Deadly Addition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 9) (4 page)

“So, Emma won’t believe in happily ever after until Finn says the words,” James filled in. “And they have to be said before she’ll tell him she’s pregnant?”

“Essentially, yes.”

James leaned down, brushing Mandy’s hair away from her face. “I love you.”

“I know.”

“I
really
love you,” James said, kissing his wife for emphasis.

“I know,” Mandy said. “Most of the time.”

James scowled.

“Hormones are a bitch,” Mandy added.

“So, I’m not allowed to tell anyone?”

“No.”

“I need sex,” James said. “Now I’m sad.”

Mandy bit her bottom lip. “Well, I am naked.”

“I can’t promise never to tell him,” James warned. “I can promise … three days.”

“Three?”

“Three,” James confirmed.

“I love you,” Mandy said.

“I love you more than anything in this world,” James replied.

“Well, then show me and shut up.”

James smiled. “I’m going to show you until you can’t walk anymore.”

“ANYTHING
you want to tell me, I can hear it,” Finn said, rubbing his thumb over Emma’s strong jaw. “Just tell me.”

Emma swallowed hard. Now was the time. Good or bad, Finn had to know the truth. “Well, I do have something to tell you.”

Finn caressed Emma’s face, refusing to pull away. “Tell me.”

The ringing of the apartment door jolted both of them.

“Are you expecting someone?” Finn asked, confusion washing over him.

Emma shook her head.

Finn reluctantly moved away. “Don’t lose that thought,” he admonished. “It’s probably someone selling cookies or something.”

“Probably,” Emma agreed.

When Finn opened the door, the middle-aged woman facing him took him by surprise. Her eyes were familiar. Her hair was familiar. He frame was – unfortunately – familiar. He didn’t get a chance to put a name to the familiarity until Emma filled the space behind him.

“Mom?” Emma asked, gasping for breath. “Is that really you?”

With those words, Finn’s life tilted.

Finn didn’t know what to say. He was rooted to his spot, the nervous woman standing in the doorway looking him up and down with unreadable eyes, and his tongue had suddenly ceased working.

“Mom?” Emma seemed just as flummoxed as he felt.

“Emma.” The woman took a wary step into the room, opening her arms so her daughter could step between them. Before Emma got a chance, Finn’s arm shot out to stay her.

“What are you doing here?” Finn asked.

The woman raised an eyebrow. “I’m here to see my daughter.”

“Finn?” Emma’s face was a mask, concern and self-doubt warring for supremacy.

Finn forced himself to relax and dropped his arm. This was Emma’s mother. If Emma wanted to see her, who was he to stand in their way? He was the man who was going to have to pick up the pieces if this woman shattered her daughter again, that’s who. What were the odds this woman was here to make amends for all of the heartbreak she’d caused Emma in the past?

Emma gave her mother a quick hug. The gesture was neither warm nor hostile. It appeared that Emma was just as confused as Finn. “What are you doing here, Mom?” Emma asked.

“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Emma looked unsure.

“Come in,” Finn said, gripping Emma’s arm and pulling her close to his side in a protective manner. He shut apartment door behind the woman. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Who are you?” The woman asked.

“Oh, my manners,” Emma said, clapping her hands over her mouth. “Mom, this is Finn Hardy. He’s my boyfriend. Finn, this is my mother, Sheila Pritchard.”

“Mrs. Pritchard,” Finn said, nodding stiffly.

“I don’t go by the name Pritchard anymore,” Sheila said. “I go by my maiden name, Archibald.”

“You do?” Emma furrowed her brow.

“I … I had to distance myself from that name,” Sheila said. “You must understand that.”

“Actually, Emma chose to keep her name,” Finn said. “She opted to be strong. She didn’t run away.” Finn’s words were pointed, and they weren’t lost on Sheila.

“I understand you must have certain … feelings … where I’m concerned,” Sheila said.

“No, Mom, it’s fine,” Emma said, pointing to the couch. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

“I do have certain feelings,” Finn said. “I feel that anyone who abandons their children doesn’t deserve a second chance.”

“How about some tea, Mom? Finn, why don’t you help me make some tea?” Emma was desperate to keep this situation from getting out of hand.

“I didn’t abandon my children,” Sheila said.

“Really? What would you call it?” Finn challenged. “Emma said that you just disappeared one day. She came home from school, and you were just gone. Isn’t that abandoning your children?”

“You can’t possibly understand,” Sheila said.

“Finn, please,” Emma’s fingers dug into his arm. “Help me make some tea. Please?”

One look into the frightened depths of Emma’s brown eyes had Finn taking a step back. “Why don’t you get comfortable, Ms. Archibald,” Finn said. “Emma and I are going to make some tea.”

“Are you sure?” Sheila asked.

“We’re sure,” Finn said. “It will just take us a moment.”

Emma led Finn around the corner and into the kitchen. Finn knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth. “I’m begging you, Finn, please don’t scare her away.”

Finn sighed, rubbing the back of his neck to ward off his frustration. “Sweetie, I’m not trying to scare her away,” Finn said. “I’m trying to … protect you.”

“She never hurt me,” Emma said.

Finn wasn’t sure of that. He had trouble believing that a man could be raping both of his children in the same small house on a daily basis without his wife knowing. That seemed laughable – and suspicious – in Finn’s book. Still, Emma asked very little of him. She had no family left. Her father was in prison for life. Her brother was serving a sentence for armed robbery. Before the Hardys had come along, Emma had been alone – and sad. Finn wouldn’t let her return to that world. Finn softened his tone. “I’m not trying to scare her away,” he said. “I just don’t want her to disappoint you.”

“Why do you think she will?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know that she will,” Finn cautioned. “I just know that I’m worried about you getting your hopes up for some big, happy family reunion. What if she leaves again?”

Emma worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “You’re right.”

Finn felt a crack in the protective case around his heart. “Sweetheart, I know you want your mom,” he said. “Everyone does. I’m not asking you not to trust her. I’m not asking you not to spend time with her. I’m just asking you to … be careful.”

Emma’s brown eyes widened, unshed tears causing them to shine under the harsh kitchen lighting. “I should just make her leave, shouldn’t I?”

Finn pulled Emma to him, brushing a quick kiss against her forehead as he gave her a reassuring hug. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You don’t?”

“No,” Finn said. “You have some questions you need answered. That’s the only person who can give you the answers you need. I’m just asking you to be careful.”

Emma nodded.

Finn tipped her chin up. “I’ll be here every step of the way,” he said. “I’ll be with you.”

“Do you promise?”

Finn’s heart rolled. “I promise,” he said, giving her a sweet kiss. “You just try getting rid of me.”

Emma squared her shoulders. “This is going to be fine,” she said.

Finn arched an eyebrow.

“What? It is,” Emma said. “It’s going to be totally fine.”

“I’m sure it is,” Finn said. “Now, why don’t you go and catch up with your mom while I make the tea?”

“I can make it,” Emma said.

“Let me make it,” Finn said. “Just … go and talk to your mom. It’s been a long time. I’m sure she has some stuff she wants to say to you.”

“What if it’s stuff I don’t want to hear?” Emma asked, uncertain.

“Then tell her that,” Finn said. “You can only take what you can take, Emma. I’ll be right here if you need me. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

Emma threw her arms around Finn’s neck, instinctively hugging him close. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Finn sighed, pressing his lips against her neck as he held her close. “I think you’ve got that wrong, sweetie. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Now, go and spend some time with your mother. I won’t be gone long.”

“THIS
is a nice place,” Sheila said, glancing around Emma’s apartment. “Have you lived here long?”

“About a year,” Emma said, biting the inside of her cheek. Her mother was sitting on the couch, her frame rigid as she regarded the daughter she hadn’t seen in years with a blank look. Emma’s posture was equally stiff as she sat in a nearby chair. Both women were uncomfortable, and Finn’s absence only made things that much more strenuous.

“What happened to the house?” Sheila asked.

“We didn’t have the money to pay for it after you left,” Emma said. “The bank took it.”

“Oh.”

Emma stared at the wall above the couch. “I heard you and Dad got divorced.”

Sheila stilled. “You’ve seen your father?”

Emma shook her head. “No. He told Finn.”

“Finn went up to the prison to see him?”

“There was an … incident … last year,” Emma said. “Someone tried to hurt me. Finn thought it had something to do with Dad, so he went to talk to him.”

“Someone tried to hurt you?” Sheila asked. “How?”

“Well, he tried to throw acid on me at a job,” Emma said. “Then he burnt my apartment down, and then he tried to blow me up outside of this building.”

Sheila’s face drooped. “That’s awful.”

“It’s fine now, Mom,” Emma said, waving off her concern. “I survived. Everything is good now.”

“It looks good,” Sheila said, gripping her hands together. “You look happy. Thank God he didn’t throw acid on your face or something. That would have been terrible. Are you happy?”

“I’m happy,” Emma said. “I’ll be happier when I’m done modeling for good.”

“You’re quitting modeling? But that’s how you pay for this place,” Sheila said, gesturing widely.

“It’s not what I want to do with my life,” Emma explained. “I’m in school right now. If things go well, I should be done in a few months. I’m going to be a teacher.”

“Why?”

“Well … wait, what do you mean?”

“Why would you want to be a teacher?” Sheila pressed.

“Because I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Emma said.

“I think she’s going to be a great teacher,” Finn said, breezing into the room and settling the tray he was carrying on the coffee table. “I wasn’t sure what kind of tea you liked.”

“The earl grey is fine,” Sheila said, her eyes sharp as they focused on Emma. “Why would you possibly give up modeling? You’re a beautiful girl. That’s God’s gift to you. You should take advantage of your looks. You could be a making a lot more from modeling than you do. You’re just too … frigid.”

Emma averted her eyes. “I don’t want to make a lot more modeling, Mom,” she said. “I don’t want to do that. I don’t like people staring at me.”

“That just means they’re jealous,” Sheila said.

“I don’t want them to be jealous,” Emma shot back. “I want to have a normal life. I want to be a teacher.”

“Sweetie, calm down,” Finn said, perching on the arm of her chair. He rubbed the back of her head to calm her. “You can be whatever you want to be.”

“I assume you’re the one who convinced her that giving up the one thing that could make her famous was the right thing to do?” Sheila’s eyes were accusatory.

“Emma told me two days after I met her that she wanted to be a teacher,” Finn said, refusing to engage in an argument. “She has every right to be what she wants to be, and I happen to think she’s going to make an outstanding teacher.”

Sheila rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever. She’s beautiful. She’s the envy of everyone. That’s what she should be doing. Her beauty is a weapon.”

“She is beautiful,” Finn agreed. “She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever met – inside and out. If Emma wants to focus on what’s inside and give to others, I’m proud of her. Quite frankly, I’m proud of her no matter what she wants to do.”

“Oh, right,” Sheila scoffed, getting to her feet. “I know what kind of man you are. You swooped in and swept her off her feet. You saw something beautiful, and you had to have it. When you got it, you decided you didn’t want anyone else to be able to see that beauty in case they stole her away from you. You’re the one who convinced her to throw away her future.”

“I did no such thing,” Finn protested.

“Mom, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Emma said. “You can’t talk to Finn like that. He’s … he’s been wonderful to me. He’s protected me. He’s made me feel … special. You have no right to come in here and accuse him of anything.”

“I have a right to protect my daughter,” Sheila shot back.

Finn was at his wit’s end. Before he could lambast the woman, though, Emma was on her feet.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?” Emma exploded. “You’re still just as horrible as you always were.”

“Excuse me?” Sheila was affronted.

“When Dad got arrested, you acted like you were the victim,” Emma said.

“I was a victim,” Sheila said. “Your father did horrible things to me.”

“Welcome to the club,” Emma said. “He did horrible things to all of us. You were the adult, though. You were the one who had children with him. You were the one who took all the money we had and ran. You left Jeff and me with … nothing.”

“You and your brother were adults,” Sheila said. “You were no longer my responsibility.”

Emma shook her head, disbelief washing over her face. “I hoped … well, I don’t know what I hoped. I just thought, when I saw you standing at my door, that you’d realized your mistakes. I thought you were here to make amends.”

“I
am
here to make amends, Emma,” Sheila said, pointing at Finn. “He’s standing in our way. Don’t you realize that?”

“He’s not standing in the way of anything,” Emma said, pinching the bridge of her nose wearily. “I think you should go, Mom.”

“You’re kicking me out?”

“Until you can treat Finn with a modicum of respect, I don’t want you here,” Emma said.

“So, you’re putting him ahead of me? You really are your father’s daughter.”

Emma reared back as if she’d been slapped. Finn had heard enough. “Get out,” he ordered.

Sheila narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. “Don’t you ever tell me what to do.”

“Get out,” Finn repeated. “I don’t give a shit if you respect me or not. I don’t care about you. You’re nothing to me.”

“You obviously care,” Sheila scoffed.

“I care that you respect Emma,” Finn said. “Don’t you come back here until you can do just that. She deserves more than … you.”