Merry Little Cluster Fudge (The Price of Love #3.5)

11. Chapter Eleven

Emmett

"It's okay, monkey," I said. "Why don't you go find Mama."

Lilah glanced warily between the handful of adults currently in a face-off with my mother. I gave her an encouraging nod, and she scampered off to find Callie.

Christ, this is a disaster. I ran a hand through my hair, bracing for another round of my mother's vitriol. But before Mom could say anything more, Patricia stepped forward.

"Excuse me," she said, her voice soft but firm. She moved with surprising grace for someone who'd just downed three mai tais at the pool bar.

Watching her approach my mother was like watching a fluffy bunny boldly confront a cobra. What the hell is she doing?

"Hello there." Patricia smiled and extended her hand. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Patricia."

Laura looked between Patricia's outstretched hand and her face. "And who exactly are you?"

Patricia's smile didn't waver. "I'm Thomas's partner. It's so lovely to finally meet you, Laura. I've heard so much about you."

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. The look on my mother's face was priceless—a mixture of shock, disgust, and thinly veiled rage.

"How... nice," Laura said, ignoring Patricia's hand.

Undeterred, Patricia pressed on. "We were just about to grab dinner. Why don't you join us? I'd love to hear some stories about Thomas and the kids when they were younger."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was Patricia actually inviting my mother—the woman who'd made our lives hell for years—to dinner? Has she lost her fucking mind?

Mom's lip curled. "I think not," she said. Without another word, she spun on her heel and strode towards the lobby.

We all stood there, frozen in awkward silence. Then Marco cleared his throat. "Well," he drawled, "I guess that answers the age-old question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable bitch?"

Laughter exploded from me before I could stop it. Meghan elbowed Marco in the ribs.

"Marco!" Patricia gasped. Her attempt to scold him was somewhat undercut by the obvious glimmer of amusement in her eyes.

"What?" Marco held up his hands in mock innocence. "Don't tell me we weren't all thinking it."

I shook my head, chuckling. Typical Marco .

Patricia turned to face us, wringing her hands. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I thought... well, I don't know what I thought. I just wanted to help."

"It's okay, Patricia," I said, surprised at the surge of affection for this quirky woman who'd so recently entered our lives. "You were trying to do a nice thing. It's not your fault my mother's allergic to kindness."

Meghan nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I'm impressed. I've never seen anyone throw Mom off her game like that before."

"Yeah," Wick chimed in, slipping an arm around Meghan's waist. "Usually, she's the one ambushing people. It was kind of satisfying to see the tables turned."

Patricia's cheeks flushed pink. "Oh, stop it. I didn't do anything special."

"Are you kidding?" Marco said, grinning. "That was some next-level psychological warfare. You should teach a masterclass."

Everyone laughed and began to move toward the restaurant. I hung back for a moment. The encounter with my mother had left a sour taste in my mouth, but watching my family rally around Patricia—this woman who'd shown more genuine care for us in the past few hours than Mom had in years—filled me with a warm glow.

Maybe this is what it's supposed to feel like, I thought, watching as Callie approached with Lilah perched on her hip. A real family.

"Everything okay?" Callie asked. "Lilah said there was some kind of showdown."

I slipped an arm around her waist, pulling my girls close. "Nothing we couldn't handle," I said, pressing my lips to Callie's temple. "How about we grab some dinner?"

As we made our way to join the others, Lilah tugged on my shirt. "Daddy," she whispered, "Don't be sad, okay? Grandma Laura is always grumpy, but Patricia is happy. Maybe she'll help you find some seashells and make you happy, too."

"Thanks, monkey. I think that's a great idea."