Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife (The Harder They Fall, #2)(45)

That was as true as my promise. I couldn’t think of a single other woman I would have entered into this marriage with besides Saoirse. We didn’t know each other as well as we should have, but I knew in my bones Saoirse was exactly as honest and forthcoming as she presented herself to be. She didn’t abide by artifice. There weren’t many people like her. The idea of squashing parts of her to fit her into a box made me uncomfortable, to say the least. It wasn’t something I would ever be interested in doing.

“Good. Keep being the lighthouse, Luca.” Unfolding her arms, she braced them behind her on the counter. “I told you about everyone else. Now I need to tell you about me. In my past life, I was an angry, mean girl who would cut a bitch for looking at me wrong…and I mean that literally. On occasion, that side of me slips out. I’m telling you right now, if you aren’t who you need to be to give Saoirse the kind of life she deserves, you don’t have to worry about my father-in-law or husband coming for you. It’ll be me on your doorstep with my pink bat—which I am not afraid to use.”

I blinked. What the fuck? Who was this woman?

“Pink bat?”

She tossed her silvery blonde braid behind her shoulder. “Oh yeah. She’s cute, but she packs a powerful swing.” She shrugged, her mouth curving into a pleased little grin. “I’m glad we had this talk. Now, for the important question: grape or strawberry jelly?”



I was seated between Hannah and Lock. Saoirse was across from me, between Elena and Caleb, who was alternating between staring daggers at me and resting his head on Saoirse’s arm.

“I’ve been brushin’ Athena for you every day,” he told her.

“Thank you, honey.” She smoothed a hand over the top of his head. “I know she loves all the extra attention from you.”

“I brush her too,” Hannah announced.

Caleb gave his sister a soft smile. “Yeah, Hannie helps me too. Only sometimes, though. And she puts bows in her hair.”

Hannah patted my arm until I looked down at her. She had grape jelly smeared all over her round face. “Thena likes bows.”

“I bet she does. Do you wear bows too?” Hannah’s hair was long and almost the same shade as her eyes, but it was unadorned, tangled around her shoulders.

Elena clucked her tongue. “The answer is no. She’s never kept a bow in her hair. Not even once. It’s a travesty. My daughter prefers mud in her hair.”

“Next time your parents come to visit, I need pictures of you when you were little.” Lock eyed his wife with a warmth that telegraphed his love and devotion for her without saying a word. “Can’t wrap my mind around you wearing bows, Ellie.”

She held the same warmth for him. “Well, I did, and I was incredibly adorable.”

“I have no doubt,” he rumbled.

Hannah patted my arm again. “I really like mud.”

Lock leaned around me to catch his daughter’s eye. “Mud is for the ground. And sometimes your hands.”

Hannah shook her head. “Not for my head.”

“That’s right, baby girl.” His tone was a mix of patience and pride. “We get messy enough out in the fields. Let’s try not to drive Mama too crazy. Deal?”

Hannah nodded sharply. “Deal.” She grinned up at me. “I’m not gonna put mud in my hair.”

“I think that’s a good idea, Hannah.” I pointed to her full plate of food. “Do you like PB&Js? I used to eat them all the time when I was a kid as small as you.”

Caleb snorted. “You’re still as small as Hannah.”

“Cay,” Lock admonished. “You gotta take it easy, bud. Maybe try to get to know Luca before you insult him.”

Caleb narrowed his eyes on me. “Do you even have a house?”

I nodded. “I do. It’s on the top of a really tall building. I can see miles away through my windows.”

“Do you have any toys in your house?”

“I don’t,” I answered. “But if you guys come visit your Aunt Sersh and me, I’ll make sure to have some.”

Saoirse shot me an amused look. “Luca has motorcycles. Those are his toys.”

Caleb’s face brightened, then he looked at me and reined in his excitement. The kid was not my fan. “I have my own ATV. Only I can drive it.”

“I think I saw it parked out front.”

He patted his chest. “That’s mine. You’re not big enough for it.”

“Really? Because I was thinking I’m too big to fit.” Sure, I shouldn’t have been arguing with a five-year-old, but he wanted to tussle, so we’d tussle.

He shook his head hard. “Nope. Your legs can’t even reach the pedals.”

Elena pushed his plate toward him. “All right, Caleb. Enough grandstanding. Time to eat your lunch.”

He picked up his sandwich, staring right at me. “You gotta eat too if you want to be big.”

I picked up my own sandwich and took the biggest bite I could, never breaking eye contact. Beside him, Saoirse snickered, clearly taking great joy in our interaction.

Elena moved the conversation away from the kids, telling us about upgrades going on in the resort. From the crash course Saoirse had given me, I knew Elena was the head of marketing while Lock strictly worked on the ranch side of things. My world had always been motorcycles. Learning about other businesses was always interesting to me, especially ones that had been handed down through several generations like ours.