Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable Book 7) Read online

  Well, that wasn’t true. Of course I knew.

  Frankie.

  “At first, she still didn’t want anything to do with me, but I made arrangements to take over the company she worked for.”

  Just when you thought it couldn’t get any stranger…

  “And while you may not think she cares, all she ever talked about was her daughter and how proud of Frankie she was. How Frankie would get to do all the things she never did. How she was cut off from her parents because she wouldn’t have an abortion or be forced into a marriage she didn’t want.” He grimaced. “Unlike me, she stuck to her principles.”

  Did he really believe that?

  “Get to the point,” Archie urged him.

  “We grew closer again. I know you don’t like this and you don’t want to believe it, but I care about her. I never stopped. Your mother agreed to the divorce because she was as tired of our sham of a marriage as I was. Both of us did wrong by you, I can admit that. Frankie even called me on being a terrible father.”

  Of course she did.

  “But Maddy did the tests. She showed me the results. Frankie’s my daughter—”

  “Yeah, did those results have your name on them?” Archie just kept plowing through. “Did you get it independently verified? Did you bring in a neutral party to oversee it? Someone with no skin in the game, or did you just take her word for it?”

  “Why would she lie to me? Why now?” his father challenged. “Why would she wait all this time when she could have been comfortable? I would have more than provided for them. Been there…even if…”

  “Even if you were stuck with me. I get it. I’d pick Frankie over me in a heartbeat. But I’m betting she never came after you because she had no idea. Maybe there’s a chance you’re the father, but that’s a one in four based on what I have, and I’ll take those odds.”

  “Archie…”

  “Don’t,” he said. “But I’d advise you to sort your shit out before she fleeces you for everything. Then again, you two deserve each other. Stay away from my girlfriend.”

  “She’s your—”

  “You heard me,” Archie cut him off. “She doesn’t want anything to do with you either. So you stay away from her, and trust me, we will be watching. You’re going to make arrangements to get her out of that internship with full credit. Then you’re going to stay as far the fuck away from her as possible. Muriel moved to New York. Not Paris. Shocked? Maybe not. Who cares? You could go to London or to South Africa or to hell, but what you won’t do is go near her again.”

  With that, he turned to me and started walking. Edward stared at him for a beat, then said, “What if you’re wrong? What if Maddy isn’t lying, Archie? What then?”

  “It won’t matter,” Archie said without slowing. “I’m not wrong. She’s not my sister.”

  I let him pass me and kept an eye on his so-called father, letting Archie get some distance before I followed. Once back in the cart, he turned it and accelerated away like we were in a sports car. We were both damp, and I raked a hand through my wet hair.

  He was dead silent all the way back up to where we picked up the golf cart, and as we walked through the club and back out the front to where the car waited for us. Once inside it, he closed the divider to the driver and slumped back in his seat.

  It was already late afternoon, the weather outside looked like it wasn’t going to improve anytime soon, and what light was left in the day would be gone before we made it all the way home. Exhaustion crawled through me, but I sucked it up. Today was not about me.

  “Do you believe him?” Archie asked into the silence.

  “I don’t know him, Arch. What I know about him says he’s a selfish jackass. So…does it matter what he thinks?”

  Archie sighed. “No. But he wants Frankie to be his kid, you can see it all over his face.”

  “We love her and we know she’s awesome, he’s just a dick who wants to put his stamp of ownership on her. But I don’t think it has anything to do with either of you.” It had everything to do with her mother.

  “Because she left him. She was the one who got away.”

  I shrugged. “Or maybe he loves her as much as someone like him is capable of. I don’t see the appeal and I don’t want to try. What I want to know is what you want to know. So that you can put this behind both of you.”

  That, and I wanted to knock his fucking teeth out.

  I dug my phone out and checked it. No messages. I debated whether to send something. “Can I do anything?”

  “You’ve been doing it all day, Jake. I’ll be fine as soon as we have answers.”

  “You’re going to be fine as soon as you see her.”

  He didn’t argue.

  I sent the message to let them all know we’d be at the apartment soon. My phone lit up with a message from Frankie almost immediately.

  Frankie: Is he okay?

  Me: No. But he will be when he gets there.

  I could lie to her I suppose. A part of me wanted to, but he wasn’t okay. Archie had pretty much cut himself all the way down to the bone today to get answers for both of them. She needed to know that, and he needed to let her help.

  We all did.

  Frankie: I’m here. Thank you for going with him. For looking after him.

  Me: Don’t have to thank me, Baby Girl. He’s family.

  She sent me a kiss emoji, and I smiled.

  Archie’s phone buzzed next, and some of the darkness in his expression eased as he glanced at it. I knew exactly who was texting him.

  She was waiting for us when we pulled in, and she was right there as soon as he got out of the car. I caught Coop’s gaze as Archie scooped her up close, and they held on so tight. At his questioning look, I shook my head.

  We still had questions.

  Too many of them.

  Now we just had to get answers.

  Chapter Five

  I Don’t Want To Get Over You

  Frankie

  Waking up before Archie, I had a few seconds to just stare at his sleeping face and savor the soft sound of his breathing before reality crept back in. Those few seconds were the most peaceful I’d had in the last forty-eight plus hours since Mr. Standish dropped that bomb on me. Not that I hadn’t escaped with Ian and Coop or been comforted by all of them, but that knowledge was always there, preying at the back of my mind like one of those slasher movie monsters that gave me nightmares.

  The guys had left us alone the night before after dinner. They’d all gone home rather than stay in the other room. They wanted to give us privacy and comfort, but they’d all promised to check on us today and made us promise to check in with them. Archie hadn’t said much as they left, and Jake whispered it had been a long day and to give him room.

  When they were gone, I curled up in his lap and just held him. We didn’t talk. Well, not much beyond what we’d discussed earlier. Neither of us were going to school today because we were going to get a DNA test of our own. Jeremy and Archie had made all the arrangements. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get the results, and I hadn’t pressed Archie for answers.

  He’d been on edge since Valentine’s when I thought he was really serious about killing his father. The guys had all but wrestled him into the car, and Jake put me between Archie and Coop. It seemed to settle him when I was there. Coop hadn’t let go of my hand though, he’d let me dig my nails in while I leaned on Archie’s shoulder. It killed me to tell him.

  Worse, it killed all our plans, ruining our first Valentine’s. They hadn’t cared, but I did. Sure, it seemed like a small thing in light of the rest, but we were gonna spend it all together. The five of us. It was supposed to be fun and light and loving and maybe even goofy, but I would have been with them, and then it was all just…broken. The guys were upset. Archie was hurting. And I had no idea how to fix it.

  Tracing my fingers over his sleeping face gently, I carefully brushed the hair away from his forehead. He’d looked so damn tired when they got
back from New York. He wouldn’t tell me much about Muriel. “She doesn’t know,” was all he’d said, a certainty in his voice. “Grandpa hasn’t answered my messages yet. But he will.”

  It wasn’t the certainty that worried me, it was the hope in his voice. The hope that told me more than anything how scared this whole thing had left him. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t accept that he was my brother. The thought just didn’t compute. He was Archie. He was my Archie. My first time, my first…my first a lot of things.

  Even asleep, he looked tired. The shadows beneath his eyes worried me. The hand on my hip tightened as his lashes fluttered. I kept stroking his scalp gently as he blinked sleepily at me. The lazy moment didn’t last long, scant seconds before reality crashed in on him too. His fingers dug in but it didn’t hurt, and his gaze clung to mine.

  “Hi,” I whispered, even if we weren’t going to wake anyone up. I didn’t want to disrupt the moment any more than it already had been.

  “Hey,” he answered in a low, sleep-roughened voice. He slid the hand on my hip upward to cup my face, and then he leaned in to brush a kiss. It was light. Barely there. While I might be aware of morning breath, I didn’t care. The ache in my chest unfolded with the feather light touch. The moment I fisted his hair though, he dragged me forward and his kiss was like a drug—the drug my system needed.

  The first stroke of his tongue against mine, and I was wrapping my arms around him. He tumbled me right onto my back, one leg slotting between mine as I curled a leg over him. I craved him like I craved my next breath. The connection between us seemed to sizzle to life, and then he was all lips and tongue and teeth. He sucked the air from my lungs and gave it back.

  Tears burned in my eyes, even as I clung to him desperately. I don’t know when the first sob broke, but he kissed the tears from my cheeks and then buried his face against my hair as he crushed me to him. “It’s going to be okay,” he swore. “I mean it, it’s going to be fine.”

  The fine tremors shaking me had me holding on tighter.

  “I’m going to make it fine,” he promised. “Trust me? Please?”

  That ‘please’ killed me, and I tugged at him so he would lift up and meet my gaze. “Of course, I trust you. That’s never the question. I love you, Archie.” None of this was his fault. None of this was our fault.

  He exhaled, then pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m not giving up on us. I told you that before, and I meant it. I’m never giving up on us. This is just…another bump in the road.”

  “It’s a little more than a bump.” But that said… “But we’re not letting them define us.” That was something else he’d told me months ago when I first found out about Maddy and Eddie. “I don’t regret us, Archie. I could never.”

  When he crushed me to him this time, he was the one who was shaking, and I held him as tightly as he held me. We probably left bruises on each other, but I didn’t care. Rain lashed at the windows. February had turned into a damp, drab month, as though the weather seemed aware of our gloom.

  Gradually, he pulled back and then pressed another gentle kiss to my lips. “Go shower,” he told me. “I’ll feed the cats and get the coffee started.”

  “When do we have to…”

  “We have a couple of hours.”

  “Okay, I’ll shower in a little bit then, and we can make breakfast together.”

  His grin was real. “How about I make coffee and you make breakfast?”

  My chuckle might have been weak, but it was also genuine. “You’re never going to master it if you don’t at least try.”

  “Can I please be excused from potentially poisoning my girlfriend today?” He shot me a pair of puppy dog eyes, and I laughed.

  “Fine. You’re off the hook. I’ll cook, you make coffee.”

  “Yes, you are the best.” After another promising kiss, he nuzzled his nose to mine. “And I need to brush my teeth.” One more nip of my lower lip, and he was up and out of the room.

  I stared after him for a moment as I flopped back against the pillows. We could do this. It was going to be fine. Maddy lied.

  A lot.

  I repeated the mantra in my head before rolling out and straightening the sheets. Our phones were side by side on the nightstand, both plugged into chargers. My screen lit up with messages.

  The guys. Rachel.

  I sent the guys good morning replies and that I was fine. I’d check in with them later. To Rachel, I promised to fill her in later this week. She’d figured out something was going on and had been getting a little snippy that I wasn’t telling her.

  Me: You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.

  I could practically hear the huff in her answer of fine, I’ll wait. After sending a couple of kissy-faced emojis in response, her middle finger answer made me grin. There was a message from Marsha about work, but it was just a possible schedule change. So I’d call her later and see what was up. I met Archie in the hall, and he grinned before giving me another kiss, this one minty fresh and sweet as he ran his hands up and down my sides.

  Fuck, I was going to be a puddle before I even made it to the bathroom. “Coffee,” I ordered as I gave him a shove away from me. Tiddles yowled at that moment, and we both grinned.

  “I’ll feed your pussy,” he teased, and I groaned, but at least he was chuckling. It wasn’t until after I’d brushed my own teeth that I caught the scent of brewing coffee and checked the last couple of messages on my phone.

  Maddy.

  I stared at her name and sighed. I debated just deleting the messages without looking at them. Then I frowned. Really, what the fuck could she possibly say to me now? I was done running from her.

  My Bitch Mother: Your father told me he spoke to you. I thought I would have heard from you by now. I’m sure you have questions. Call me.

  I snorted.

  The second message actually made my blood boil though.

  My Bitch Mother: I understand that your feelings may be complicated because Archie is your friend, but you can’t take one boy’s version of the story as gospel.

  Lips pursed, I glared at the wording.

  Yeah. Fuck it.

  Me: Mr. Standish told me you said he was my father. He claims there was a DNA test, but I know there were four. I also know that the names were not on the tests. This means you have at least four candidates on the Who’s My Daddy wheel of fortune. I’ll assume the other three didn’t have the bank accounts that he does. Since you want to share a point of view, let’s start with a list of names. If you can’t be bothered to give me those, please cheerfully fuck off and direct future contact to my attorney.

  Bitch.

  I stared at the message for a moment and corrected the spelling and typos. I wanted it perfectly clear with good punctuation. It didn’t matter that I was shaking with rage. She didn’t need to know she could get to me.

  After hesitating a beat, I added one more line.

  Me: Looking forward to meeting Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, by the way. Well, meeting her again.

  Then I hit send.

  I glanced up to find Archie leaning against the wall next to the opening to the living room. His arms were folded over his bare chest, and his pajama bottoms hung low at the waist. It was the concern in his eyes though that drew me. “You okay, babe?”

  “Just Maddy.” And I held my phone out to him as I closed the gap between us. I rubbed his shoulder. “I’m going to grab coffee and get food started.”

  He took the phone, then caught my hand against his shoulder. “Are you okay?” The concern in his eyes darkened them, just like Friday in the rain when he’d been so worried about me.

  “I hate her,” I told him. “She ruins everything. She wants to ruin this, and I bet she doesn’t even know this exists.” Or maybe she did and she didn’t care. I gave a little shrug. “She really doesn’t care about anything that isn’t about her. That part sucks.”

  “She doesn’t deserve you, babe. Not one fucking tear for her. For you? Yes, because fuck knows y
ou were short-changed. But she doesn’t deserve a goddamn thing from you.” The savage tone and hard look in his eyes made me bleed. For him. For me.

  For us.

  “None of them deserve us,” I told him. “I don’t know what crazy pills they took. But they don’t deserve you either. Your parents. Mine. None of them.”

  “Too damn right,” he agreed. “After our appointment, I’m taking you out to a fancy fucking lunch and spoiling you like I didn’t get to do on Friday. We’ll make it up to the guys later. Then we’re going shopping.”

  “We are?”

  “Yeah. Prom is coming, and I want to get you a dress…my treat.”

  “Archie…”

  He pressed two fingers to my lips. “My treat. I want you to get whatever you want. Silks, fancy, comfortable, strapless, lace. I want you to feel like a princess, and we’re going to get our fucking night out at a fucking dance where we have a fantastic fucking time because you said yes and I’m taking you to prom. I’ll even share the date, but you said yes to me first, so we get the hotel room after.”

  A laugh worked its way up my throat. “But what if…” I really couldn’t ask that question.

  “You’re not my sister,” he said. The savage note was back in his voice, and my phone hit the floor as he pushed me back to the wall. His hands cupped my head to keep it from hitting. “But you are mine.” Then his mouth was on mine. The mintyness of the kiss was a cool accent to the heated demand in his lips.

  The kiss took and gave in equal measure. His tongue swept in and dueled with mine, only to draw mine back as he sucked on it. A moan escaped my throat, and my nipples beaded as he slid his leg between my thighs. I had no idea who tugged at whose clothes first, but he pulled back only long enough to rip the tank top I had on up and over my head and then his hands were hot against my breasts as he devoured my mouth again.

  Fingers hooked into the side of his boxers, I yanked them down. Every place his skin brushed mine left me needing. The pinch and pull of his fingers against my nipples, the way his callouses rubbed my breasts as he teased them. Then he kissed from my mouth to my jaw and along to my throat before he yanked my boxers down, and I had to wiggle to get them to fall the rest of the way.