Threats
I sat with my back on the headboard while Aiden and Abby lay on either side of me, with their heads leaning against me as I told them as much as I could remember from one of the bedtime stories Celine and I were usually forced to sit through back at the foster home.
We always found it boring and would be among the first kids to do off before she even read two lines from the story, the other kids would fall closely behind, it was that dreadful.
But tonight, the kids found my old, half-complete, gap-filled story fascinating enough to listen to as I tried to lull them to sleep.
After today, they needed the assuring warmth from someone they could trust and I did not mind providing just that for them.
The door creaked open and Lucas's large form filled the doorway.
He had gone with dad and Rob to the nearby police station to fill out details that would help keep Sarah locked away for a while.
If all went well, she was going to be sued by Calvin for trespassing, violent assault and by Lucas, well her list of crimes was pretty long.
I felt a sort of relief as she was dragged away like a criminal when the cops came over. She rained curses and threats directed at me. But the one that stood out the most to me was:
"Don't think you are seeing the last of me you snake. I'll be back before you blink twice, that's a promise"
Well, when I blinked twice she was gone so...
It was hard to believe we were sisters, in any way.
We were so damn different and now I could understand what Lucas was talking about when he would say, "how can two people look alike and be so different?
" Then again we were both raised in two different worlds apart from each other, with two different fathers and she was at least two years older than me.
We would make the perfect twins, Sarah being the evil and vengeful twin and me being the twin that just wants some peace with the man she loves and the two kids she adores most on the planet.
At least, there was going to be some peace from her for a while.
I was not going to pretend I wanted to be the better person and try to form a relationship with my long lost sister, because quite frankly, my life was perfect when I was my only family and I wished more than anything that she would disappear suddenly so I could go back to being that again.
"Daddy," Aiden mumbled dreamily, at the sight of his dad.
Abby who was half asleep and had not seen him earlier came back to consciousness.
"Daddy!," she managed to sound enthusiastic, but tiredness was written all over her.
Celine had worked them to a frenzy, making them run around with her as they had their dessert.
It worked to make them more relaxed and less worried about their psycho mother trying to kidnap them, but they easily got sleepy afterward.
"Hey hey," he said softly, moving closer to them. I knew his eyes were all over me, so I looked anywhere but at him.
We had not said much to each other and I had not yet given him the chance to express any emotions after not seeing me in days.
I had no intentions to hear what he had to say though, which was why I was going to go straight to bed in the guest room with Celine the moment I finished putting the kids to sleep.
Then at the first light of dawn, I was out of here, back to LA.
"Daddy, Chris is telling us a bedtime story," Abby informed him, she was the most clingy to her father. "Please come and join us."
"I'm not sure Chris would like that very much," he stepped closer, stopping at the foot of the bed with his burning gaze still fixed on me.
Would you stop looking at me like that?
"Chris, please can daddy stay on the bed with us?" Aiden watched me expectantly with pleading eyes.
"I would love that, but there's no room anymore.
" that was a lie, seeing as this king-sized bed in the room would fit at least six people.
I thought it was weird that such a large bed was put in a room meant for two small kids until I heard Martha had specially designed the room for them.
Then the ornateness and plush furniture finally made sense.
A few times Lucas had joked that if it was left to his mother, Abby, Aiden and Zoey would be spoiled to rottenness.
"Oh I think there's some room," he said calling my bluff and shifting closer. He did not even pretend to not want to be around me as I did.
"Please," the kids whined. It was hard to resist the four eyes staring at me pleading from either side of my arms. Two minutes ago all they wanted to do was sleep and dream of a princess saved by a hunter like in my story.
"Okay, you can join us," I finally obliged. The last thing I needed was for the kids to notice the tension between us.
My breath hitched up as he sank into the bed, he had not even stayed two minutes around me and my treacherous body was already betraying my emotions. Bitch!
Aiden lay in between us, but that did not stop him from touching my arm. I held back a shiver, ignoring the way just the light brush of his fingers on my skin turned my insides and sent fire coursing through me. "Are you okay?"
"Never been better,"
He gave me a half-smile before turning to the kids, "So what story were we talking about?"
With me and Lucas sharing a bed, I did not notice the kids had fallen asleep some twenty minutes later and continued speaking until Lucas chuckled.
I paused my storytelling and looked at him. "Did I say something funny?"
He tipped his head lower, "the kids have fallen asleep already."
I looked down at them, they were long gone in their dream world. "Oh yeah, I didn't notice."
"I guess your mind was just as occupied as mine..." he trailed off, giving me a minute to let his words sink in. He was just as distracted as I was because he had been thinking of talking to me too.
"You cannot read my mind," I said in a hushed tone, not wanting to take either of the kids up.
"But I know your body like the back of my palm," he inched closer to me until he was only a breath away. Why the hell did he smell so fucking good?! "and don't think I did not notice the way you shivered when I touched you, Chris."
I was more pissed at the confidence in his tone than the fact that he was damn right about how I responded to his presence around me. I gave a tight smile as I willed my mind to remain composed. I was still pissed at him and it had to stay that way. At least for now.
"We should tuck the kids in." I changed the topic carefully.
"We should do that," he said but made no move to get off the bed.
I took the initiative because if I did not I just might end up kissing him right here with the kids in between us.
carefully lifting Abby off me and settling her on the mattress.
Lucas watched me as I climbed off the bed stealthily, and tucked her in, slow enough to not wake her up.
Lucas did the same for Aiden/ After giving them goodnight kisses on their forehead, I took a moment to watch them both sleeping, before pivoting for the door without so much as a glance at Lucas.
"Where are you going?" he asked as I pulled the door open.
"To bed."
I only made it a few steps down the hallway before I felt his presence behind me. "There's no need to follow me," I said without looking back. I knew he was doing just that.
"There is because we need to talk," he sounded pissed for some reason. I was the one that was supposed to be pissed here.
"Not in the mood to talk, I'm sure your wife would be free you should go to her," I spat, feeling twice as upset as I already was at the reminder that they were still married.
I did not even know which way to go to find the guest room in this large mansion, which was the only reason I had not made a run for it yet.
He was on me in two seconds flat, grabbing my arm and yanking me against the wall.
"Let go of me you asshole," I thrashed with no use since I was really no match for him in the first place.
That was not stopping me though. We spent the next few seconds each struggling for control as I yelled and kicked at him to release me.
Lucas was not even doing much, he just held me off until I was too tired to fight him anymore.
My anger was at its peak, especially because he still looked relaxed and unfazed at my attempts to get him off me.
Like he was just holding off a toddler. He was too damn calm for my liking and it made my blood boil even more.
I decided to give up the futile fight, I knew I would lose anyway.
He released my arm as I stopped fighting him, but his body was still trapping me in place, making it impossible for me to get away. "I deserve to be called whatever name you want to call me..."
Without thinking, my hand launched at him, leaving a resounding slap on his cheek and cutting him short. He looked as stunned as I felt, and his jaw ticked like he was pissed, but when he spoke, he still had that calm edge to his tone. "I deserve that too..."
Another slap on his cheek worked to cut him short again and this time he looked like he would snap any moment while I felt like I would burst into tears any moment.
"...that too, I deserve it," he continued anyway, "but no matter how many times you hit me or yell at me, I am not letting you out of my sight until we talk. We can do this the easy way, or you can keep fighting me."
"I don't want to talk to you Lucas," I whispered, blinking back tears.
"Good, then you can at least listen to me."
"Just let me go." I was too tired, emotionally drained from crying like a broken tap in the last three days, and physically from fighting to get out of his grip, yet I attempted to push him away again, but this time, he caught my hands in a firm hold above my head and against the wall.
"I don't think you understand me Christine.
..neither of us is leaving and I sure as hell am not letting you go until we have talked.
I'm not only taller, but I'm also stronger so again, we can do this the easy way or you can keep fighting me until you're exhausted.
Either way, I will not let you go. The choice is really yours to make. "