Live-In Position (16 page)

“So, how was the pageant?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t really like it.”

“Oh, did you tell your mom that?” I started to get the flour and sugar.

“No, I didn’t tell
Grace
.”

Looking at her, I studied her expression.

“Did you just call your mom Grace?”

She nodded. “I don’t want to call her Mom.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

I didn’t want to press any further. “Go get changed, okay?”

As she hurried from the room, my mind was reeling.

Dr. Bishop said he wanted to know if Victoria was troubled by Grace when she first came back. Does that still stand? Should I mention it to him? I don’t want to overstep any boundaries.

Victoria and I were in the middle of scooping chocolate chip cookies onto a tray when Dr. Bishop walked into the kitchen. He stopped, glanced around the room, and then focused on Victoria.

“What’s on her face?”

I cleared my throat. “I think it’s fake tanning spray.” I bit my lip.

“Why the hell is she wearing that?” He turned his frosty glare on me.

“Grace did it.” Victoria spoke up and shifted her body closer to mine. I watched Dr. Bishop to see his reaction to her new behavior.

“You mean your mother?” Dr. Bishop’s brow wrinkled.

Victoria rolled her eyes and picked the spoon back up to scoop more cookie dough.

“Miss Ashwood?”

I knew what he was asking.

“Um…it seems Victoria doesn’t want…isn’t comfortable calling Grace Mom.”

“Victoria, is this true?” His eyes darted to her, and he stepped closer.

She nodded.

“Why is that?”

She shrugged.

“That’s not a proper answer.”

Victoria dropped the spoon into the bowl of cookie dough and slapped her hands to the marble counter top.

“I didn’t want her,” she growled out. “I didn’t ask her to come back.”

Dr. Bishop’s eyes widened and then shifted to my face. I hoped he could tell I was as shocked as he was.

“Well,” he cleared his throat, “she’s your mother and she is back.”

“And what if I don’t want her to be?” Victoria shot back. I could see the tears swelling in her eyes. “She doesn’t care about me.” Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she leaned into me.

“Do
not
talk about your mother that way!” he scolded and stepped even closer. “She cares about you very much. She came back for you.”

“Grace did not come back for me,” Victoria growled back.

“What’s going on?” Grace stepped into the kitchen.

Someone had obviously been eavesdropping.

“Nothing.” Dr. Bishop straightened up and glared at Victoria then me.

“It doesn’t sound like nothing. I demand to know –”

“We were trying to figure out why you’re back, Grace.” Victoria sounded so much like Allison it sent a chill over my skin.

“I’m your mother. You will
not
talk to me in that manner,” she huffed.

Victoria rolled her eyes. “Right.” She picked the spoon back up and turned her attention to me. “Can I put more on or is the tray full?”

I looked down at her, still in shock.

“Collin, I believe we need to discuss some sort of punishment, don’t you?”

Dr. Bishop didn’t speak. He just stared at Victoria and then at me when I answered her.

“This one’s full. Why don’t you grab another tray out of the drawer?” I pointed behind us and attempted to avoid eye contact Dr. Bishop.

“Collin!” Grace yelled.

He snapped his attention away from me to her. She huffed.

“Perhaps we should think about letting Sophia go.”

Confusion and astonishment raced through my incoherent thoughts.
What had I done?

“What are you talking about?” Dr. Bishop rubbed his forehead.

“Well, I’m home mostly all day now so she’s really unnecessary.” She shrugged with a look of disgust reserved just for me.

“Daddy?” Tears threatened to spill over Victoria’s round, flushed cheeks.

“Victoria, this isn’t your concern,” Grace spat.

I pulled Victoria into my arms to comfort her.

“Grace, I think you’re overreacting,” Dr. Bishop said coolly.

“Why can’t you get rid of her, Collin? Is there something going on?” Grace started yelling.

Dr. Bishop’s face filled with fury. He pointed his long pale finger at her and she flinched away.

“I’ve been putting up with a lot since you left and even more since you’ve returned. Don’t make accusations of my behavior when yours is still in question.”

I squeezed Victoria tighter and lifted her into my arms. Twisting the temperature knob off on the oven I moved quickly to get her out of the kitchen and away from their argument.

I tucked Victoria into her bed with a movie and left to clean up the cookies before they went bad. Reaching the doorway to the kitchen, I realized they were still in the there.

“Grace, this –”

“Don’t you dare, Collin! Don’t!” Grace was slowly unraveling. “I came back for you, because I love you. I will not let some little tramp –”

My attempt to get away was cut off by the timer on the oven. It cut off Grace’s tirade. Cursing under my breath, I stepped to the oven and hit the off button.

“Is this about her?”

I snapped my head around and was thankful she wasn’t talking about me. Breathing in relief, I headed for the closest exit.

“Of course it is! She’s our daughter, and you don’t seem to care much about that fact. Miss Ashwood is closer to her than you!” he spat, grabbed my arm, and pointed at me.

“Oh, and you’re so close to her, Collin?” she snorted. “How dare you condemn me for something you’re the master of? Do you know how cold you are toward her? Toward me?”

“You left!” he shouted, not letting go of me. I flinched.

“I came back!”

“This isn’t working, Grace,” he said in defeat.

His hand was still gripping my arm tightly. Heat pulsated through my body from the contact. With each passing moment it intensified and, right now, each minute felt like an hour.

“I said I’d try, but you haven’t been very forthcoming on why you left and where you’ve been. I don’t see the point in –”

“Don’t you dare end this, Collin Bishop! You’ll regret it if you do!” She took multiple steps toward him, her arms crossed over her chest.

“There isn’t anything more you could do to me. You’ve been pretty thorough,” he snarled through clenched teeth. His grip tightened on my arm.

Ow, ow, that’s my arm, buddy.

Emboldened by the pain of his grip, I began trying to pull his fingers from around my arm. I was prying at them when Grace dropped the bomb.

“She may not even be your daughter,” she snorted.

Fingers forgotten, I blinked twice and looked at Grace.
She had some major- ow, ow…

Dr. Bishop’s hand gripped even harder. Break her, not me!

“What?” he hissed.

I began prying at his fingers once more, desperate to get the hell out of the kitchen.

“You heard me. There was someone else in college,” she shrugged. “It was one night, but I shortly found out I was pregnant. She could be yours, but honestly, she doesn’t look much like you, does she?” she smirked and walked toward the door.

“Don’t walk away from me,” he shouted.

She laughed. She freaking laughed. She’s lost her mind.

Finally, I lifted his remaining fingers off my arm. I took one step back, rubbing my arm.

“Get out of my house! Now!”

“Fine! I’ll collect my things and my daughter!” She continued to walk out of the kitchen.

Dr. Bishop didn’t say anything, nothing at all. I wanted to smack him in the head and tell him to stop her. But he didn’t move, he didn’t speak, and his face was sullen. He was lost. I groaned and took a deep breath, trying to build up my courage. I took two steps toward Grace.

“Don’t you go near her,” I snarled.

Grace spun on her heels with fury in her eyes.

“Say something. Do something. Don’t let her take your daughter,” I shouted at the statue Dr. Bishop had become.

“She’s not mine,” he growled and glared.

“Bullshit! That little girl,” I pointed up, “only knows
you
as her father. You’re the only parent she’s ever had. You can’t take that away from her! You, Collin,
are
her father! Regardless of genetics or what a blood test says.”

His glare intensified.

“You need to stay out things that don’t concern you,” Grace shouted.

Turning on the hell harpy, I clenched my fists at my sides.

“Well, if he won’t say anything, I sure as hell won’t stand by and let you destroy that little girl!” I stepped up face to face with her. “You’re a selfish bitch. You left her behind and didn’t care enough to take care of your daughter or watch what an amazing person she is growing into.”

She opened her mouth, fury in her eyes.

“Shut up! You’ve said enough,” I growled and took another step forward. She backed away.

The wrath boiling inside of me was a new feeling. My protective nature intensified when it came to Victoria.

“You waltz back in here only to play dress up and live the life of a socialite. You leave Victoria in the background unless you need an ornament!”

I rubbed my hands over my face angrily before I continued. Another step toward Grace, and she took another step back.

“You can leave anytime you want, but you will not touch her!”

“She’s my daught—”

“You may be the biological incubator, but you’re nowhere near worthy of calling yourself
her
mother,” I screeched.

“Agghhh!” I screamed, chest heaving, nostrils flared. “Why is Victoria treated like an exotic plant around here? You show her when the appearance is necessary, you dress her up, and you push her away until she’s needed or
has
to be dealt with. It’s ridiculous!”

My rage found Dr. Bishop.

“Are you going to say anything or do anything?”