Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Scandals 3)

“I—I don’t know what to say…” I felt the emotions draining from my body. “Have you known him long? Please tell me you’ve known him longer than a we

ek…”

“When you know, you just know.” She grabbed me for another hug. “All of our problems are over now, Leigh. Our dreams have finally come true!”

Your dreams. Definitely not mine…

“Mom.” I pushed her away. “Who is he?”

“I believe you’re going to get to meet him—right now.” My mom looked out the window, and I heard a car door slam.

There was an emotional void in the center of my soul. I couldn’t even begin to process or unpack what my mother had just told me. I thought I was going to get to meet a new boyfriend—I certainly didn’t expect to meet her husband. It was madness personified, and my mother acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. My relationship with Damien felt like it was moving fast—my mother’s new relationship was on warp speed. The front door opened, and my mother ran over to meet him. The door blocked my view, and there a few hushed whispers before it finally closed.

“Leigh…” My mother’s face lit up with another huge smile. “I’d like you to meet Edgar Sinn—your new stepfather.”

“What?” I was wrong—I still had a few emotions left in my body that weren’t completely drained—until I heard his name.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Leigh.” He took a step towards me and reached for my hand. “Your mother has told me so much about you. All good things, I promise.”

No, this can’t be happening—this is a nightmare.

I let my mother’s new husband take my hand and resisted the urge to jerk it away when he planted a kiss on my knuckle. I had an image of Damien’s father in my head, based on what he had told me about him. I pictured an old man that looked like the devil himself—complete with horns and a pointed tail—maybe even a pitchfork for good measure. Instead, I saw a man that looked like an older version of the one who had practically stolen my heart. He didn’t look evil or despicable, and he seemed to be quite charming. As soon as he kissed my hand, he returned to my mother’s side and put his arm around her waist.

“It’s, um, nice to meet you too…” I tried to wipe the shocked expression off my face. “I wish I could say the same.”

“Don’t worry; we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other.” He nodded and then turned his head towards my mother. “Are you ready to go?”

“Let me grab my purse.” She looked up and smiled.

“You’re leaving again?” I blinked a couple of times in confusion. “You just got home…”

I’d love to have five minutes to tell you what kind of man you just married.

“Yes, we have plans.” My mother walked over and picked up her purse. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Okay.” I nodded—the shock still hadn’t completely worn off.

I stared as they walked towards the door and aimlessly followed them as I tried to collect my thoughts. I wanted to scream at my mother and tell her every horrible thing Damien had told me about his father. Instead, I watched her leave arm-in-arm with the man who had abandoned Damien’s mother—for mine. The only thing that didn’t make Edgar seem like he an older version of my own Prince Charming was two rather large men that were waiting by the car. They looked sort of terrifying—I assumed they were his personal security detail. My knees got weak when their car pulled out of the driveway. I was torn between terrified and horrified. I staggered into the living room and simply collapsed on the couch. I don’t know how long I sat there with chaos swimming in my head and emotional despair seeping into my soul, but it felt like eternity.

“Mom…” My emotions began to swirl more towards the terrified than horrified, and my eyes began to tear up.

Part of me wanted to pick up the phone and call Damien, but another part of me fought against the urge. I didn’t know what his reaction would be, but I knew it wouldn’t be a good one. He was dealing with the fallout that my mother caused. I doubted she knew everything—surely there was some semblance of good in her. She might have wanted to meet a rich guy and be swept off her feet, but I didn’t think she was the kind of woman that would have been okay knowing he left his wife for her. Damien’s parents might not have been married on paper, but they lived together—until Edgar Sinn dropped a bombshell on Damien’s mother and left, telling her to move out.

There’s no way she knows the truth. She can’t…

The emotions swirling inside me just turned into numbness. I couldn’t bring myself to call Damien. I couldn’t even move. I laid on the couch and stared at the wall as more time passed. I spaced out or fell asleep with my eyes open at some point because the next thing I knew, it was morning. I didn’t even have the energy to get up and go to work. I managed to lift my phone, call my boss, and tell her I was sick. As soon as the call ended, I dropped my phone on the floor and tried to convince myself that I couldn’t lay on the couch forever. The only real motivation was the fact that my mother would be back at some point—I wanted to tell her the truth, but I didn’t think I had the courage to shred her heart into a million pieces without taking some time to figure out what I was going to say.

I really do need to call Damien. I can’t hide this from him—the longer I wait, the worse it is going to be…

Chapter Twelve

Damien

“Do you want to do one last walk through the house to see if we missed anything?” I walked up to my sister in the living room of Sinn Manor.

“No, I’m ready to go.” She shook her head back and forth.

“This may be the last time we see this place…” I exhaled sharply.