And then I say the truly dumbest thing I could have thought to say.
“Hi! I’m Milo St. Germaine, and I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cecily
“So that happened.”
That was a typical Williams family clusterfuck if there ever was one.
And Milo is never going to live this down. In fact, he looks as if he’s ready to skip town right now, and I wouldn’t blame him if he did.
“Dude. Next time you want to steal a baby, just ask. We’ve got plenty. No need to involve the police,” Diana teases as we all sprawl on the floor and on the huge sectional sofa in front of the fire.
Leo, his legs taking up half the faux bearskin rug, stifles a laugh and pulls Diana into his lap. He’s always hugging her, caging her in with his arms. Today, though, he seems extra handsy with her, and he murmurs something into her ear only she can hear.
I glance over at Cherise, peering at her phone with a look on her face I can only describe as aggrieved. I nudge her with my foot to get her attention. At the same time, Michael and Phillip continue to bust Milo’s chops good-naturedly.
“Hey,” I whisper to Cherise. She stuffs her phone back into her pocket and smiles at me. But I know my sister, my best friend. “What’s going on?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. I think I got my feelings hurt over nothing.” Her voice is thick despite her insistent smile.
“This is not the Cherise I know. What did he say to you?”
She quirks an eyebrow. “How did you know it was Aug—I mean, him?”
I loll my head back and roll my eyes. “Because I’ve known you my whole life.”
Cherise breathes out a sigh. “I thought Augie would be happy about my new job. But he had some troubling things to say about—” Cherise cuts her eyes at Milo. I check on him and see that he’s not listening to Cherise or me but laughing and blushing adorably and taking lighthearted barb after barb from the entire family.
I mouth, “About Milo? What did he say?”
“Let’s go talk in the kitchen.”
Once there, out of everyone’s earshot, she says, “I was surprised, but he has strong opinions about Milo. He called him a playboy and how he’s going to try to steal me away, and that he only hired me to get into my pants.”
“Whoa!”
“Yeah, it almost got heated for a minute. But I told him I don’t get that vibe at all from Milo.”
I shake my head. “Not at all. He told me about that thing on the yacht.”
Cherise puts her hand up. “Listen, you don’t have to explain. What your boyfriend did in his past doesn’t matter, as long as he’s good to you.”
I chuckle and look at the steaming crockpot of hot cider. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Cherise levels me. “He’s more your boyfriend than Augie is mine.”
It takes a lot to stun me into silence, but that works on me.
“I’m worried he’ll break my heart. He’s got family in Philly, his flagship in New York. Restaurants in five cities, an internet series to film, and a cookbook to promote. He’s not interested in having a nobody girlfriend in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina.”
Milo strolls into the kitchen just then with two toddlers and a six-year-old trailing behind him, peppering him with questions.
“Where were you taking our brother?”
“Nowhere.”