“I’m sure this is from Kiro, too,” I explained. “If I’d been paying for this, we would’ve been driving a Dodge truck.”
“W-will, uh, will he be there? At the party?” she asked, almost with caution. As if asking would upset me.
I nodded. “He wouldn’t miss his granddaughter’s birthday for the world. At least, any granddaughter Harlow gives him. And this will be the only one. Harlow can’t have any more kids. She almost died giving birth to Lila Kate.”
“So Harlow is his favorite?”
I laughed. That was an understatement. “Harlow is the only child his beloved wife, Emily, gave to him. He adored Emily. He still does, even though she suffered brain damage in an accident years ago and can’t speak or do anything on her own.”
Reese frowned. “What about Nan?”
I sighed. “We didn’t even know Nan was our sister until a few years ago. Kiro didn’t claim her, and her mother lied about who her father was. It was a clusterfuck. And Nan is a mean viper. You know that. You’ve dealt with her. She hates Harlow because our father loves her. It’s not a good family situation.”
“That’s sad,” Reese said simply.
I glanced over at her. “What’s sad?”
She looked up at me with eyes full of sorrow. “To be told your father was someone he wasn’t and finding out the father you do have doesn’t want you. That would make anyone unhappy. Then to see that father adore another daughter while he barely acknowledges you. That has to cut deep. I imagine she has suffered from a lot of emotional wounds in life.”
Was she really making excuses for Nan? No one had an excuse for being evil and cruel. Yet here Reese was, feeling sorry for her, even after working as Nan’s housemaid for a short time and experiencing her ugliness firsthand. Reese was being understanding of why Nan was the way she was.
“You might change your mind after you’ve spent more time with her. If that ever happens.”
“Won’t she be at the party?”
I doubted it. “Before Grant met Harlow, he had a thing with Nan. When Grant fell in love with Harlow, that didn’t help Nan’s hatred for her. The fact that Nan donated blood to Harlow when she was giving birth to Lila Kate made a huge difference and at least showed a little humanity. But I doubt that’s enough for Grant to invite her to his daughter’s birthday. Besides, Kiro and Nan don’t get along. Every time they’re in the same room, it usually ends in screaming.”
Reese didn’t ask me anything else, but I could tell her wheels were turning. She was trying to put this all together so that it made sense. Problem was, nothing with this side of my family made sense. Kiro had fucked it all up years ago. Harlow and her daughter were all I cared about on this side of my family. And Grant, at times. He’d proven worthy of my sister, but I was still watching him. I’d kill him if he ever hurt her.
Reese
I had cleaned fabulous houses before, but none of them compared to this one. The Finlays’ place was massive and gorgeous. It sat directly on the water, and expensive cars filled the driveway. We were staying with Grant and Harlow, but they had left early to get things ready. We had offered to keep Lila Kate, but Grant said she’d get fussy if he wasn’t close by. Mase said it was more likely that Grant would get fussy. Watching Grant Carter with his daughter, as she wobbled around, trying to walk, was adorable. He hovered over her constantly, ready to catch her if she fell at any moment. The few times she did fall, he reacted lightning-fast, swooping her up and checking her out while kissing her little chubby knees.
“Kiro’s here. He must have Dean with him, since they brought the limo,” Mase said without emotion.
I was going to meet two of the music industry’s legends, but Mase was unimpressed. Then again, if Kiro had ignored him most of his life, I understood why he wasn’t excited about seeing the man. I wasn’t sure I was going to like him, anyway. He had a lot counting against him in my eyes.
Before I could step out of the Mercedes, Mase was there to give me a hand and help me down. I let him help me, since I was holding the large pink-and-brown polka-dot box with Lila Kate’s birthday present in it. We had gone shopping in Dallas to find the perfect present for his niece’s first birthday. When we saw a pair of pink cowboy boots with a matching pink leather hat, Mase had insisted we buy both of them. They were perfect gifts for Lila Kate from her uncle Mase.
I had bought her a plush horse that she could carry around to go with her new outfit. Mase had said that he would teach her to ride one day, but after watching Grant with his daughter, I doubted Lila Kate would ever get on the back of a horse. I didn’t think Grant could handle that.