Grim Expectations (Aisling Grimlock Book 5)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “No, I’m not,” Dad said, holding his ground. “I knew your father, though, and he loved you. He wouldn’t want you doing any of this. He would want you safe. I can only hope he’d do the same for my children if the roles were reversed. I’m doing the only thing I know to honor his memory.”

  “I hate you!” Serena’s words were like a knife to the chest, but Dad didn’t back down.

  “You don’t hate me,” Dad said. “You want to hate me, but you’re hurting from everything else too much to hate me. I’m sorry you’re upset, but what you did today was incredibly stupid. If Aisling hadn’t been there … do you know what could’ve happened to you?”

  “I know that you’re not my father and I don’t have to listen to you.” Serena’s nostrils flared as she squared her shoulders. “I’ll leave if you try to punish me.”

  “That’s certainly your prerogative,” Dad said. “You’re being punished whether you like it or not, though. You’re grounded. Now … go up to your room. I’ll have one of the maids bring up your dinner so you can eat alone and think about what you’ve done. You’re not to leave this house.”

  “But … .”

  “No.” Dad’s headshake was firm.

  Serena glanced at me for support, but I remained immobile. Finally she stomped her foot on the floor and fled up the stairs. I waited a beat before adding to an already tense mix. “You know she’s going to try to go out the window, right?”

  “I’ve got them all wired to the security system,” Dad replied. “I had it done after you climbed out the window to find Jerry a few weeks ago. They were all double-checked while I was waiting for you.”

  “What about the doors?”

  “Locked and coded.”

  “Whew. That’s a relief.” I turned a bright smile in Griffin’s direction. “Do you want to fawn all over me because I’ve been injured?”

  I could tell Griffin didn’t want to smile, but the corners of his mouth tipped up all the same. “Come on, baby. I’ll check out your hand and then fawn all over you in the parlor. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like the highlight of my day.”

  Dad made an annoyed throat-clearing sound and fell into step behind me. “I forgot how dramatic teenagers are.”

  “It makes you happy to have me, doesn’t it?”

  “It makes me want a drink.”

  “That’s the same thing.”

  “Not even close,” Dad said. “Walk faster, Aisling. The bourbon is calling to me.”

  “HOLD STILL.”

  Griffin was grumpy as he cleaned the wound on my hand. I couldn’t help but be irked.

  “What’s your problem?” I asked. “I’m the injured one.”

  “Yes, but I’m the one who fell for the tears and I can’t help but feel a little stupid,” Griffin said. “I’m sorry about that, by the way. I should’ve taken your side.”

  “You definitely should’ve taken her side,” Dad agreed, resting his feet on his footstool and staring at the ceiling. “When you’re with a woman, you should always take her side. Those are the rules.”

  “Did you follow those rules with Mrs. Grimlock?” Griffin asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t follow them now,” I pointed out. “Is that because Mom eats people, or did you fall out of love with her when you thought she was dead?”

  If Dad was surprised by the question, he didn’t show it. Instead he rubbed his forehead and swirled the liquor and ice in his glass. “I never fell out of love with your mother,” he said eventually. “I think when two hearts connect that’s impossible. The person who came back to us a few weeks ago, though, is not the same person I fell in love with. She’s … different.”

  “Do you still love her?” My voice was soft and Dad shifted his eyes so he could study my face.

  “I love the woman I married,” Dad replied. “Aisling, there are different kinds of love. I loved your mother with my whole heart, but I love my children in a different way. It’s hard to explain. No matter how much I loved your mother, I still love you children more.”

  I pursed my lips as I considered the statement. “I’m never having kids,” I announced. “I want to be the most important person forever.”

  Griffin chuckled as he taped a bandage to my hand. “Oh, and that’s why I love you,” he said. “Right there. You’re totally self-centric.”

  “She doesn’t mean it,” Dad argued. “She’ll be a wonderful mother when the time comes. I’m not saying the time is now, mind you. We have way too much to deal with to add a baby to the mix, but eventually you two will make extraordinary parents.”

  My cheeks burned at the words and it took all the strength I had to glance at Griffin. I thought he would balk at the suggestion, but he seemed fine with it.

  “I can see us with kids one day,” Griffin said. “I think one may be our limit, though. As wonderful as it is to see Aisling and her brothers interact, I don’t think I could deal with that level of noise in my house. Plus, well, Aisling is a handful already. She’s like another kid.”

  Dad guffawed loudly, delighted at Griffin’s jab. “I think one child would be nice,” he said. “I would like a little granddaughter with her mother’s eyes. She’ll never be lonely. I expect the boys will procreate like bunnies once they get playing the field out of their system. She’ll have many cousins to play with.”

  I licked my lips as I glanced between my boyfriend and father. “I haven’t decided if I want kids,” I reminded them. “What if I don’t?”

  “Then we’ll deal with it and move on from there,” Griffin answered.

  “But you want kids,” I pressed.

  “I want you more.”

  “Really?” I couldn’t help but be touched when he nodded. “Well, I might like one. That’s a long way down the road, though.”

  “I know. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for keeping a child safe right now,” Griffin said. “We have plenty of time … and I’m enjoying myself immensely even though it’s just the two of us.” He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled. “One day I wouldn’t mind a little girl who looks like you.”

  Dad grumbled. “Just keep in mind, son, a little girl will wrap you around her finger and make you a mushy pile of goo.”

  “This big girl has already done that,” Griffin said, gripping my knee as he stood. “I’m fine with that.”

  “It’s not so bad,” Dad said, casting me a fond look. “Well, until they turn into teenagers. Then it’s a royal nightmare.”

  “Serena will be fine,” I said. “She’ll pout and then get over it. You need to hold strong.”

  “I’m not new,” Dad said, making a face, “but I dislike being the bad guy.”

  “You’re not the bad guy in her story,” I countered. “You’re the hero.”

  “No, Aisling, I think you’re the hero,” Dad said. “I’m merely the … enforcer.”

  I opened my mouth to argue but the butler interrupted us. He looked nervous.

  “What’s wrong?” Dad asked, instantly alert. “Did Serena try to climb out of a window?”

  “Young Serena is in her room,” the butler replied. “We do, however, have a guest.”

  “Who?”

  “Mrs. Grimlock.”

  “Oh, great,” Dad moaned, leaning his head back. “Could this night get any worse?”

  “And you thought teenagers were the royal nightmare,” I teased. “Something more frightening is at the front door.”

  “I’m not quite so fond of you as an adult right now,” Dad warned. “I would take the little girl back at any time.”

  “That would be pretty creepy for Griffin,” I said.

  “Oh, geez.” Griffin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Now I need a drink.”

  “We all need drinks,” Dad said, focusing on the butler. “Well, show her in … after you refresh our drinks, of course. We might as well turn the entire night into some angst-ridden dung heap. That seems about par for the course these days.”

&nbs
p; “That should be our new family motto,” I supplied.

  “That will be enough for one night, Aisling,” Dad said. “Either drink up or shut up.”

  Well, with a choice like that: “I’ll have some bourbon.”

  “Coming right up, Miss Aisling.”

  For a moment I thought Griffin would argue, but instead he joined me on the couch. “I’ll have one, too,” he called out to the butler. “Make mine a double.”

  It was definitely going to be a long night.

  26

  Twenty-Six

  I was halfway through my drink when Mom finally made her way into the parlor. She was dressed in all black, which was normal for her, and she flashed a brief smile in my direction before focusing on Dad.

  “I knocked.”

  “I noticed,” Dad said. “That might have something to do with me changing all of the locks and security codes, though, so I’m not quite ready to congratulate you for having manners.”

  “You changed all the locks?” That was news to me. “Why didn’t I get a new key?”

  “Because you don’t need a key,” Dad replied. “You always show up before the help leaves for the day. Why would you possibly need a key?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “What if I’m on the run from gargoyles in the middle of the night and I’m in this neighborhood? Now, instead of being able to open the door I’ll have to pound on it until you wake up and I’ll be a shredded mess before you get to me. We all know what a sound sleeper you are.”

  “She has a point, Cormack,” Mom said, sitting in the chair opposite Dad and resting her hands on the arms as she maintained perfect posture. “That’s entirely possible given the way she courts trouble.”

  “I don’t court trouble,” I protested. “It’s more like it stalks me.”

  “Oh, that’s good, baby,” Griffin said. “I think semantics games are really going to help make your point.”

  “If you want a key so badly, you could always move back in,” Dad suggested. “Your room is primed and ready.”

  I made a horrified face. “Not in this lifetime.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because I have a new townhouse and I haven’t even been able to decorate it yet,” I answered. That sounded like a good reason, right? “Also, Jerry is right next door and he’s having a hard enough time with a wall separating us. If a few cities separate us, he’ll go completely off the rails.”

  “You can say that again,” Griffin groused. “If he climbs into bed with us one more time I’m going to change the locks and not give you a key, too.”

  Dad snorted. “He climbs into bed with you?”

  “Twice,” Griffin said, holding up the appropriate number of fingers. “I love the guy, but I cannot share a bed with him. It was bad enough when he and Aisling were living together. I had to learn to lock Aisling’s bathroom door because he just wanders in whenever the mood strikes.”

  “He wanders in?” Dad was confused. “What if Aisling is naked?”

  “He doesn’t care.”

  “Well, that’s inappropriate.”

  I don’t want to call my father a prude, but he has certain puritan standards that grate. “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Jerry isn’t interested in my parts. It would be different if I were best friends with a straight man. Jerry is no different than a woman in this scenario.”

  “I heard that,” Jerry announced, strolling into the room. “On behalf of my gay army, I’m insulted. That’s a terrible stereotype. Hello, Mrs. Grimlock. It’s so wonderful to see you.” Even when feigning outrage, Jerry never forgets his manners.

  “Dad thinks that you shouldn’t be able to walk into my bathroom whenever you want,” I supplied. “I was standing up for you.”

  “Oh, well, in that case, I’m definitely just like a girl,” Jerry said, causing Griffin to snort again and Aidan to shake his head as he strode into the room. “I don’t care about Aisling’s naughty bits. I barely see them for what they are when I look.”

  “You look?” Griffin made a face. “I think we need to have a talk.”

  “Way to go, Jerry,” I chided. “Now he’s going to take my key away and make it so you can’t visit whenever you want. I told you to stop climbing into bed with us.”

  “I was having a crisis,” Jerry protested. “I was going through withdrawal. I already explained that. Griffin should simply understand that I cannot be expected to quit you cold turkey, Bug. It’s not possible.”

  “Oh, this situation just gets weirder and weirder,” Dad said. “I thought there was nothing the two of you could volunteer that would surprise me. I was wrong.”

  “Ooh, does someone have a recorder handy?” I asked. “Dad said he was wrong. We need to tape it for posterity.”

  “Don’t push me, Aisling,” Dad warned. “I’ve already had a trying day.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Mom asked, her tone gentle as she studied Dad. “You do look a little tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?”

  “I have five children,” Dad replied. “Sleep is a luxury I gave up when they were teenagers.”

  “You should take care of yourself, Cormack,” Mom said. “These children would be lost without you.”

  For some reason, the simple conversation caused my stomach to flip. There was something about the way they looked at each other that set my teeth on edge. It was gentle, caring even. Somewhere deep down – probably deep, deep down when it came to Mom – the love from a lifetime ago remained. Instead of warming me, it hardened my heart. If my mother hurt my father, I would kill her with my bare hands.

  As if reading my mind, Griffin collected my hand and pressed the knuckles to his lips. He seemed as baffled by the interaction as me. He was smart enough not to press the issue, though.

  Mom finally dragged her gaze from Dad and focused on me. Due to the way Griffin held up my hand, she couldn’t miss the bandage. “You were injured again? How did that happen?”

  “Angelina’s trained rat bit me,” I explained. “I didn’t see it coming.”

  Aidan was confused. “Angelina has a pet rat?”

  “It’s a dog,” Dad answered for me. “It’s one of those little rat-tailed things on the Taco Bell commercials. Aisling pulled Angelina’s hair and the dog bit her.”

  Aidan chuckled at the mental image. “Oh, I can’t believe I missed that,” he said. “Did you call her a slutbag?”

  “At least once,” I answered. “She had that stupid dog dressed in a sweater. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was working out some maternal instincts on the ugly thing.”

  “You should call the police,” Mom suggested. “That animal should be destroyed if it can’t be controlled.”

  I pursed my lips as I decided how to answer.

  “Aisling isn’t going to have a dog killed just because she hates Angelina,” Griffin said after a beat. “She’s not like that. Now, if she could get Angelina euthanized, that would be another story.”

  “No matter what she says, I know Aisling will miss Angelina when she’s gone,” Dad offered. “She won’t have anyone to fight with. That’s how Aisling gets her cardio.”

  “That’s not the only way,” I said, gracing Griffin with a suggestive wink simply because I knew it would irritate my father. I would rather have him agitated than flirting with Mom. That was too much to bear. “I’m well taken care of. Don’t worry about that. You read the text, though, so you already know that.”

  Dad’s cheeks flushed with color and Griffin hung his head. Neither one of them looked happy with me.

  “You just had to bring that up, didn’t you?” Griffin squeezed my hand until it tingled. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I felt like being a pain.”

  “Well, you succeeded,” Griffin said, sighing.

  “Go back to Angelina,” Aidan instructed, trying to ease the tension. “How did you run into her?”

  “She was at the park across town,” I answered. “My last charge
died there. I ran into her before it happened and things got … ugly.”

  “And you got bit by the dog?”

  “Rat.”

  “You got bit by the rat?” Aidan pressed. “Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

  “I’m fine,” I replied. “My hand feels better than my shoulder.” The minute I said the words I regretted them. If someone asked what happened to my shoulder, I would have to think up a lie on the fly. Nobody wanted that. When pressed to think up something believable, I often ended up in Lord of the Rings territory.

  “What happened to your shoulder?” Mom asked.

  Yup. I saw that coming. “I was attacked by orcs.”

  Griffin groaned as his head fell back against the seat rest and he stared at the ceiling. “Why couldn’t I have fallen in love with a normal woman?”

  “Because they’re far less interesting and you would’ve been bored,” Dad answered for me. “As for Aisling’s shoulder, she hurt it while flopping around with Angelina. You know how physical they get.”

  Mom looked dubious, but accepted the explanation. “Oh, well, that’s too bad. You really should get over your Angelina hate or just kill her. I know how to hide a body. We could finish it in less than an hour if you’re so inclined.”

  My mouth dropped open as Griffin uncomfortably shifted next to me.

  “I was kidding,” Mom said after a moment. “Good grief. Can’t I tell a joke?”

  “I think that’s frowned upon when you eat people,” I said, earning a hard glare from Mom. “Or … maybe the dog was rabid and I’m going insane. That’s always a possibility.”

  “Drink your bourbon, baby,” Griffin said, tightening his grip on my hand. “This night is never going to end if you don’t loosen up.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?” Aidan intoned, flopping on the couch across the room. “So, not that I’m unhappy to see you, Mom, but why are you here?”

  I had to admire his fortitude. I was going to play a few more word games before I came out and asked the obvious question.

  “I’m here to talk business … and possibly eat dinner with all of you when I’m done,” Mom said. “I have some news that I think you’ll be interested in.”