A Very Daddy Christmas (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems)

Chapter 13

13

Sebastian

“ W hat the fuck was that?” Riggs says.

He pours himself another cup of coffee. Waylan is back after having dropped Dario at school. Cora has already left for the bakery. The house feels emptier than ever, even though all three of us are here. It’s weird—how much a good woman can forever change the atmosphere in one’s home.

“She’s scared,” I tell them. “Confused. Worried. It’s dealer’s choice at this point. There’s a lot on Cora’s plate right now and dealing with a relationship involving all three of us probably does feel like too much.”

“We didn’t put any pressure on her, whatsoever,” Riggs says.

Waylan shrugs, busy with the dishes in the sink, rinsing them before placing them in the dishwasher. “We showered her with gifts. Gifts she considers over-the-top. Maybe Sherry was right. Maybe we really are out of touch with the reality of those who don’t make nearly as much as we do.”

“Yeah, the success got to our heads,” Riggs agrees with a dry chuckle. “Right.”

“Actually, it’s precisely what happened. Cora warned us, and we told her we’d do better. Or do less, at least.”

“What’s so wrong with doting on our woman, on giving her only the best?” Riggs asks, genuinely befuddled.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, but we should’ve listened more,” I say. “This is purely a reaction.”

“What we need to do is understand that this whole hyper-independent thing is a shield,” Waylan scoffs. “Nothing more, nothing less. Cora lost her parents at a young age. It’s something at least one of us can relate to,” he adds, shaking his head. “It’s hard growing up without your parents to rely on and watching your sibling struggle to provide for the both of you.”

“That’s what happened to you and your brother,” I say quietly.

“And as a woman, it’s even more complicated when society keeps trying to teach you to depend on somebody else. It obviously isn’t Cora’s nature. We could’ve been more sensible about it. But the truth is, the excessively expensive gifts aren’t the real problem here.”

“What is, then?” Riggs asks, but he already has an answer to that question. All I have to do is put it into words.

“She’s terrified somebody will find out about our less than conventional relationship. If that happens, it will be a shitstorm. It could be a mark against us when Dario’s final custody and adoption come into place. People like St. James could easily use our relationship to hurt us, as revenge for the whole bakery stunt. And you both know he would gladly use it to ruin Cora’s reputation, too.”

“That man would rather burn the bakery down than let Cora have it,” Waylan grumbles. “And I’ve yet to find the sense in that.”

“There’s something else going on with that building and its ownership,” I say. “The sheriff isn’t doing much, and I doubt he’s going to give us the answers we need. It’s already been established that we can’t rely on him.”

“We might as well do the digging ourselves,” Riggs grumbles.

The entire situation is frustrating and infuriating. I already feel lonely after Cora communicated her decision earlier. If I’m being honest with myself, I did sort of see it coming. Hints she dropped along the way. Abrupt shifts in her mood, changes in her behavior. When she has an interaction with Orson St. James, no matter how small, Cora tends to pull away. To protect herself.

“I’ll start putting word out on the street,” Waylan says.

“The trouble with St. James is that he’s well established in the city,” Riggs points out. “A lot of people admire him, and as much as I hate to admit it, I can’t exactly blame them. He’s done plenty of good for the community. He’s a fatherly figure in church. I mean, even I could understand his appeal if I didn’t see through the bullshit.”

I nod in agreement. “It’s true, but he’s not invincible, and clearly, he’s not all powerful, either.”

“We have more money than he does,” Waylan chuckles dryly.

“Technically, that is correct. But we’ve done more than our part, financially speaking. All we can do going forward is make sure the escrow goes through and Cora and her sister get that building,” I say.

“Which is fine and dandy with me. I’m all for it,” Riggs replies. “What are we going to do about Cora, though? What we have with her, it’s rare, man. We can’t lose her. I don’t want to lose her.”

“Neither do I.”

Waylan clears his throat, drawing our attention. “We might not have a say in that, fellas. The best we can do is respect her decision. Besides, she is right about one thing—it’s risky. For us, and especially for Dario. If anybody finds out… I can’t let the kid slip into the foster system. I just can’t.”

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I do understand where he’s coming from. There are tremendous risks involved. Terrible costs if someone learns the truth about us. If we maintain a professional relationship, it’s safer for everyone involved, especially in a place like Madison where so many of the traditional family values are still fiercely upheld. And with a voice such as Orson’s, we all know how quickly that fire would spread, the damage it would do.

Deep down, I reckon I’m stuck somewhere between Riggs and Waylan on this one. “We’re in love with her,” I say after a long and heavy silence. “There’s no point in denying that anymore, is there?”

“None whatsoever,” Riggs replies.

“But the odds are stacked against us,” Waylan says.

“We’re not powerless, though,” I conclude.

Cora has made her decision, but it doesn’t mean it’s ironclad. Nor does it mean the situation can’t change. We simply need better and safer parameters for Cora to come back to us. The only way to do that is to intervene in a manner that doesn’t make us come across as her wannabe saviors.

I’m worried that if we allow St. James and Hamilton to run loose for much longer, they’ll keep badgering the Levine sisters until they find a way to get them to leave the building.

This is where our former Marine friends come in handy.

The streets are their kingdom. And it’s in those streets we’ll find the dirtiest of secrets on some of the city’s most powerful men. In the meantime, we need to adjust to this new reality. I need to get used to an empty bed again, to being around Cora without being able to hold her, without losing myself in her arms.

It’s going to be a bleak Christmas if we don’t fix this.

And an even bleaker life afterward.