Page 5 of All Stars Fall
CHAPTER TWO
Trevor
“DAAADDY!” I winced as Bella heldup her arms. She was almost four and had enough bubblegum in her hair to make it look blue instead of blonde. I bit back a curse and held her close in an attempt not to get it caught in my longer hair or, God forbid, an eyelash. “I need you, where you go?”
I was about to answer when Eric laughed. “Gum makes your hair fall out!”
“Daddy!” Bella’s eyes filled with unshed tears.
Damnit!
“Eric.” I gritted my teeth. “You know that’s not true, apologize to your little sister.”
He gave her a sloppy grin. “Sorry your hair’s going to fall out.”
Son of a bitch.
“Eric!” Still holding Bella, I stood, almost knocking over the hot chocolate I’d brought them and the babysitter, who seemed to be more interested in her phone than anything going on in our lavish beach house. “If you can’t be nice, I’m going to ground you.”
He made a face. “Mom never grounded me.”
He was six and a pain in my ass.
“Eric…” I prayed for patience. Hell, I hadn’t had patience since my ex-wife decided to run away with a Brazilian boy band member meant for stardom. It had been a year. A year of absolute hell, and now I was one month away from gaining fullcustody of three kids who looked at me like I was eighty years old and needed help with downloading apps on my cell phone.
How had it come to this?
I winced. I really shouldn’t dwell on the how.
She was a beautiful supermodel who wanted “the life.”
I gave it to her.
We had kids.
She got bored.
End of story.
Bitch.
I rubbed my chest with my hand. Bella grabbed my fingertips and brought them to her cheek. “You have big hands.”
I let out a rough exhale. “Because I’m meant to carry you… all of you, that’s what family does.”
Eric snorted just as his twin brother made his way down the stairs complaining about his iPad breaking… again.
“Malcom, I’ll get to it in a few, all right? I need to talk to your nanny first.”
“We don’t need a nanny,” Malcom said in an authoritative voice.
“Why don’t you guys go pick out a movie while we talk?”
Eric grumbled something about being too old for hot chocolate even though he took it and started chugging as he walked up the stairs and Bella followed with her bouncy now short and gum inflicted blonde hair and chipper demeanor.
Which left me.
And Adriana.
