Five

VIXEN STARTED SECOND -guessing herself as soon as she slid behind the driving wheel. This isn't good. This is bad. This is crazy.

But since the thoughts sounded more like her voice than His...

Vixen turned to her passenger with a smile. "So, Brook Hall, right?"

"Uh huh."

"I hope you enjoy living there, so far?"

"I do. And..."

Vixen looked at the teenager curiously. "And?"

"You know it can be your house, too, right?"

Vixen choked.

"If you marry my dad, that is."

A helpless laugh escaped Vixen at Riley's single-minded focus on making her point. "Your dad and I still have ways to go at the getting-to-know department, and so do the two of us."

"I promise I won't cause trouble!"

Vixen's heart melted at the girl's earnest response. "I didn't mean it that way. I know you won't cause trouble, Riley. You can try hiding it as hard as you want, but underneath your tough-chick exterior is a beautiful heart."

Riley pretended to gag, but Vixen pretended not to hear this.

"I knew it from the start, too."

" Cringe, Vix. I'm seriously cringing ."

And so the rest of their conversation went throughout the ride, with Vixen teasing Rule's daughter about all of her secretly sweet traits.

By the time they made it to Brook Hall, Vixen's heart was once again at peace, and she privately thanked God for helping her ignore those little whispers of doubts inside of her mind. This time with Riley had been good for both of them. And in turn, this made her feel more hopeful about a possible future between her and Rule.

Or so she felt at that moment...until Riley led her up to the front steps, and the double doors were suddenly opened by a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in nothing but a fluffy white bathrobe.

"Mom?"

The next ten minutes were a blur, and Vixen couldn't even make herself think.

Proverbs 3:5-6, Vix.

For so many years in her life, she had been like everyone else in the way she kept trying to solve problems on her own. She had done it even when the results were never good enough. She had done it because that was what she had been taught to do.

But not anymore.

Vixen struggled to keep her composure when Riley's mother walked back into the living room, hair now perfectly styled in silky waves, and her slim form sheathed in a Chanel dress.

Beatriz joined her on the couch and crossed her legs as she studied Vixen from head to toe. "Vixen, isn't it?"

Vixen managed a smile. "And you must be—-"

The other woman cut her off, asking, "How long have you and Rule been dating?"

Vixen was more startled than offended by the other woman's rudeness. "We're just friends."

"You must be a really good friend to have permission to drive my daughter home."

"Your daughter and I are friends as well."

"How very smart of you," Beatriz drawled. "Now I understand why Riley likes you so much. She even warned me, her own mother, not to cause trouble."

Vixen remained silent, knowing there was nothing she could say in return.

"I'm thinking of moving here as well," the other woman declared abruptly.

"I see."

"It seems very peaceful here."

"It is."

Beatriz's lips tightened. "Why don't you just drop the act? We both know you don't really want me to move here."

No, I don't, Vixen thought. But since how she felt didn't matter at all...

"Riley would love to have you around—-"

"Spare me." Beatriz's lip curled. "I didn't believe Rule at first when he told me about you. But I guess you truly are the real deal."

Vixen slowly shook her head. "I'm not quite sure—-"

"Stop pretending , " Beatriz spat. "The difference between us is obvious. You're nice, unlike me. You're so nice you have both my own daughter and ex treating me like I'm a monster out to eat you."

"I'm sure it's not—-"

"But you know what's really funny?" Beatriz asked with a sneer. "I may be a monster compared to you, but there's someone worse than me—-"

"Mom, you promised!"

Vixen instinctively rose to her feet at the way Riley rushed into the living room. The younger girl didn't just look horribly upset. She also appeared terrified, but of what?

"You were the one who said it yourself, darling." Beatriz remained seated even though her cheeks were flushed with anger. "Vixen is a nice girl—-"

"Stop it, Mom!"

"And nice girls deserve the truth." Beatriz's furious gaze snapped to Vixen. "Don't you think so, too?"

Vixen was torn between wanting to comfort Riley and trying to calm Beatriz down, whose fury wasn't enough to mask her own pain.

"I may be no angel like you," Beatriz snarled, "but Rule's more like a devil than I can ever be."

"Mom, please!"

Riley burst into tears, but it was as if her mother was lost in a storm of rage of her own making.

"I bet he didn't tell you the real reason he came to move here!"

Vixen only managed to take one step towards Riley before the other woman spun her around.

"Listen to me, you idiot! Rule is not who you think he is. Are you hearing me? He's a fraud. He's the real monster here, and that's why he was fired from his own company!"

"MOM!"

A still-sobbing Riley tried pulling her mother away, but this only made Beatriz tighten her grip on Vixen's arm.

"He played around with other people's money, Vixen. And his last one lost them a hundred million. People lost their jobs, their homes—-people lost everything because of his ego. Are you sure you still want a man like that?"