Page 6 of Tangled in Temptation

Her pained expression cut right into my heart. “Paisley wants to stay, and Regina is highly against it,” I continued, my words rushing out. “I told her she needed to stay in the city for the remainder of the trip. I don’t know why she stayed.”

“Paisley said she’s still at the house,” Catherine said with accusation in her voice.

“Just until tomorrow,” I assured her, knowing it probably wouldn’t make a difference now. “I’ve stayed away as much as I can. All of this was just my attempt to convince her to let Paisley stay here with me.”

Cahterine’s hard look cut right through me. She was not hearing my words.

“We’re not together. She’s my ex, and that’s it. There’s nothing between us.”

Catherine only nodded, her silence more profound than any words could convey. There was so much more I wanted to say, but the weight of the situation pressed down on us. I willed her to say something, anything, but she just looked at me like she’d never seen me before.

Paisley stirred on the couch. Catherine stepped around me and into the living room. “Your dad is here,” she told Paisley. “He’s got your clothes. I’ll bring your bike up to the house tomorrow.”

“Tell Catherine thank you for letting you crash,” I said to Paisley.

“Thanks,” Paisley muttered as she got to her feet.

“Thanks,” I said, looking at Catherine one last time.

I ushered Paisely out to my car, looking back only once. Catherine had already shut the door. There wasn’t a last look or a wave. She closed that door, and it was so final.

“Want to tell me what that was about?” I asked Paisley.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I would say it does matter,” I replied.

She wasn’t going to answer me. It had been like the last few days. She wasn’t talking to me or Regina. Paisley stared out of the car window, seemingly lost in her thoughts, and I kept my focus on the rain-drenched road. There would be time for the inevitable conversation with her tomorrow. She needed time. Hopefully, we could sit down and have a conversation. An actual conversation without Regina yelling and Paisley pouting. So far, that’s all it had been. I still didn’t know why Regina felt the need to drag her ass all the way here just to fuck up my world.

The ride home was silent. I glanced over at Paisley, her pale face illuminated by the glow of the car’s instrument panel. For her to run off and make it all the way to Catherine’s house told me things were pretty bad. I didn’t understand why Regina couldn’t see what she was doing to her own daughter. Paisley was struggling. It wouldn’t impact Regina’s life in any way if Paisley was allowed to stay with me and go to school here. She liked it here. I could give her a good life with solid footing. Regina was too fucking selfish to look beyond her own wants. I knew the only reason she didn’t want Paisley with me was because her so-called friends would be shocked to learn her daughter was with her ex-husband. It was so much cooler to say Paisley was at boarding school.

We pulled through the gate and up to the house. I pulled into the garage and turned off the engine but didn’t make a move to get out. “We need to talk about this, Paisley,” I finally said, breaking the silence.

Paisley didn’t respond immediately. She continued staring out the window, her hand absentmindedly playing with the hem of her borrowed clothes. “There’s no point,” she sighed. “You’re going to let her ship me away, just like you did last time.”

She opened the door and slammed it shut, causing me to wince. She was out of the garage in a flash. I slowly got out myself, walking into the silent house. I could hear the muffled sound of music and knew she had gone to her room. I felt the same way. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and a stiff drink to soften the edges of my fucked-up life.

On my way to my office, I stopped at the foot of the grand staircase. Something was off. It was the distant hum of voices that caught my attention. Curiosity had me following the sound to one of the downstairs sitting rooms.

To my surprise, Regina was holding court, surrounded by a group of finely dressed men. The room was adorned with the lingering scent of cigars and the clinking of glasses. Regina’s eyes lit up when she saw me, and she gestured for me to join them.

“Timothy.” She smiled. “You’re home. Come in. I’ll pour you a drink.”

It felt like I had walked into another house. This couldn’t be my house. I didn’t entertain.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, my tone sharp, as I surveyed the scene.

Regina’s laughter rang through the room. “Just a little gathering, Timothy. Relax, darling. You look like you need a drink.”

She sauntered to the bar and reached for my bottle of scotch. I walked in, glaring at the men. “The party is over,” I growled.

They hastily gathered their belongings, muttered goodbyes, and left the room.

“Timothy,” Regina pouted. “Why do you always insist on ruining my fun? You’re such a killjoy.”

I shook my head, growing tired of this routine. “This isn’t your house, Regina.”

She waved away my comment dismissively, pouring herself another drink and one for me. “You just hate when I enjoy myself. You hate when I have fun. What’s wrong with you?”