When Caleb and I had finally gotten around to telling our friends the whole story of our relationship like they’d demanded, each and every one of them had been all too happy to throw their hat in the ring for what I was calling Operation Take the Bitch Down.

I’d been hesitant at first to bring them into our mess, but it was obvious that they wanted to help out of love. Caleb and I weren’t used to having such a strong network of support, and it took us a while to fully trust it, but once we did and our plan was finally under way, I couldn’t imagine pulling this off without them.

My phone chimed and I flipped it over to read the text.

Sophia: We’re in. Getting to work now.

I exhaled in relief, placed the phone back on the table, and glanced out the window of the bistro I’d chosen when I called my mother to set up a meeting. Caleb’s car sat parked at the curb just outside. I couldn’t see him through the darkly tinted windows, but just knowing he was there, watching over me, gave me a sense of peace.

He wanted to be inside, but since Connie knew his face it had been out of the question. He finally relented to waiting in his car outside as long as Grayson and Deacon were inside, close enough to intervene if need be. I knew it wouldn’t come to that, but since it gave my overprotective man peace of mind, I allowed it.

Sophia was with Lola and Dominic at a different location, already carrying out phase one of the operation. All that was left was for me to wait until my mother decided to grace me with her presence.

I checked the time on my phone one last time, seeing that she was ten minutes late. Always wanting to make an entrance, my mother had never been on time for anything in her life.

Finally, five minutes later, she came waltzing into the bistro like she owned the place, decked out in an expensive winter-white pantsuit that had to have come from Christopher McMannus, seeing as she didn’t even have two nickels to rub together.

Show time.

“Darling! So lovely to see you.” I got to my feet, staying still as she placed air kisses on both cheeks. You never would have guessed by looking at her right then that she grew up in a trailer park in Poughkeepsie. Mommy Dearest was, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than trailer trash until she suckered her first unsuspecting victim at the age of seventeen.

She might have spent her entire adult life putting on airs, but as the saying went, you could take the girl out of the trailer park, but you couldn’t take the trailer park out of the girl. You could see it in the way she conned and manipulated herself to the lifestyle she thought she deserved.

“Mother,” I replied in a flat voice. “Please, have a seat. I got you an ice water while I was waiting.”

She pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, placing her Louis Vuitton handbag on the table beside her. It wouldn’t do to put such an expensive purse in a chair where other people couldn’t see it. She was all about showing off her assumed wealth. Exactly what I’d been counting on.

“I have to say I was surprised to get your call.”

I picked up my menu and pretended to look it over while I flipped my hair over my right shoulder. That was Fiona’s cue.

A second later our table was jostled, tipping the water glass over right into Connie’s lap.

Mom shot from her seat as Fiona apologized profusely, patting at the ridiculous white suit with a handful of napkins. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m such a klutz sometimes. I’d be happy to pay to have your outfit dry-cleaned—”

Taking advantage of the distraction, I reached into Mom’s purse and pulled out her cell phone. I dropped my hands beneath the table and quickly entered my mother’s security code to unlock it. As I’d hoped, it was the same code she used for everything—her own birthday. The woman was nothing if not consistent. Fiona’s gaze met mine and I gave her an imperceptible nod. “Well, like I said, it was an accident. Again, I’m very sorry.”

As Connie retook her seat, looking mad enough to spit nails, I discreetly slid the phone into Fiona’s hand as she passed. From the corner of my eye, I watched her dart out of the bistro and climb into the passenger seat of Caleb’s car.

Phase two was complete.

Now it was my turn.

“Some people just shouldn’t be allowed in public,” she grumbled, still dabbing at the damp spots on her jacket. “This suit probably costs more than that woman makes in a month.”

If she only knew. Fiona probably had enough money in her wallet alone to buy out my mother’s entire trailer park and level it to the ground to put in a high-rise.

“Mother,” I spoke, pulling her attention back to me. “I called you here because I know what you’re up to, and I want you to stop.”

She had the audacity to look innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You aren’t making any sense, Daphne.”

I propped my arms on the table and leaned in ominously. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Stefan, and I really don’t give a shit. What I do know is that you stupidly walked away from that relationship with nothing more than the clothes on your back and a few hundred dollars in the bank.” She blanched, almost turning as white as her suit. “I know you’ve hitched yourself to Christopher, and I know you’re blackmailing him to leave his wife. That was your first mistake. You should have gone for the cash, but you’ve always been too greedy for your own good. This is your last chance, Mom. I’m asking you, please, just stop this now.”

Her sneer told me she hadn’t heeded my warning. “I don’t know what you think you know, but Christopher and I are in love, and we’re going to get married. I’d hoped, as my daughter, you’d be happy for me, but I see you’re still the selfish, bitter little girl you’ve always been.”

I wanted to be thrilled that I was finally getting a chance to stick it to her for all the years of misery she caused me, but the truth was it just made me sad. She was still my mother, and deep down I’d hoped that there was a piece of her that wanted to try and fix our relationship.

The realization that she’d never be the mother I’d longed for stung, but knowing that, after today, I was going to get to move on and build a happy, loving family with a man who’d spend his life taking care of me made the hurt almost insignificant.

“And that was your second mistake,” I said. “I gave you a chance. Unfortunately, you weren’t smart enough to see it for what it was.”

My phone chimed again, and I picked it up to read the message.

Sophia: All done here. Heading out now. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed by how easy this whole thing was. I feel like I wore all black for nothing.

I looked back up at the woman who’d given me life, unable to fathom ever treating my own child with the neglect and cold indifference my mom had shown me. I placed my hand on my belly and silently promised my little bean that I’d always love her, no matter what.

A flash of red from outside the window caught my eye, and I turned to find Fiona standing on the sidewalk, giving me the thumbs-up as Caleb started into the restaurant, my mother’s phone in hand.

Once he reached the table, he took the chair next to me, dropping the cell in my lap before wrapping an arm around my shoulders in a show of support.

“What’s going on here?” Mom asked, glancing suspiciously between Caleb and me.

I placed her phone on the table and slid it in her direction. “I took the liberty of unlocking your phone so Caleb could get in and erase the video you were using to blackmail his father.”

“You….” Her eyes went wide. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” I answered drily. “And when we called Christopher earlier today to let him in on our plan, he was all too happy to hand over the keys to that swanky new apartment he set you up in. Our friends are on their way back from there right now after wiping your laptop clean. You really shouldn’t use the same password for everything, Mother. It’s just not smart.”

Connie’s cheeks slowly grew a bright red as her fury boiled over. “You… you back-stabbing little bi—” she started, but Caleb quickly cut her off.

“I wouldn’t if I were you,” he said in a tone so threatening it sent a chill down my spine.

“The video’s gone, Mom. All copies of it. You’ve got no leverage anymore. If you had just listened to me, we could have avoided all this ugliness, but you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

“I regret the day I brought you into this world,” she hissed spitefully. “You’ve caused me nothing but grief since the moment you were born.”

“That’s it. You’re done,” Caleb barked, climbing to his feet.

Seeing he was seconds from losing his mind, I touched his arm and tried to calm him down. “Caleb, honey. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he snapped. “I told you the other night that I take care of what’s mine, and part of doing that is shutting this bitch down the second she starts insulting you. I’m not going to let you sit here and listen to her spew hateful bullshit. We’re leaving. Now.”

Grabbing my hand, he pulled me from my chair.

“Wait!” my mother cried, standing up. “You can’t do this!”

Caleb spun around and skewered her with a glare. “We can, and we are. If you’re too fucking stupid to see what an amazing, caring, wonderful daughter you were blessed with, that’s your own damn fault. Unlike you, I know how special she is, and I’m not going to allow anyone to make her feel bad about herself. You’re nothing but a cancer, scum on the bottom of her shoe, not even worthy of breathing the same air, and if I have my way, she’ll never have to set eyes on you again.”

As a parting shot, he pulled two twenties from his wallet and threw them on the table. “Here, treat yourself to lunch. And I recommend you buy something cheap, because that’s the last dime you’ll ever get from me or Daphne.”

Then he dragged me out of the bistro toward his car.

“Have I mentioned that I’m totally, madly in love with you?”

Some of the thunder faded from his expression, a tiny semblance of a smile tilting his lips. “Once or twice,” he answered, opening the passenger door. “But I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.”

Resting my hands on his chest, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Well I do. And I promise I’ll remember to tell you how much I love you every single day for the rest of our lives.”

He hooked an arm around my waist, holding me close. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

My belly flipped happily. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing that either.

* * *

Caleb and I were one step closer to getting our happily ever after. There was just one last thing I needed to take care of.

I’d told a little white lie earlier when I said I needed to run a few quick errands, so he thought I was at the store at that very moment. And as I walked up to the front door, my hands began to tremble with nerves. There was so much riding on this one last task, and I hoped this meeting had a better outcome than the one with my mother had.

It took two knocks before the front door was thrown open and Caleb’s mother came into view.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her face muddled with confusion and a healthy dose of hostility. I’d wondered if she knew my connection to the woman trying to steal her husband. I guess I had my answer.

“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced like this. I won’t take up too much of your time, but I felt that you should know that my mother won’t be an issue any longer. She’s out of the picture for good.”

“That’s… well… I don’t know what to say.”

“And there’s something else you should know. You’re going to be a grandmother.” I placed my hand on my belly. “Caleb and I are having a little girl, and we’d love nothing more than for you to be a part of her life.”

Her mouth dropped open, her eyes lighting with the kind of glee I imagined all grandmothers-to-be shared. However, I wasn’t quite finished yet.

“But that isn’t going to happen if things don’t change. Caleb told me how he was always stuck in the middle of your problems with your husband, and I’m here to tell you that it stops today.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I sallied on. “Your son loves you very much. I don’t want him to lose you, but you’ve chosen a man who doesn’t deserve you over Caleb time and time again. It hurts him, and I can’t allow you to keep hurting the man I love.”

I watched as tears filled her pretty eyes, and I knew that what I said had resonated. I held out the manila folder I’d been carrying.

“Wh-what’s this?” she asked hesitantly.

“You deserve so much more than what you’ve settled for. I hope for your sake and for Caleb’s that you realize that one day. In that folder is the information for Mary Weatherton, Seattle’s top divorce attorney.” Her mouth opened once more, but I held my hand up to stop her. “I’m not giving you this as an ultimatum. I’m doing it because the man you’re married to isn’t worth another minute of your time. Whether you choose to call her or not is your choice. I just wanted to give you the option. And if you decide this is something you want, I’ll be more than happy to help you take that man to the cleaners. And trust me, I have the connections to do it.”

She looked down at the folder for several seconds before finally lifting her head in my direction, a tentative smile stretching across her lips. “You’re rather blunt, aren’t you?”

I grinned and shrugged. “I am. He probably won’t admit it, but I think it’s one of the things Caleb secretly loves about me.”

She let out a lovely, melodic laugh that transformed her entire face. Man, Christopher McMannus really was a freaking idiot. Caleb’s mom was a knockout when her face wasn’t weighed down with sadness. “I can see that. So… he’s happy?”

I placed my hand on my belly and beamed. “He is. We are. And we’d love to share this happiness with you if you’ll let us.”

She glanced down at the folder one more time. “I may just have to take you up on that,” she said softly.

“I hope you do,” I returned. “And be sure to call your son soon. We’ll have you over for dinner at our house.”

“Your house,” she whispered. Pain flashed through her eyes, and I could only assume it was because her son was building a life she’d had no clue about.

“Soon,” I repeated, wanting to pull her from her dark thoughts. “It’ll be great.”

“Yes,” she said in a strong, confident voice. “Yes, I do believe it will be.”

My work there was done.

I felt light as a feather as I turned and started for my car. That went so much better than I’d imagined.

Now it was time for me to get back to my man.