CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
COLTON
My hand was still braced on the bare skin of her back as I heard Max’s footsteps echo across the room and out into the hall.
The door slammed.
“You think he’s gone?” Milo whispered. Every inhalation she took wrecked me, I could feel it in my palm, my fingertips. Hell, I felt it in my blood.
That I’d stayed away as long as I had was an absolute miracle.
“Yeah.” I tilted her face toward mine and captured her mouth, tugging at her lips before pulling back and sighing. I wanted her so damn bad I would have sold my freaking soul in order to have an hour, minutes, seconds with her.
But the timing—was off.
Story of our lives.
I kissed her again. “We should—”
“—go rescue Jason, tell Max he can stop pretending to be in love with me, and make sure Reid’s safely tucked away from the watchful eye of Grandma.”
Defeated, I sighed, not wanting to move an inch.
“Hey.” Milo turned around, her dress slipping off her shoulders.
Damn it, just a bit farther.
“Zip me up?”
“No.” I pouted, crossing my arms.
“Colt . . .”
“Jason will be fine.”
“He can barely see out of one eye, Colt, and—”
Loud footsteps interrupted what she was about to say. With a curse I pulled her back into the box castle and looked around the corner.
Jayne made her way up the stairs, her wild eyes looking around the room until, with a curse, she finally located something.
Ah, her phone, she must have left it up here when she was pouting.
“Damn.” She checked messages, then quickly made a call. “No, no, no, I just lost my phone.” She snorted. “God, I need a strong drink. Are you kidding me? He doesn’t even know there is no baby, and by the time he finds out, it won’t matter anyways. Dr. Boomer would do anything for my family. It wasn’t hard to get him to back me up.” Another snort. “No, he won’t get fired because nobody will know. Besides, it’s not like sleeping with the good doctor was a chore, right?” Her laugh was so loud I winced. “By the time he even finds out there’s no baby it won’t matter.”
Milo shifted next to me as Jayne gave us her back.
I tried to grab Milo but it was too late. She had that look in her eyes—the crazy one that said, Don’t mess with me or I’m going to make you look like my brother.
With an evil grin, she popped out from underneath the box castle.
And tackled Jayne to the floor.
The cell phone went flying.
Jayne started screaming.
Milo was koala-ing Jayne’s back as she got whipped one way, then the other.
“Get off of me!”
“No!” Milo shouted. “You don’t even love him!”
“I do too!”
“Do not!”
“Girls,” I interrupted, holding my hands in the air—the universal sign of peace.
But not for women.
For women I may as well have held a sign that said, “You’re fat.”
“Stay out of this, Colt!” Milo snapped.
“Milo—”
“Aghhhh!” She finally tackled Jayne to the floor and managed to straddle her.
Someone else ran up the stairs.
Max. Of course.
“Sorry, it’s just—” He looked down at Jayne and Milo, nodded, then took a seat and patted the spot next to him.
“Care to help out?” I pointed as Milo started pinning Jayne’s hands down.
Max tilted his head. “No, no, I’m good. Have a seat.”
“But—”
“Do you really want to be known as the guy that breaks up a chick fight?”
The man had a point.
“Wish we had beer.” Max pouted. “Oh, and my money’s on Milo.”
“Yeah.” I pointed to the girls. “But Jayne’s scrappy.”
“Ooo!” We both winced as Jayne used her nails to scratch down Milo’s arm.
“What the hell!” Jason appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Have a seat.” Max smiled and patted the spot next to him.
“Jayne! Milo!” Jason went over to grab Milo.
“Really, really bad idea,” Max said under his breath.
Sure enough, he was able to get Milo unlatched from Jayne’s body but the momentum of his pulling her from Jayne’s body sent them both flying backward—directly into the box castle.
Boxes went everywhere.
And that’s when Jayne started screaming again.
Like something out of The Shining.
“Calm down.” Max rolled his eyes. “They fell in a pile of boxes, big deal.”
“H-holy shit.” I ran over to Jason’s side.
He shook his head and winced. “Man, that hurt.”
“Don’t move!” I pulled Milo to her feet, only to have Jayne stumble into her arms.
Max got up and approached the scene of the accident.
“Is that blood?” He pointed to Jason’s arm.
“Yup.” I quickly assessed the situation.
“I don’t like blood.”
“Yeah, well—”
Max hit the floor—and took a now-stable Jayne down with him.
“Get him off of me!” Jayne yelped. Max’s head had fallen directly between her breasts.
Milo pulled out her phone and snapped a picture.
“Could you not!” I hissed.
“What?” She shrugged. “It’s evidence!”
“That your fiancé, who isn’t really your fiancé, was sleeping with your brother’s fiancée in the attic while your brother was impaled by a ski pole?”
“Holy shit! That’s a ski pole!”
“Jason.” I gave him a calm smile. “Stay cool, it’s totally fine, I just don’t want to pull it out and have you bleed all over your nice suit.”
“Lies!” he yelled. “I’m dying!”
“You’re not dying!” I yelled right back and got down on my knees. “Just let me have a look, okay?”
“What’s all the racket up here?” Mrs. Caro appeared at the top of the stairs, followed by Mr. Caro, Reid, Grandma, and Jenna.
“Jayne tried to kill Jason!” Milo shouted.
“Oh, dear Lord,” I grumbled. “Nobody tried to kill anybody!”
At that point Max stirred across Jayne’s chest, lifting his head, only to get slapped so hard it looked like he passed out again. This time his lips were pressed against her skin.
“Get him off!” she shrieked.
Jason groaned.
Stealing the entire family’s attention.
“Son, you’re bleeding!” Mr. Caro got down on his knees next to me. “How the hell did you get a ski pole in your arm?”
“Long story,” he grumbled. “But it starts with Milo and ends with her too.”
All eyes turned to her.
“What?” She threw her hands into the air. “It wasn’t my fault! If Jayne would have just agreed to leave Jason alone then it wouldn’t have happened!”
“Never!” Jayne shouted from the floor. “I’m gonna be your sister-in-law, bitch! Better get used to it!”
Milo’s mouth snapped shut.
Mrs. Caro rose to her full height and stomped over to Jayne. “Listen here, you social-climbing whore! I’ve sat back calmly while you ruined my son’s life. I’ve said nothing—even when you disrespected me and my family repeatedly. But I draw the line now!”
“Oh, wow, you’re drawing lines now. Should I be afraid?”
“I doubt anything scares you—and if it does, you just spread your legs and close your eyes!” Mrs. Caro screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Marcy!” Mr. Caro scolded.
Grandma burst out laughing.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Jayne’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll remember to do that. After all your son has been very, very, very accommodating.”
Everyone started yelling at once.
And then a gunshot rang out. Causing part of the ceiling to crumble next to Jason’s head.
“All right.” Grandma held a small pistol in the air. “Everyone cease arguing, I’m putting a stop to this sham.”
“Who gave her a gun?” Max said in a groggy voice. “Seriously? Who gave Grandma a gun?”
“Keep it in my purse.” Grandma shrugged. “In case those thugs decide to steal me in the parking lot.” At that point her wig slid off onto the floor, showing us a few solitary gray tufts. Hey, look at that, she still had a few strings of hair! Go Grandma!
“I don’t think you have to worry about being stolen,” Milo muttered under her breath.
“There will be no wedding,” Grandma sniffed. “You do not have my blessing.”
“You can’t control me!” Jayne shouted. “And for the love of God, get off of me, Max!”
“No!” He stayed pinned against her. “Not until you admit it!”
“Admit what?”
“You aren’t pregnant!”
“Fine!” Jayne’s eyes went wide with anger. “I’m not pregnant! It doesn’t change a damn thing! I’m the best he’s ever going to get and—”
Milo charged toward Jayne, fist flying. I intercepted her just in time . . . for Mrs. Caro to finish what her daughter had started.