FOUR♦SIMPLE♦WORDS
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♦ THE ♦SISTERS ♦QUARTET ♦
MARY J. WILLIAMS
Copyright © 2018 by Mary J. Williams.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any
format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the
Copyright owner and publisher of this book.
First E-book Printing, 2018
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Writing isn't easy. But I love every second. A blank screen isn't the enemy. It is the opportunity to create new friends and take them on amazing adventures and life-changing journeys. I feel blessed to spend my days weaving tales that are unique—because I made them.
Billionaires. Songwriters. Artists. Actors. Directors. Stuntmen. Football players. They fill the pages and become dear friends I hope you will want to revisit again and again.
Thank you for jumping into my books and coming along for the journey.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
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Please visit me at these sites, sign up for my newsletter or leave a message.
http://www.maryjwilliams.net/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-j-williams
https://www.facebook.com/maryjwilliamsauthor/?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/maryjwilliams05
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https://www.instagram.com/2015romance/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5648619.Mary_J_Williams
MORE BOOKS BY MARY J. WILLIAMS
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Harper Falls Series
If I Loved You
If Tomorrow Never Comes
If You Only Knew
If I Had You (Christmas in Harper Falls)
Hollywood Legends Series
Dreaming With a Broken Heart
Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open
Dreaming Again
Dreaming of a White Christmas
(Caleb and Callie's story)
One Pass Away Series
After the Rain
After All These Years
After the Fire
Hart of Rock and Roll
Flowers on the Wall
Flowers and Cages
Flowers are Red
Flowers for Zoe
Flowers in Winter
WITH ONE MORE LOOK AT YOU
One Strike Away
For a Little While
For Another Day
For All We Know
For the First Time
The Sisters Quartet
One Way or Another
Two of a Kind
Three Wishes
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
MORE BOOKS BY MARY J. WILLIAMS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EPILOGUE
COMING IN FEBRUARY
♥ ♥ ♥
To all the girls who never quite fit in. And to the women who finally understood what makes them different is what makes them wonderful.
You rock, ladies. And remember, there's a little bit of Destry in all of us.
♥ ♥ ♥
PROLOGUE
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DESTRY BENEDICT WAS a child of two vastly different worlds.
On one side was her mother. A world-famous socialite, Billie Benedict was envied for her beauty, romanced for her money, and arguably the most self-involved woman on the face of the earth. Billie's main goal in life was to captivate and win every man she met. For the most part, she succeeded.
While Billie had mastered the art of seduction, the ability to maintain her hold on her conquests was another story. A long, depressing, and as far as Destry could tell, never-ending story. Five husbands, five failures. The ink still wet on the latest divorce papers, her mother was hardly an advertisement for the joys of wedded bliss.
Her father was a different matter. Handsome in a rough and tumble sort of way, Miller Destry, born without a penny to his name, could fit into any situation with ease. The sophisticated gentleman one moment, a hardened criminal the next, he morphed between personas in the blink of an eye.
Each of her parents had their own take on how their romance played out. Billie—as always—was the victim. Miller saw himself the same way. However, one fact was irrefutable. They were opposites who should have burned out their passion without the benefit of a wedding ring.
Destry imagined her mother married Miller to spite an overbearing father. As for Miller? Perhaps he fancied himself in love, perhaps not. But, when he saw his chance for a big score, he didn't hesitate to jump.
How the Park Avenue heiress and the Detroit gutter rat found their way to each other was still open to debate. Billie called Miller her lone moment of rebellion and her biggest mistake. He called her a peerless beauty, and the biggest bitch created by man or God. Any observer—including their daughter—would be hard pressed to disagree on any point.
The union lasted less than six months—a record even for Billie. Unlike her other husbands who paid her a huge monetary settlement, to rid herself of Miller, she was the one who paid through the nose. Not that she missed the money. Thanks to a crafty grandfather and a money-making machine of a father, Billie was very well off. Stinking rich, to be exact. Her bank account recovered quickly enough. However, vain to her core, she never got over the indignity. Twelve years later, her ego still felt the sting.
"Have you lost your mind?" Billie's screech echoed into the hall where Destry sat by the closed bedroom door, her legs pulled up to her chest.
"My mind is sharp as ever." Miller's voice was calm, almost laconic. Yet, the thread of steel in his tone was unmistakable.
Destry watched as her sister rushed down the hall. On tiptoe, Andi's long legs ate up the distance in no time. Fashionable as always, she wore deep-purple leggings and a perfectly contrasted pale-pink t-shirt as her long, blond hair bounced in silky waves around her shoulders. Green eyes filled with concern, she slid down the wall as she unconsciously mimicked Destry's posture.
"What's going on?" Andi whispered. "What does he want?"
"Money." What else?
"Oh."
Though her stomach was in knots, Destry had to smile. No one understood her better than Andi— except their other sisters, Calder and Bryce. There were times when they communicated without speaking. Or, like now, when one word said it all.
The Benedict
sisters were a team. No, more than a team, they were an unbreakable unit. Andi the oldest, Calder and Bryce, the twins. And, finally, Destry. Born in rapid succession to different fathers, they could have been torn apart by their parents' mutual animosity. Instead, they formed their own steel curtain against a constant stream of grown-up angst.
Lord knew they had little to hold up as a positive familial example. Luckily, before they were old enough to understand that the odds were stacked against them, they made their own rules.
What if the world believed they were destined to grow up a reflection of their mother and fathers? The Benedict sisters didn't follow any path but their own. The circle they formed had been strengthened in the fire of their parents' mistakes and disinterest. They had each other. Four together—always and forever.
"Odd he'd show up in the middle of the school year," Andi said with a worried frown.
Destry rarely saw her father except for three months of court-mandated visitation. Miller never missed a summer—minus the year he spent in prison. One thing was certain, their time together could never be categorized as boring.
"Dad didn't stop to say hello. In fact, if I hadn't been downstairs when he arrived, I wouldn't know he was in New York." Destry swallowed the hurt and resentment and shrugged—she was used to the taste. "Barely gave me a nod before he went straight to Billie's bedroom."
Andi slid her arm around Destry's waist and squeezed. "Miller must be hard up. He hasn't groveled at Billie's feet in years."
"He isn't groveling."
Destry had few illusions about her father. If he had to beg, he would fall to his knees without a moment's hesitation or an ounce of remorse. Rule number one in a very thick book of life lessons? Survive—no matter what.
Today, Miller was in the mode Destry most associated him with—pure bravado. He started with a heavy dose of charm. Billie being Billie, ate his attention up with a spoon. Her parents flirted—par for the course—and though from her audio-only vantage point, Destry couldn't be certain, fooled around a little.
"They were quiet for almost five minutes. If you don't count the moans."
"Ewww," Andi grimaced. At fourteen, she was mature enough to understand what went on between men and women, but still young enough to find the idea a bit unsettling—especially when her mother was involved.
Destry's lips ticked upward. She was the youngest. However, she'd seen a lot more of life than her sisters—the good, the bad, the god-awful. And, to Miller's credit, she'd witnessed a good dose of the outrageously hilarious. She took sex between consenting adults in stride. After all, at their most basic, people were only human.
"I get the feeling Miller didn't whisper sweet nothings in Billie's ear."
"No?" Andi had recovered her sense of curiosity.
"The lovey-dovey reunion didn't last long. They went from hot and heavy to hot under the collar in a snap. As you can hear."
Cocking her head to one side, Andi listened intently. The argument quickly escalated in intensity. Billie's emotions rarely traveled on an even keel. She could shift gears faster than an Indy car racer—happy one second, sad the next, an instant later, angry as all get out. Their mother seemed to relish the upheaval as she vented her feelings with enthusiasm. Destry often wondered how one person could live her life on so many highs and lows and not be constantly exhausted.
"What's a few hundred thousand between friends, Billie?" While his ex-wife's voice rose in volume, Miller's became cooler. He sounded like what he was—a man in control. "Lord knows you can afford to give me the money."
"You walked away from our disaster of a marriage with a hefty chunk of my fortune, Miller. If you don't have anything left, too bad. I won't give you another penny."
"For once, you speak the truth. Our relationship had all the laughs of the Hindenburg disaster." Miller's chuckle held little humor. "However, we're tied together by one important thing. Our daughter."
"Destry?" Billie snorted.
"Who else?" The derision in Miller's voice was palpable, and Destry could easily picture the accompanying twist of her father's lips. "Lord, I hate the name you hung on her."
"She has her father's name. As do all my daughters."
"They have your name—Benedict. The rest is a freaking middle finger to those of us you used then tossed away."
Destry and Andi exchanged eye rolls. The choice of names their mother had given them was an ongoing bone of contention between their parents. Each daughter received her father's name but as her first, not last. Anderson, Calder, Bryce, and Destry. Unconventional, but in the end, each suited the girls surprisingly well.
"You screwed Dermott Bryce while married to Edwin Calder. Surprise! Two babies, two different fathers. Only you, Billie. Only you." Miller let out a burst of what sounded like genuine laughter—at his ex-wife's expense. "Though the medical oddity was handy for your whole name each girl after her daddy theme. I'm surprised one of the men didn't kill you when they found out."
"Edwin was miffed. As for Dermott, he's always been completely devoted to me."
"Lucky bastard never married you, that's why."
From her spot outside the door, Destry had to imagine her mother's mouth. Right now, she pictured a thin, angry line. Catered to and fawned over her entire life, Billie had a fragile, easily bruised ego. A fact Miller understood perfectly. He knew where his ex was vulnerable and used his words to cause the most damage—one direct hit after another.
When Billie spoke again, her voice came out as tight as a proverbial drum.
"I carried them. Shared my body for nine months. I had the right to name them."
"A latent feminist phase?" Miller snorted. "Honey, you're about as much of a feminist as I am."
Billie didn't immediately respond. Crystal clinked followed by the distinct sound of liquid pouring into a glass.
"Would you like a whiskey?"
"Little early for me," Miller responded.
"Since when?" Billie asked with surprise. "Never mind. Your drinking habits are no longer any of my concern. In fact, nothing about you matters to me—especially your money problems. You've had your say. Now, get out."
"I still have a few points to make."
"Really?" The boredom in Billie's tone was palpable. "Go on then, if you must."
"Either you pay me, or I take Destry—permanently."
Andi stiffened. "No!" her sister hissed. "Absolutely not."
Destry's heart raced. Leave her home? Her sisters? The idea was too horrifying to contemplate. She held her breath as she waited for Billie to answer.
"Don't be ridiculous," Billie chuckled. "You can barely handle three months a year. What would you do with her full time?"
"I'd manage."
"Fine. Take her."
"What?" Miller shouted.
"What?" Andi hissed.
On the floor in the hallway, Andi's interjection was quieter but no less intense. Clutching her sister's hand, Destry bit the inside of her mouth until the taste of blood hit her tongue. Why was God so cruel as to put her fate in the hands of two such uncaring egotists?
"If you recall, you wanted her, not me. My body had barely bounced back from the twins, the last thing I needed was another pregnancy. If you hadn't shared the news with half of our social set before I could take care of the problem, she wouldn't be here to tie us together, as you so eloquently lamented."
Andi gasped, tugging Destry closer as if her hug could ward off the pain of their mother's revelation.
"She's angry," her sister whispered fiercely. "Billie wouldn't really have gone through with an—"
The word abortion hung between them, unspoken but very real. They were old enough to know the meaning and have definite views on the subject. Both believed in a woman's right to choose what she did with her body. Apparently, the only reason Destry existed was that Billie cared more about what people thought than the inconvenience of another child.
"She wasn't plann
ed." Miller's tone was harsh. "And Lord knows I didn't want to be a father. But you can't blame me. Should have sued the damn contraceptive company."
"My father had barely recovered from our elopement. I can't imagine what he would have said if I created another scandal over a broken condom."
"Might have sent the old bastard to his grave a few years earlier." Miller sounded as though the idea held a great deal of appeal.
"Daddy was a hard man. But I loved him."
"Screw the crocodile tears, Billie. Whatever you felt for Thomas Benedict sure as hell wasn't love. He ruled your life with an iron fist. I was your one and only moment of rebellion."
"Yes." Billie sounded bitter. "I kicked up my heels and look where I landed. With another daughter and a criminal for an ex-husband."
"Please," Miller ground out the word. "You wouldn't give a shit how often I broke the law if my bank account were fat enough. My only crime—then and now—is my lack of a fortune."
Billie didn't deny the accusation. Why should she? In her world, money married money. Miller had moments when his pockets were full. Unfortunately, he never learned how to build on his occasional success. When he had enough cash in hand to play the big shot, he partied hard until nothing was left—and burned a lot of bridges in the process. Fun, where Destry's father was concerned, always came with a price.
When Miller was in trouble—like now—the people who chased him were just as likely to be fellow criminals as members of the law.
"Think how much grief Destry's sisters will give you if I take her away."
"Damn straight," Andi huffed.
Destry rubbed her sister's arm. Since she didn't have any illusions about either of her parents, she doubted Miller's latest argument would sway Billie.
"I'll take a trip to Europe until the worst of the kerfuffle blows over," Billie said in a breezy tone, proving Destry right. "Take her, Miller. Lord knows she's a handful. I'd wish you good luck, but honestly, I don't give enough of a damn to bother."
Four Simple Words: A Badass and the Billionaires Contemporary Romance (The Sisters Quartet Book 4) Page 1
