Barbie Btch (Rejects Paradise #3) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,28
me safely back on my feet and as soon as a soft kiss has brushed over my lips, I look over at Spencer with a cheesy as fuck grin. “You think I’m awesome?” I question. “Are we supposed to braid each other’s hair now?”
He rolls his eyes and just as he goes to start denying that he ever said it, we hear Laurelle’s chirpy tone welcoming someone into Colton’s house. “Ah, Melissa. How lovely it is to see you again. Please, come on in.”
There’s a short silence before Laurelle’s guest replies in a warm tone. “You too, it’s been far too long. How are the girls?”
The boys go stiff at my sides and I glance up at them to find them staring at each other, both locked in some sort of silent conversation. “Who the fuck is Melissa?” I ask when they don’t give anything away. Though I don’t think I need them too, there’s something familiar in her voice, something off-putting.
Their sharp stares drop down to mine and I see their dismissal before anything’s even been said.
“Colton,” I demand in a no-bullshit tone. “Who is Melissa?”
He presses his lips into a tight line before letting out a soft sigh. “Melissa Carter. Jude’s mom.”
“Fuck,” I grunt. “What is she doing here? Why would your mom invite her over here?”
Colton shakes his head. “I don’t know, but she’s not welcome. You stay here with Spence and I’ll get rid of her. The last thing we need is her getting too comfortable here.”
“Excuse me?” I snap as he turns and starts for the kitchen door. “Like hell I’m staying back here. I have a few things to say to that woman.”
Colton whips back to me but I’m already passing him and now he’s the one trying to keep up. “You’re not going to say a damn word,” he hisses, trying to keep his voice low as we get closer and closer to the foyer with Spencer right on our heels.
“Just try and stop me, Colton,” I snap at him. “You weren't the one he drugged and attacked. You didn't have your clothes torn off. You weren't the one that lost every bit of happiness when he slammed himself deep inside you. You lost nothing, so you sure as hell don't get the option to silence me. I’ll say whatever the hell I need to say and I’ll do it without feeling bullshit pressure from you two dickheads. If I feel the need to tear that woman to pieces, you two are going to take one hell of a step back and keep out of my way. Hell, have a little fun with it. Maybe you can score my performance out of ten.”
The boys share a glance and a million messages pass between them before Colton pulls me into his chest and presses his lip to my temple. “Okay,” he finally says. “You do whatever the fuck you need to do, but you don’t let on that you know where he is otherwise, we’re fucked.”
“This ain’t my first rodeo, Colton.”
I step out of his arms and with the boys at my back, we storm toward the foyer.
Within seconds we find both Laurelle and Melissa crowding the foyer, and the second I see them together, all I can do is rage. The last time I had a conversation with Laurelle, she was sending me down to the wine cellar after telling me that I was worthless and not good enough for her son. The last time I saw Melissa, she was doting over her poor lost son, acting as though he wasn’t a monster.
A sound of disgust comes tearing from my throat and the women both snap their gazes toward me. They look over me as though I’m trash before focusing on the boys at my back, and it’s almost as though they’re acting like I’m not even here.
“Colton,” Momma Carrington says. “What have I told you about spending time with the help? She is here to work, not to socialize.”
Colton steps into my back and although I’m not facing him, I feel the tension coming off him in waves. “And what have I told you about addressing my girl? She’s not working today. This is just as much her home as it is mine. Hell, she’s more welcome here than you are.”
Laurelle sucks in a loud gasp. “Colton,” she shrieks as I mentally high five him. “We have company. How can you be so rude? You weren’t brought up that way. It’s this