His Wife’s Daughter (Taboo Sneaks #1)

Chapter 1

Owen

My ex-wife, Leah, is insane. Sociopathic. Cruel.

I’ve never met anyone in my entire life as hellbent on destroying another person as she is with me. It’s all she thinks about every hour of every day. What did she think about while we were married?

Destroying other people.

She liked the facade being with me offered. Nice home, perfect family, revered within the community. Under her polished outward appearance was a cold, calculating monster.

I hate I feel that way about the mother of my three children, but there’s no denying it. I’ve had the better part of two decades learning all these awful things about her.

“She’s just really concerned about Mr. Monahan’s sleep disorder and claims her children are in danger, especially their daughter.”

My gut roils and the coffee I’d consumed threatens to come back up. I dart my eyes over to my attorney, Dane Alexander, and shoot him a panicked look. He gives me a small nod and interjects.

“Without substantiated evidence, this is nothing more than a ridiculous claim,” Dane says smoothly. “She wants the house, not the kids, and it couldn’t be more obvious.”

The house in question was in our prenup. Since Leah came from wealth, and I created mine, we were both intelligent enough to protect ourselves from future problems. Her family’s oil money remains hers and the house is still mine.

It’s the kids who are stuck in the middle of the mess, which I hate.

Leah wants the house, likely to spite me, and is using the kids to get her way. Yes, I have a fucking sleep disorder. Do I sleepwalk and do weird shit sometimes? Sure. Would I ever hurt my children? Never.

I pinch at the bridge of my nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache forming. I’m not in the mood to be at court today with the viper who still has my last name. Too much shit to do today without piling this monstrosity on top.

I’m cracking.

And, as soon as a sliver is visible, she will seep her way in, destroying me from the inside out.

Judge Rowe flips through some documents before leveling Leah’s attorney with a firm stare.

“I’m not sure what you have here that will convince me to grant your client full custody, Mr. Linton.

Your client’s claims are just that. If you have proof, bring it to me, and then we’ll talk.

In the meantime, the custody arrangement will stand as is for the two remaining shared underaged children.

Divorce is bitter and ugly. People do and say things they shouldn’t.

But that’s not enough reason to remove children from one of their parents. ”

Dane clasps my shoulder and squeezes. “Told you not to worry. Judge Rowe is reasonable and fair. This isn’t his first rodeo.”

After the judge dismisses us, I hightail it out of the courtroom, a chill racing down my spine when I pass Leah.

Her familiar floral scent envelopes me making me want to gag.

I’d hated her perfume from the very beginning.

Somehow, over time, I learned to dull my senses to it.

Now, having not been around her since the last hearing, I’m overwhelmed by the stench of it.

“I’ll get my proof,” she whispers low enough only I can hear.

Rather than stopping to indulge the wicked witch in an argument, I stride as far and as fast away from her as I can get.

It’s not until I’m outside, the blistering winter wind blasting me in the face, do I feel like I can breathe again.

My next appointment is right after this one which means I have to haul ass to the clinic.

I climb into my black GMC Yukon Denali, a practical change from my Audi after the divorce, and turn the heat on full blast. I’m on edge, so I turn it to one of my favorite podcasts to chill me the fuck out before my doctor’s appointment.

This particular podcast is called Teenage Angst Dad of Three.

He’s a divorced guy, like me, with three teenaged kids, also like me, documenting his life, wins, and struggles.

The man’s also a jokester which I appreciate but always has some sort of anecdote for me to tuck away for a later date.

As corny as it is, I feel like Tim Hopper and I are best friends.

It doesn’t matter if he’s from bumfuck Minnesota, hours and hours away from me, or the fact he has no clue who I am.

My stress dials down several notches as I cross town to the medical clinic where my sleep doctor is located.

It’s a follow-up for a new medication that seems to be working well.

I could have cancelled the appointment, but I’m glad I didn’t.

Reassurance that I’m not the fucked-up person Leah claims I am would be great about now.

Once I park and make my way inside, I pull out my phone to check if any of my kids texted me. I sign in with the front desk and read what, Rhett, my oldest sent me.

Rhett: How did court go?

I hate that I sometimes treat my son as more of a best friend or confidant, but he’s the only one who truly understands the dynamics of our situation.

Accused me of unthinkable things with Addison.

Rhett: Are you fucking serious?

The judge wasn’t buying it. Still, she’s determined to somehow prove something that isn’t there.

Truth is, I’m tired. So damn tired of fighting with this woman.

Rhett: Want me to say something to her?

As much as I’d like to employ my sometimes-vicious son to yank his mom off me, I know there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

Nah. There’s nothing for her to find, so I’m not worried. It just wastes my damn time, you know?

I’m unable to see his response because I’m called by a nurse. She takes me through the routine of weighing me and then checking my vitals. Then, I wait for Dr. Lau as I continue to text with my son, moving on to the topic of his college soccer season.

“Knock, knock,” a voice says as she opens the door.

I tuck away my phone and offer Dr. Lau a warm smile. Her returning one is quick and practiced. I’m sure she sees upwards of a hundred patients a day. I’d get pretty sick of smiling all the time too, and don’t fault her for having one she can turn on like a light switch.

“Your pulse is high and your blood pressure could be lower. Everything okay?” Dr Lau asks, getting straight to business per usual. “Are you having sleepless nights? Any sleep disturbances I need to know about?”

I give her a quick shake of my head. “No, nothing like that. The meds are actually helping, I think. Aside from last night.”

Dr. Lau arches a black, thin eyebrow at me. “I need to know everything to help you.”

With a sigh, I tell her about waking up in the backyard, ankle deep in snow.

I know I wasn’t out there long, because I checked the cameras to confirm.

In my sleep, I disabled the alarm and let myself out.

Cason, my fifteen-year-old son, was the one to wake first to the sound of the alarm disengaging.

The other two also woke up and made sure to get me back to bed.

“Hmm,” Dr. Lau says, lips pressing into a firm line. “Any new stressors?

“Same stressor, my ex-wife. But we did have a custody hearing today.”

Even though Dr. Lau isn’t my therapist, I unload everything that was said in the hearing and how sick to my stomach I am about it.

“My life is stressing me the fuck out,” I admit hoarsely. “I keep trying to piece it all back together again, but it’s too messy. I’m losing control and I hate it.”

Dr. Lau’s dark brown eyes flash with unspoken thoughts and then she rolls her chair close to me. “That makes two of us.”

For some reason, this endears me to her. “Yeah? You having psycho ex problems?”

She snorts out a small laugh. “Mine isn’t as cut and dry. It’s more financial.”

This surprises me. Dr. Lau is a doctor. There are plenty of country club members I’m friends with who are doctors. They’re all wealthy.

“Need a financial advisor?” I say jokingly.

“Need a wife who can help you keep your kids and vouch for your health?”

A laugh barks out of me. Her smile is genuine this time. Wait, she’s serious.

“I’m afraid I don’t get the joke.”

Dr. Lau offers me a dainty hand. “Call me Jin.”

“Owen.” I shake her hand. “What are you saying, Jin?”

She blinks rapidly and then sucks in a deep breath before rushing out, “I have days to save the house of someone very important to me from going into foreclosure. It took everything for me to open up this clinic. I’m overextended and the banks keep denying my attempts for a mortgage loan to buy the property.

It’s only worth about a hundred grand.” She closes her eyes for a beat.

“I can’t put an eighty-year-old woman on the streets.

I can’t bear to see her lose the only home she’s known for most of her life. ”

When Jin’s eyes meet mine again, there’s a quiet desperation in her gaze that I feel down to my soul. Circumstances sometimes put us in a shitty position. My sleep disorder is threatening my custody arrangement. Her financial situation is threatening someone she loves.

“Were you serious about what you said earlier?” I ask, still unsure because Jin has a pretty good poker face.

“I mean, yes,” she says, nodding. “I’d have to immediately refer you to another doctor, but yes. I need this to happen as soon as possible.”

My credit is impeccable, despite Leah’s attempts to ruin it, and my savings is cushy. I have the ability to cosign on Jin’s loan. Even if it all went to hell and she didn’t repay the loan, I have the money to cover it until I could sell it.

“Mutually beneficial,” I murmur, wrapping this insane, spontaneous idea around my head. “There’d have to be a prenup in place, of course.”

“And, separate bedrooms,” she adds. “I’m not having sex with you.”

“But, you’d have to keep your stuff in my room,” I counter. “For optics.”

“The ex-wife going to be lurking around?” Her brows pinch together when I nod. “Okay, weird, but agreed. And PDA for show.”

This has to be the most reckless thing I’ve ever considered, but it could certainly buy me some time.

“You parent your children and I’ll parent mine,” Jin states, eyes narrowing. “That’s a non-negotiable for me.”

She has kids too. This is getting complicated and fast.

But, it would also solve some immediate problems for the both of us.

“We’d have to look like the perfect family,” I tell Jin with a frown. “Leah is ruthless and will do whatever’s in her power to make you look bad. It’s what she’s been doing to me since the divorce.”

Jin smirks at me. “I can handle Leah.”

“So, uh, how long will this charade go on for?”

“I imagine the bank will still drag its feet, despite securing the loan on our end. At best a couple of months. At worst, more.”

That’ll bring Addison that much closer to being eighteen.

Maybe, seeing me married and in a solid relationship with someone who can defend me, Leah will give up her attempts to take my kids and house from me.

Who the hell knows, it could give Leah enough time to move on to some other unsuspecting chump.

Honestly, it’s unhealthy as fuck for her to obsess over us like this.

I’d be happy if my children’s’ mother started dating or remarried.

“I think we have a few more details to work out,” I say, nodding at Jin, “but, this could totally work.”

“It absolutely will.”

“When do we get married?”

Jin checks her Apple Watch and then lifts an eyebrow. “How does now work for you?”

I gape at her. “You’re serious? But what about the details?”

“Call your attorney. I’ll call mine.” She rolls away from me and stands. “We can meet at that diner near the courthouse, finalize the logistics, and then make it legal.”

I rise to my feet, my much larger frame towering over the petite woman. “I guess we’re doing this.”

“Do we have a deal?” She offers me her hand once more, this time with the power of a binding, life-changing agreement behind it.

In my desperation to escape my ex-wife’s torment, I shake Jin’s hand. “Deal.”

Holy shit.

I’m getting married.

Again.

I hope to hell I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my life.