Chapter 7 Misty #3
Talbot focuses those sinister silver eyes on her. “Are you another of Misty’s younger sisters? Your poor mother must have her hands full with all these girls.”
My mom giggles.
That makes me hate Talbot most of all.
My mom loves it when people think I’m the older one.
“She’s actually my daughter.”
“No!” Talbot gasps. “I don’t believe it. You look like you just graduated from college.”
Ryan clears his throat.
“Sorry, I’m actually married.” Rachel wiggles her left hand, the huge, real diamond sparkling.
Grandma Pamela and Aunt Kathy give Mom threatening looks, and she shrinks.
“Too bad. Guess you’ll have to go find a new girlfriend elsewhere. I hear there’s a surplus in Manhattan.” I shove him toward the door.
Sienna’s mom gasps. “You broke up with him, Misty? Why? Is that why you were avoiding us all evening?”
“I wasn’t avoiding anyone. Someone has to make sure we don’t run out of food.”
Beer in hand, Mike Tiernan, aka the Dartmouth Demon, Sienna’s dad, and winger extraordinaire, slings an arm around my shoulder.
“We’ve been talking about you.”
Just what every girl with latent anxiety disorder wants to hear.
“Seems like this young man is a good catch.”
“I can assure you he is not.”
“Military man. Sacrifices for his community.”
Talbot gives me a smug look.
“Both of you do. You teach those hockey camps for kids,” Mike adds. “You seem like a good match.”
“He’s right. When I was your age, I already had three children. He’s cute.” Sienna’s mom walks two fingers up Talbot’s chest.
“Misty literally just met him,” Austen argues.
“It’s shameful,” Aunt Kathy adds.
“She met him online. I bet he’s just with her for a place to stay,” Brielle says nastily.
“People meet people online these days,” Lucy screeches at Brielle. “Not everyone likes to shop for a husband in their sister’s bedroom.”
“Daddy!” Brielle shrieks.
“Lucy…” Ryan sighs.
“And situationships are a real thing,” Granny Keagan adds. “Some of you could do with no-strings sex in your life. Especially you, Kathy.”
“Work hard, play hard,” Mike booms, bouncing his beer bottle on Ryan’s, causing him to curse and beer to spray all over the floor.
“I’ll get the mop.” Maybe the shotgun, too, and I’ll politely ask Talbot to get the hell off my property.
Shoot, even if they never find out Talbot’s actually an assassin, there’s the fact that another faction of my family believes I hired him to be my fake boyfriend.
I can’t decide which is worse, but it’s so pathetic to have to pay a man to pretend to be interested in you that I’d almost rather my family think I did hire a man to kill Austen.
It’s a seven-layer dip of lies I’m assembling here.
I feel the need to apologize. Grinding my teeth, I turn to see Talbot. He’s standing on an ottoman, the one I just cleaned.
“Feet off,” I snap at him.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He springs down like a cat, alighting on the floor to stand in the center of the room.
“I owe each and every one of you an apology. That is why I’m here tonight. Yes, Misty”—he cuts off my protests—“I know you told me you never wanted to see me again, and even though it breaks my heart, I had to see you one more time and apologize for my behavior.”
He takes my mom’s hand and lifts it up to his lips.
“I behaved horribly at the party on Friday. Just horribly. I care so much about your daughter. She’s been the best thing that ever happened to me.
You know, I got out of the military a few years ago now, and it’s been tough.
” He drops Mom’s hand to press a hand to his mouth, like he’s trying to compose himself.
“I don’t know how to be in a family. I’ve had a lot of trauma in my childhood.
I was just drifting along, from one million-dollar mercenary contract to the next, wondering if I’d ever go home for Christmas.
Did you know every Christmas since I was five years old, I’ve either been at war or in foster care? ”
They’re eating it up. All of them. My stepdad’s friends are well-meaning, but let’s face it—hockey players aren’t the brightest of the bunch.
Of course Talbot pulls the fake snow over their eyes. The bastard even manages a little tear and a hitch in his throat.
Several of the hockey players are crying.
“I…” He blinks rapidly, lip trembling as he looks up at the ceiling, at my handmade garland with lace snowflakes and hand-dipped dried citrus slices.
“I was checked out of life. I hated the world, and more so, I hated Christmas. But then I met Misty. I just wanted casual sex, to fuck a nice girl in the back of my leased pickup truck.”
The women giggle. “So that’s why she has him around.”
“She taught me the love of Christmas, of family.”
“And of sex in a pickup truck!” Sienna’s mom collapses in laughter on her friend.
I want to sink into the floor. This is maybe not the most embarrassing moment of my life—I did go to a super-expensive private middle school with Brielle after all, so I have some war stories—but it’s definitely up there.
Maybe I should just use my BOGO assassination on myself. Treat yo’self, right?
“Misty, you wanted something more. And I wanted to show you I was ready, that I was serious about us. You guys—” he addresses Ryan and the rest of the players.
“You hockey heroes, you were everything to me growing up. I just wanted to impress you. I wanted you to like me. You’re all so important to Misty.
I knew I needed your approval if she was ever going to let me stick around.
But I drank too much out of nervousness and ruined the party. ”
Talbot hangs his head.
Ryan’s face softens.
“He’s so in touch with his feelings.” Sienna’s mom swoons.
“Misty, you found a really good guy,” her friend adds.
“I know that you’re pissed at me, Misty, and you said you’d never forgive me.
But I just want one more chance. Please?
I promise I’ll stay around all Christmas.
I’ll help you decorate the tree, bake cookies with you, make delivery trips to the retirement home.
Anything. I’m yours the rest of the season. ” He holds a hand to his heart.
Does no one else see how crazy he is? No one else besides Austen, anyway.
“Maybe because he’s unemployed,” Austen says loudly.
Granny Keagan glares at him. “You’re going to be turning tricks on the street corner pretty soon, the way you’ve been spending money on Brielle.”
“I have an endorsement coming, right, Misty? And she doesn’t need the likes of you in her life, Talbot.”
“Decorated military veteran?” Sienna’s mom giggles with the wife of the former goalie.
“Those abs.”
“That ass!”
They snort into their wine glasses.
“I understand.” Talbot really turns it on, really manages to look heartbroken.
“Poor thing.”
“A true hero right there.”
What the fuck?
“I’m not ready to give up on us, Misty.” There are literal crocodile tears in his eyes right now.
Cocoa whines at his feet.
He picks her up, and she licks his face to comfort him. If he wasn’t a, you know, cold-blooded killer, he would be exactly my type.
“Please, I’m not asking you to marry me, but I’m asking for one more shot.”
Everyone at the party looks at me expectantly.
“No, I… no.”
“Geez, Misty,” cries Mason, my eighteen-year-old newly minted NHL player, first-round draft pick, complete lovable idiot brother. “It’s Christmas; have a heart. He didn’t mean it. Talbot made that party way more fun anyway.”
“I threw a very tasteful engagement party!” I shriek.
“I mean,” Mason adds hastily when Ryan fixes that ice stare on him. “Not that I was drinking or anything.”
Great. Now I’m going to be the bad guy if I don’t forgive the lying, scheming, psycho hitman.
“She certainly is not giving him another chance,” GrandPam—er, Grandma Pam—says.
Aunt Kathy nods along emphatically.
Grandma Pam glares at Talbot. “We don’t want your kind here. My son has worked hard to build up the Boston Harbor Hawks into a dynasty team. He came from nothing; we had nothing.”
“Yeah, because you spent it all on your shopping addiction,” Granny Keagan says from behind her hand.
“My son Ryan isn’t going to invite riffraff like you to family functions,” she adds. “Misty is jealous of my granddaughter Brielle and is making bad decisions so that other people will be forced to swoop in and save her.”
“You heard them,” I tell Talbot. “Sorry, sounds like you have to go. Oh no. I am so heartbroken. Looks like I’m choosing my family over you. Good luck out there. Why don’t I make you a to-go plate?”
“Please, sir!” Talbot drops to his knees in front of Ryan like this is a community theater production of A Christmas Carol. “I think I love your daughter.”
“Stepdaughter,” Brielle corrects loudly.
Lucy giggles with several of the younger girls.
“It’s so romantic!”
“They don’t make men like that anymore.”
“Misty, you don’t have to kick him out on our account,” several of the drunk wives cry.
“Especially if you can convince him to take off his shirt.”
“Take it off!”
“I think that we’d love to have you around,” Ryan says encouragingly. “I’d like to get to know you. We’re very supportive of the military here.”
“Misty, my mistletoe. What do you say?” Talbot shuffles over to me on his knees, escorted by Cocoa.
“I… uh, I guess?”
“She said yes!” Talbot whoops, picking me up and spinning me around.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” several former D-men chant and point up to the mistletoe that I make a mental note to take outside and burn.
“Better not.” Talbot pats me on the head. “I think she’s still mad at me.”
“Yeah, girl!” one of the wives whoops. “Make him work for it.”
Talbot spins me around. His massive chest presses against my back, his large hands capturing my arms briefly.
“Word of warning?” His voice is a low threat in my ear.
“Don’t try to fuck with me, Gumdrop. I will stop at nothing to win.
And I always, always get my mark. You didn’t want to do this the easy way?
Fine. You’re going to have a funeral for Christmas even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming. ”