Page 70 of King
Sabrina’s eyes flashed at the blatant snub, lowering her hand and running it down her hip as if smoothing down the short skirt she was wearing. I knew her well enough to know that she was trying to draw Dante’s attention to her figure, which was noticeably slimmer and more toned than mine. That was probably because she was also fifteen years younger than me and hadn’t birthed two children, the bitchy voice inside my head pointed out. I took comfort in the fact that Dante seemed to like my curves just fine the way they were.
“How…nice that Ella’sfinallyfound someone,” Sabrina said, her voice fairly dripping with condescension.
Dante’s hand tightened on my waist, and he dropped a kiss on my temple as he winked at me. “I prefer to think of it as Ellahas foundthe right someone, and I couldn’t be happier to have found her, too.” I smiled up at him, ready to jump his bones right there for putting her in her place.
Clayton cleared his throat in that obnoxious way he had, drawing our attention toward him.
“Ella, I understand that my mother called this morning and informed you of the change in plans for the Florida trip.”
I glanced at the kids, but neither one were paying us any attention. Mia was perched on the arm of the couch and scrolling through her phone, as usual, and Hunter had wandered into the kitchen where I could hear him opening the refrigerator.
“Yes, she did…thankfully,” I added pointedly. He didn’t even have the good sense to look embarrassed about failing to tell me or the kids that he’d changed the plans a month ago.
“Well, I trust that the children will be fine getting to Florida on their own, and I’ve told them that I’ll try to make arrangements to see them when they return.” Yeah, I wouldn’t bet on that.
“Clayton has rented a fabulous bungalow for us, right on the beach in Oahu. It has the most breathtaking views you can imagine,” Sabrina boasted gleefully, “and comes with our own private chef and a full staff to take care of our every little need. He just loves to spoil me.”
Clayton flashed that supercilious smile he’d perfected in the past few years, and I almost sprained my eyeballs with the force it took to stop them from rolling right out of my head.
Mia glanced up from her phone long enough to shoot a death-ray glare at her dad and Sabrina, then stood up and announced she was going upstairs.
“Mia, aren’t you forgetting your manners? You haven’t said goodbye to us,” Clayton called after her. She didn’t even hesitate as she started up the stairs.
“Yeah, whatever,” she tossed over her shoulder, and moments later her bedroom door slammed. I almost went after her, but then decided to give her a few minutes to herself. Besides, I didn’t feel right leaving Dante to deal with Dr. and Mrs. Douchebag.
Clayton rounded on me, his features pinched in annoyance and embarrassment. “That behavior is simply unacceptable, and I expect you to –“
“Seriously, Dad? God, just drop it already.” Hunter said as he walked back into the room, throwing a look of disgust at his father. He twisted the lid back onto the bottle of Sprite in his hand, then turned and stomped up the stairs as well. Seconds later, I jumped as he slammed his bedroom door hard enough to make the windows rattle.
“Ella, are you just going to stand there and –“
“Get out, both of you,” I hissed, pointing toward the front door, “and don’t ever walk into my home uninvited again.”
They both stood, frozen in disbelief, until Dante stepped forward.
“You heard her. Get the fuck out,” he growled. He looked fully prepared to physically toss them out into the yard headfirst if they didn’t go on their own. If I hadn’t been so furious, I would have laughed at the way they both sprang into motion, almost running into each other in their haste to leave.
“Oh, and Clayton?” He barely paused to look over his shoulder as I spoke up, and I smiled grimly at the fear I could see on his face. “Try pulling the stick out of your ass and start actinglike a father who actually gives a shit about our kids, before it’s too late.”
Clayton stopped and turned around, but Dante shifted ever-so-slightly closer to me. That was all it took for Clayton to change his mind about whatever response he was planning to make, and I glared daggers at him as the ball-less chickenshit turned on his heel and hauled ass out the door just seconds after his slutbag of a wife.
I stalked to the front door and slammed it shut behind them. Clearly, slamming doors was a family trait. When I turned around again, Dante wordlessly pulled me into his arms. I held myself rigid for a moment, then the rage and anger flowed from my body, leaving only sadness and worry behind.
“I hate that I saddled my kids with a father like that,” I whispered. “I failed them, and I want to protect them from him, but I can’t. The court ordered the visitation, and I’ll be held in contempt if I don’t make the kids go with him. The judge made that clear at our last hearing, when Mia complained about having to spend the night at his house on Wednesdays. Hunter will be eighteen soon, so he’ll be able to decide for himself, but I doubt he’ll let Mia go alone. He’s a great big brother, and he looks out for her.” Dante held me closer, pulling my head down onto his chest so I could hear the steady beating of his heart.
“You’ve done a helluva good job with them, sugar. They know you love them and are doing the best you can with the hand you were dealt, don’t ever doubt that.” He kissed the top of my head, a sweet gesture I was coming to love from him. “Any idea why their dad insists on the visits? He seems pretty fuckin’ checked out of being an actual father, and that bitch he married doesn’t seem the least bit maternal.”
“To keep up appearances, I think. His partners in the dental practice are big on family – well, at least they’re big on parading their kids around like show ponies. The website for the practice features pictures of all of them, looking like perfect families with perfect smiles and perfect lives. It’s all for show. Behind the scenes, they’re all as dysfunctional as we are.”
I laughed then, a bitter sound with no humor whatsoever. “The picture of Clayton, Sabrina, and the kids that’s on their website now is exactly the same as the one of all of us before the divorce. Same pose, same background, same color-coordinated outfits, only the kids are older, and the wife changed.”
“Jesus Christ, that sounds creepy as fuck, El.”
“It is,” I laughed, finding a bit of humor in this entire shitshow.
I clung to his broad shoulders for another minute, then eased out of his arms. “I’m going to go up and check on them.”
Dante nodded. “Do you want me to go, or can I stay for a while? Maybe order some pizzas?”
