay for the wedding.

  She knew him. For starters, he could definitely afford it. And he wouldn’t dare risk it getting back to the reverend that he’d reneged on his “promise” to pay for it and look like a weasel.

  Maybe this was worth the aggravation after all.

  Susie arrived at Grant’s work first, parking on one side of his car. Darryl arrived a few minutes after her, and they both stood there leaning against Grant’s car when he emerged from the building a few minutes later.

  His pace sped up as he spotted them there.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Darryl held up his hands. “No one’s dead or injured.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  Darryl exchanged a glance with Susie before he launched into the story.

  Grant set his laptop case on the hood of his car and leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest, gaze fixed on the ground, as Darryl went through everything.

  “Have to say,” Darryl ended with. “I don’t think Marcus knew quite what hit him when he walked into that office and saw her sitting there. I damn sure know I didn’t.”

  “Are you fucking shitting me?” Grant asked. “He really did that?”

  “No shit,” Darryl said. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t sitting right there myself and saw it happen.”

  Grant glanced around before staring at the ground again. “I wish I could pull you both into my arms and kiss you right now.”

  “So how many cane strokes are we getting?” Darryl asked with a smile.

  Grant slowly shook his head, still not looking at them. “I can’t. Not for that. It was an emergency, and under the circumstances, you’re right. I couldn’t have handled it better than you two did.” He looked at Susie. “I’m proud of you, sweetie.”

  “I’m sorry I had to make an executive decision, Sir. I knew you couldn’t be disturbed today unless someone was actually, you know, dying.”

  “No, you did the right thing.” He finally turned to Darryl. “So now the bitch is handing Kyle off to us tonight, huh? How convenient.”

  “Yeah, right,” Darryl said. “Amazing timing. She didn’t mention the engagement news, but I could tell from the tone of her voice she was pissed off. Is my face frostbit? I sure felt a damn chill over the phone when she called.”

  “Do we want to take bets on whether or not she’s told Kyle already?” Susie asked.

  “Oh, I won’t take that bet,” Grant said. “I already know the answer to that. It’s yes, she has.” He smiled. “I’m sure I know another reason she’s so pissed off.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sure she assumed me and Darryl were gay, something she was holding in reserve in case she needed it for a custody go-round. If Darryl’s marrying a woman, that sort of blows a hole in her theory and means she just lost a perceived advantage over him.”

  “True,” Darryl said. “That thought crossed my mind, too.”

  “How’s Kyle going to react?” Susie asked.

  “Only one way to find out,” Grant said. He turned to Darryl. “We’ll get home and figure out what to do for dinner once you bring Kyle home. I’m assuming she wants him picked up as soon as possible?”

  “Yeah. She said Greg’s home with him, but apparently he’s got ‘stuff to do.’”

  Susie snorted. “Isn’t that convenient?”

  “For her and Greg, maybe,” Grant said.

  “More for her, probably,” Darryl said. “Man, this being a mature adult shit is fucking hard. All I want to do is go chew her out.”

  “Take a number and stand in line,” Grant said. “Trust me, Kyle will remember it later, when it counts, that you were the stable one.”

  “I hope so,” Darryl said. “I hate like hell that his mother is like that.”

  Once Darryl was in his car and on his way, Susie looked at Grant. “You’re really not mad?”

  “No, sweetheart, I’m not mad. Now let’s get home. We won’t have much time.”

  * * * *

  It didn’t take long, despite Grant’s assurances, for Susie to talk herself into thinking she was the world’s greatest idiot by the time she arrived at Grant’s.

  “This is crazy,” Susie muttered. “Why the hell didn’t I just stand up to Marcus and tell him to go fuck himself?”

  “Because you were thinking fast on your feet,” Grant said, pulling her in for a kiss. “I’m damned proud of you, too. I couldn’t have handled this better. I told you that.”

  “Yeah, but now you and Darryl can’t—”

  Grant silenced her with a deep, passionate kiss. “Darryl and I get to spend the rest of our lives with you. That’s all I care about. The piece of paper is just that—a piece of paper. Ed told you he’s setting up a trust for all three of us so it protects us.”

  He took her right wrist and held it up, stroking the charm bracelet. “You wear my collar. We’re going to have matching rings for us all. I could give a shit if it’s me or him actually marrying you.” He smiled. “It’s two against one, anyway. Like we’re ever letting you get away without a fight, baby.”

  She rested her head on his chest. “I don’t want to get away, Sir. I love you both.”

  “And we love you. That’s why all that matters is that.”

  “But what about if Kyle moves in with us?”

  “We’ll deal with that when it happens.”

  “Aren’t you worried?”

  “Nope. Because we’ll deal with whatever happens. Not to sound like a broken record, but again, all I care about is you two. Hell, even losing my job at this point takes a backseat to happiness. I can get a job somewhere else. With the three of us together, we can survive whatever gets thrown our way.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can never to leave you alone again.”

  “Thank you, Sir.” She nuzzled noses with him. To think that just a few months earlier…

  Hell, this felt like a brand new life. Nothing like the grey, dreary existence she’d eked out for herself, survival mode and nothing more, simply doing what she had to in order to keep the business running and growing.

  This felt…

  Alive.

  They heard Darryl’s car pull up in the driveway.

  Grant brushed one last kiss across her lips. “Okay. Here we go. You got this, darlin’. I promise you.”

  She nodded.

  They didn’t have much time. Kyle stormed through the front door and made a beeline toward Susie. The expression on his face was so dark that she actually took a couple of steps back.

  “You lied to me!” he yelled.

  Darryl had run through the door after him. “Whoa, calm down, buddy.”

  “No, you all lied to me!” he screamed.

  Now she spotted the boy’s tears.

  Susie risked taking a step forward. “What’s going on?”

  “Mom got a call that you and Dad are engaged,” he said. “That you’re getting married. You guys lied to me!”

  “How did we lie to you?” Darryl asked.

  “You never told me you guys were even dating!”

  Now panic set in. Maybe this would be their easy out after all. “Honey,” Susie started. “I’m sorry, but you have to understand—”

  “Grant and my dad love each other, okay? How can you do this to Grant? I thought Grant was your friend!”

  The room fell silent. Now Susie had no fucking clue what to do or say. She turned and stared at Grant.

  That he also looked clueless didn’t
bode well.

  Grant finally let out a breath and walked over to the boy, putting his hands on Kyle’s shoulders. “Before anyone says anything else, you tell me what you think is going on.”

  “I’m not stupid,” he said. “You and Dad are living together, okay? I didn’t say anything to Mom because I knew Dad would get in trouble and she’d cause bullshit for him at work.” He turned on Susie again. “How can you do this to Grant?”

  “Okay,” Grant said. “Buddy, we need you to calm down and listen to us. How long have you known your dad and I were…together?”

  “Duh. A few months after he moved in.” He cocked his head. “Seriously? All his stuff is in your bathroom.”

  Darryl had covered his face with his hand. “Shit,” he muttered.

  “And you haven’t told your mother this?” Grant asked.

  “No! It’s none of her business.”

  “Then we all owe you an apology,” Grant said. “Can we sit down and talk to you without you getting any angrier at us?”

  “Are you going to keep lying to me?”

  “No,” Grant said. “We’ll tell you everything.”

  Kyle warily eyed Susie but let the men steer him into the living room, where they got him seated in one of the easy chairs at the end of the couch.

  Susie was completely off the playbook at this point, and so was Darryl. They both looked to Grant to take point.

  Grant sat on the end of the coffee table, in front of Kyle, and appeared to compose his thoughts. “Yes,” he quietly said. “Your dad and I have been in a relationship.”

  “But now you’re going to break up, aren’t you? And—”

  “Shh,” Grant gently said. “Let me finish.”

  Kyle sullenly glared at him but went quiet.

  “Your dad and I have been in a relationship. As you noted, we had to keep it quiet. But what you don’t know is that we are both in a relationship with Susie, too.”

  Kyle frowned. “What?”

  “The three of us are…dating each other.”

  “But Mom said Dad and Susie are getting married.”

  “They…are. It’s complicated. But the three of us are still going to live together. There was a problem, and Susie had to do what she did today to keep your dad out of trouble.”