“Reasonable?” Glorianna screeches. “She was all over Edgar last night. You should have seen her.” Wait. Why is she pointing at me? I wasn’t all over her husband. I stare at my sister in shock as she starts to mimic me. “Edgar, can I get you something to drink? Edgar, would you like some sauce I made for you?” I can’t believe she would even think I would do that to her. She knows how important family is to me.
“I made that sauce for you, Glorianna.” Tears start to burn in my eyes.
“Then why is Edgar telling Cam and Tucker that you’ve been sleeping together?”
“He was going to try to sleep with her! Will you listen?”
“I was trying to help you. You went and told your woman.” Edgar speaks for the first time, his words directed at Tucker. He doesn’t even try to deny that he said those things. He’s more concerned that someone repeated them and not the fact that he lied.
“I don’t keep things from my woman,” Tucker responds, not looking sorry at all. I don’t blame him. I never cared for Edgar, but gross!
“She’s a cunt.” The word is barely out of Edgar’s mouth and Tucker is slamming his fist into his jaw. Edgar goes flying backwards. Well, if everyone wasn’t already staring, they are now.
“You’re a whore.” Glorianna hisses at me, not caring that her husband is now laid out on the floor. “You’ve always wanted what I have. It’s pathetic.”
“It really is,” I agree as tears stream down my face.
“You’re a bitch.” Cam actually shoves Glorianna back from me. “Tucker! Leave that man be.”
“Wait 'til I tell your father about this.” Glorianna smiles triumphantly. “His perfect little girl is not so perfect anymore.”
“I never claimed to be perfect,” I whisper, wiping at my cheeks.
“I think that’s the problem,” Cam says. “Maria is perfect without even trying.”
Glorianna snaps her head Cam’s way.
“I’m not the one,” Cam warns her. “Pick your husband off the floor and get out of here.” I’m a bit surprised when Glorianna actually gives me one last glare, telling me this isn’t over before she does as Cam said. “Come on.” Cam takes my hand, leading me out of the ballroom.
“I can’t go home,” I say more to myself when I realize we’re leaving. Glorianna and Edgar will be there.
“You want to come home with me?” Cam offers, not missing a beat. She never does.
“Back to your hotel?”
“Texas.” She gives me a bright smile.
“Seriously?” I glance over to where Tucker is. He’s hovering over us like our own personal bodyguard.
“Of course. You’re more than welcome.”
“Okay,” I agree. It feels good to finally get to pick what I want to do for once.
CHAPTER 4
MARIA
“A princess? A real live princess is coming to stay on the Justice land?” Tyson hoots. “If the Edison girls didn’t hate you before, they are going to now.” His merry face turns suddenly grim. “I’m sort of serious. They are going to hate her. You better not tell anyone, or they’ll crucify her. Like haul her out of the ranch, dump her in a vat of honey, and lay her out for the ants.”
“That’s a gruesome picture.” I take a bite of my burger. “She could be a troll. Lots of royals are ugly as sin because of all the inbreeding.”
“Still a princess. Has crowns and thrones and shit. You know that half the school would give their left tit to have that kind of privilege. Ah shit. Where is she going?” Tyson clambers down off the hood of the truck and gestures for me to move. His girl, Rory, is on the move.
“Sounds like a big ass burden.” I finish my burger and slide over to the driver’s door. “I thought she was working today.”
Tyson scowls at the taillights of Rory’s barely working Jeep as they bounce over a pothole on Main.
“She is. I bet Martinez has her delivering. I told him that he can’t do that anymore after she was attacked by the meth-head over on Arizona Avenue. I don’t know what you’d want with a princess anyway. Like you said, big ass burdens, plus you belong here with your land and horses. Princesses are parties and people and big houses in the city. Turn left. She’s turning left.”
“I can see.” I jerk the steering wheel to the left and swing onto a dirt road that leads to Dell MacAtee’s place. “I like parties fine. We had a blast when Birdie held her fashion show at the ranch, and if Tucker ties the knot with Cam like he’s fixin’ to do then there’ll be parties every weekend there.”
“You’ll need to invite the whole town to pacify everyone then.”
“I don’t know why we’re even talking about this. Who cares if the town likes her? Cam’s bringing her in to see the ranch, take her into Dallas, and then the girl will get on her big yacht and boat to Nice or some shit like that.”
“Oh, I thought they were matching you up.” He laughs uncomfortably. “My bad.”
Rory stops in front of MacAtee’s A-frame. She leaves the Jeep running and rummages in the back, pulling out two sacks of supplies and then jogs up the steps.
“Pull back,” Tyson orders.
“That’s what she said,” I snark but put the truck in reverse. We’re not supposed to be seen stalking Rory. It’d piss her off. I motor about a third of a mile down the road and cut the engine to wait for Rory to come out of the MacAtee drive. “Why’d you think it’s a setup?” The thought hadn’t ever occurred to me.
“Your new aunt-to-be is bringing home a princess that is your age? This is like some kind of dynastic set up. They want you to marry this girl and bring in more money to the Justice name. Hey, she’s pulling out.”
“I can see.” I start the engine and ease back onto the road. “I’m going to A&M in the fall. Why would I want to get married?”
“That’s the whole deal. What if you go off to college and hook up with an undesirable?“
I hate that Tyson is making some sense. “No one in my family is married. Remember the curse?”
“Which you don’t believe and let’s say you did. This is perfect. The Justice Curse is that you only kill the women you love. You’re not going to fall for a girl who’s set up for you. It’s a marriage of contract.”
“Convenience?”
“Yeah, that. So they set you up with a girl that has a lot of money, gives good social standing, and they know that you’ll resent her and never fall in love. The Justice line continues and everyone is happy.”
“Except for me.”
“Yeah, well, you can have your side pieces.”
“I’m a main meal kind of guy.” Rory glides into town and parks in the back of the hardware shop. I pull off in front of the corner café. “Besides your whole argument falls apart because Calder is marrying Birdie, and Tuck brought Cam home to the ranch so he’s clearly going to wife her up.”
“I thought you said Birdie doesn’t have any money other than what your uncle left her which was already Justice money in the first place, and Cam spends a shit ton of money, so maybe she’s got nothing left in the coffers either.”