Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (61 page)

“Busy day?” I asked, trying to keep the sarcasm I felt out of my voice.

“I had two classes today, and then I hung out with Mills and the baby for a while. You should come with me next time!”

I rummaged in the cupboard, looking for chips… cookies… anything. “Have they named that thing yet?”

“He’s not a thing,” Pepper protested. “Not yet, but they’ve got it narrowed down to three possibilities. Mills is doing great, by the way.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said. “I’m going to go over to Mom’s and see what she’s got to eat. Did that veggie burger satisfy you, or would you like me to scavenge something for you, too?”

A shocked expression lit Pepper’s face. “You can’t do that! She’s going to think I’m totally useless if you go over there and raid her fridge.” She grabbed the car keys from the counter. “I’ll run to the store. Or pick up some fast food, if you’d prefer.”

“Don’t bother,” I said. “I’m too hungry to wait for all that. I’ll just run next door. Don’t worry about Mom. If she asks, I’ll just tell her that you were too busy ogling the baby to pick up a few groceries.”

Pepper raced over and stood between me and the door. “Listen, Gabe, I’m really sorry I didn’t have a meal prepared for you. If you’d called and told me you wanted dinner, I would have run to the store and made something. I thought you were working late and would grab a bite on the way home, but I didn’t know because you didn’t call me.” Her voice was becoming harsher and more confrontational as she continued. “So please don’t try to make me feel guilty about spending time with my sister! This is a special time for her and I want to enjoy it with her.”

“Fine,” I said. “It’s no problem. Now let me go next door, please.”

“Wow, what’s wrong with you lately? Is work really that bad? God, if it is, just quit. You know we don’t need the money. I don’t know why you work anyway.”

“Because that’s what people do. They work to feed their family. To pay their bills—only you wouldn’t know much about that.” I walked toward the door. I was finished with this conversation and my stomach growled again.

“Oh hell, no! You don’t get to walk away!” Pepper replied, her voice cracking. “Gabe! You don’t even pick up the phone to talk to me, now you’re insulting me because I’ve never had to work? Well, you don’t have to work either and if a job stressed me out that much, I’d quit!”

Pepper paused and I turned back to the door and twisted the handle.

“You know what, Gabe? I get it, it’s the whole baby thing, isn’t it?? When I saw the way you looked at him, I thought you’d felt like I did—that having a child would be such a special thing for us. You know a family of our own. And I’d understand if you felt nervous about the whole thing, but you don’t have to come in here acting like a dick about it! And if you thought about it rationally, you’d realize how much it would change our lives!”

“Pepper! I’ve had enough changes for the time being!” I shouted. “My whole life has changed! I don’t know what I’m doing anymore! When I lived alone, at least I knew there’d be food in the house. My work has suffered and I’m afraid people are going to lose faith in my ability to do my job! And the last thing I need is more responsibilities!”

“Fine,” Pepper snapped, stepping away from the door. She grabbed the keys to the Escalade. “Go and run to your mother! Maybe she’ll feed you and you can tell her all your problems. I’ll bring your car back tomorrow.”

I couldn’t believe I was leaving Gabe, but then I couldn’t believe the things he’d said to me either! A part of me knew that this was absolutely the worst way to handle the situation, but I was hurt and something propelled me to take this course of action anyway. Pride? Definitely. Immaturity? Undeniably—but if everyone were sensible, there would never be any conflicts, right? All it takes is a glance at the front page of any newspaper to see that this isn’t the case. At least I knew I wasn’t alone.

I really wished I was better at controlling my emotions, but at the same time there was something very satisfying about giving in to temptation and indulging my temper. I knew it was childish—like a little devil in my head whispering, ‘You’ll show that bastard! He’ll be sorry he talked to you like that and he’ll come crawling back after you, begging for your forgiveness.’

I hoped so, or at least I hoped he’d attempt to patch things up, even if he didn’t wear out the knees of his jeans to do so. It must be true, what they say about familiarity breeding contempt. When I first moved in with Gabe, it was wonderful being together all the time, just like we were husband and wife—but apparently I’d overstayed my welcome.

It was getting dark earlier now, and I wished I’d grabbed a jacket. I turned on the heat in the SUV and waves of warmth spread over me. It felt good.

As I drove around, warming up, I realized I didn’t know where I was going. I had no direction or purpose other than to get away from Gabe. But I had to go
somewhere
and before I knew it, I was heading toward home… my ‘real’ home.

Not long ago, I felt so independent. I was full of myself and optimistic about my future with Gabe. I’d lectured my father, the person who probably loved me more than anyone else, telling him he needed to reevaluate his role in our relationship—at least as far as sharing responsibility for all of the pain Evangeline had inflicted on me throughout my life. That must have hurt him, even if it was something that needed to be said.

And now, here I come slinking back, craving the comfort of my old room. Yes, the cold, cruel world hadn’t hesitated one second in bitch-slapping me off my pedestal. That must be why they called it the school of hard knocks. Well, even great armies have to retreat and regroup sometimes. It was time to lick my wounds and come up with a new strategy if I was going to survive this war between the sexes.

It must have been the paparazzi’s night off. There wasn’t a single photographer to be seen near the gate. As I punched in the security code, it felt like something was missing without the clamor of the tabloid press. “Hah! I guess I’m old news now,” I chuckled to myself, although if I were honest about it, I kind of missed it. Apparently, Pepper Anderson had settled down and wasn’t even interesting enough to stalk these days. And the firestorm that had erupted on TV and social media between me, Evangeline, and Mills had died down—which was a good thing. We were getting awfully close to the White Trash Zone with our very public, dysfunctional free-for-all. It was a wonder someone hadn’t stepped up and offered us a contract for our own reality show!

Riana, my dad’s housekeeper, appeared at the door. She was still in uniform, no doubt alerted by the alarm system and security monitors.

“Miss Pepper, what a lovely surprise. Will you be spending the night? Do you need help bringing anything in?”

“Yes and no,” I replied. “I’m traveling light tonight.” As she closed the door, I asked, “So when do you call it a day, Riana? Do you sleep in that uniform?”

She laughed and waved her hand. “I’ve learned not to be a clock-watcher. As soon as you change clothes, something will need attending to. Usually, by 8:00 pm it’s safe for me to relax. Not that I’m complaining. I get on with my life, watch some TV or read, but I like to be available in case Mr. Anderson needs me.”

“You’re a gem, Riana.” I couldn’t help wondering whether I was as nice to Riana as she deserved back during my wild years. Coming home tipsy with my entitled attitude… I just hoped my inner Evangeline never showed its ugly face. “Say, have we got anything to eat around here?”

“Plenty to eat, Miss Pepper. Would you like me to make you up a plate?”

“No, thanks, Riana. I’ll just raid the fridge a little later. Are Daddy and Mills here?”

“Your father and Miss Charlotte are dining with the Hendersons and will probably be back late. And Miss Mills is in her suite with her little boy. He’s so adorable!”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Before I do anything else, I think I’ll go sneak a peek at him. Thanks, Riana.”

I climbed the stairs and padded down the hall toward Mills’ wing. Poor Mills—her big sister was back and ready to bend her ear with all her tales of tribulation. Oh, well, people always seem to enjoy other folks’ drama. It’s better than suffering through your own.

I tapped lightly at her door in case the baby was sleeping. I thought I heard whispering, and imagined Mills trying to calm her boy from my intrusion. The door opened a crack and Mills appeared. Over her shoulder, I saw Fallon tucking his shirt into his pants as he scurried over to the bathroom.

“Hey, sister, I thought I’d come visit for a while.” Her expression was tense, but relaxed. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“It’s okay,” she said in a soft voice. “Come on in.” I stepped in and heard the bathroom door quietly click shut. “Fallon’s here. He’s in the bathroom.”

“Where’s your baby?” I asked as I scanned the room.

“Oh, I put him on my bed for a little while,” Mills said, averting her eyes as she spoke.

“I
am
interrupting something, aren’t I?” I smiled. Having seen Fallon zipping up as he high-tailed it to the bathroom, along with the baby not being in the room could only mean one thing—my little sister was having sex! It was probably too soon for her to engage in intercourse… I knew it! She’d been giving Fallon a blowjob!

She tried looking away, but I maneuvered so she had to look me in the face. “Hey, what were you two doing anyway?” I leered.

“Okay, Pepper, you busted us. Are you happy now?” She tried to sound harsh, but she broke out in a shy smile. “Fallon’s been kind of pent-up, so I offered to give him some relief.”

“Post-natal sex,” I mused. “Is it hot?”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to have a baby yourself to find out,” Mills quipped. “We both get horny, but I don’t think I’m quite ready yet.”

“But you’re going to do right by your man and suck his dick, right? Did he beg and badger you to let him put it in your mouth, sis?” I knew I was being vulgar, but this subject was too delicious to let drop without getting some digs in first. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t torment little sis with my teasing?

“It wasn’t like that,” Mills countered. “I want him to be happy. I love him.”

“Plus you know that if you’re out of action, he might take his neglected sex drive to the nearest sympathetic receptacle, no?” Boy, I was being terrible, but I loved it!

“Stop! He’s not like that,” she said defensively. “Fallon loves me, too.” I could see Mills’ eyes squint as she tried to deflect my interrogation. “Hey, how come you’re not with Gabe? And how come you didn’t call first?”

The toilet flushed and water ran in the sink as Fallon played out his little face-saving act. The door opened and he looked up with a surprised expression. “Oh, hi, Pepper. I thought I heard someone talking.”

I scrutinized his face and body, shamelessly glancing down at his crotch. No evidence of an erection, though he might have an easily concealable cock. Had he relieved his agony by rubbing one out while Mills and I were talking? The image of him flogging his dick on the other side of the door only ten feet from me made me shudder.

“Hi, Fallon. Sorry to barge in on you guys. I just came to look at the baby, but if he’s asleep I guess I’ll run off.” I turned back to Mills. “Actually, Gabe and I are doing fine. I just thought I’d come stay a couple of days. Getting tired of wearing the same clothes and wanted to be sure you weren’t helping yourself to my wardrobe. Wouldn’t want you stretching out my pullovers and slacks.”

“Even if my body wasn’t too bloated to fit in your fashions, my sense of good taste would prevent that from happening, so don’t sweat it.” Ouch, score one for kid sister! “Yeah, I’m sure you and Gabe are just peachy. Why else would you want to crash in your old room?”

Mills read me like a tabloid headline at a supermarket stand. I wanted to spill my guts, but now was not the time. Not with the angst Fallon was generating due to my interruption of their little romp.

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow,” I said, giving her arm an affectionate pat. “I’ll let you guys get back to what you were doing. I’m hungry anyway. Say, do you know if we’ve got any
sausage
in the fridge? I’ve really got a craving for some
sausage
, sis!”

“You should go stick your head in the oven…I mean, the fridge and find out!” she beamed as she guided me through the door. “Goodnight, sis. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

I was tempted to put my ear to the door to see how many seconds would pass before Fallon’s belt buckle hit the floor, but I really was hungry. One great thing about being at home was that the cupboards were never bare, and I could even order room service if I wanted! Gabe should be so lucky.