Elli froze at the words, and Reese found herself doing the same. Elli hadn’t spoken to or even seen her mother in years. Reese was okay with that because the woman was the epitome of a crazy bitch, and she didn’t care for her at all. She constantly brought Elli down. Calling her fat, ugly, almost anything to hurt her. Elli was better without her, especially her sister Victoria. Reese never physically wanted to hurt someone the way she wanted to take out Victoria. Oh wait, Kevin too, but he’d been lucky enough to be taken off her hit list. Victoria still remained, though. She tried to ruin Elli and Shea’s relationship back when they were dating but, thankfully, the two overcame that because, honestly, the world really didn’t turn without the two of them together. They were love and happiness. Rainbows and unicorns. Basically, they were all one big, happy family that nothing could come between.

Elli cleared her throat. “Did you now?”

“Yes, she asked about you. I told her that if she cared, she’d call you herself, but she claimed you wouldn’t answer her phone calls and are keeping her grandchildren from her.”

Elli rolled her eyes as Harper scoffed. “Not that Elli doesn’t have every right to do that, but she wouldn’t. You know that, Mom.”

Rowan nodded. “Of course I do, that’s why I told her to kiss my ass. I started to walk away but she grabbed for me and, to my surprise, ask Blake on this one, her eyes were full of tears and she asked me if I had pictures of the kids.”

Elli bit into her lip. “What did you say?”

“I said I did, and I hope this doesn’t make you mad, darling, but I showed her because I wanted her to know what she was missing.”

Reese wasn’t sure how she felt about that, and she wasn’t sure that Elli knew how to feel either because she just looked down at the ground, off in her own world, as Harper said, “I wish you would have kicked her in her vagina, Mom! Jeez!”

Rowan glared as she smacked Harper’s arm. “Jesus, Harper!”

Piper laughed as Reese shook her head, her eyes still on Elli. When Elli looked up at Rowan, she said, “It’s fine, I haven’t heard from her though, and I doubt I will.”

Rowan reached out, snaking her arm around Elli’s waist and kissing her cheek. Reese’s mom had always been the mom that Elli needed. Elli was a sister to Reese. She might be a lot of things, mom, wife, and owner of a hockey team, but to Reese there was no other title for her but sister. They might not share the same blood, but they were family. “Then her loss, you will always have us,” Rowan said with a smile as Piper and Harper both grinned at her.

“She’s right, Elli,” Reese said. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

Elli’s face broke in a grin as she hugged Rowan close before the door to the kitchen flung open and Phillip ran in, hiding behind it. He glanced over at her, and she smiled at his red face and boyish good looks.

“Is that water or vodka?” he asked, out of breath.

Reese snorted. “Water.”

He grinned. “Wasn’t sure if you resorted to drinking yet,” he said, grabbing the bottle and taking a long pull before handing it back to her. “Gotta go, I am playing an intense game of hide and seek with the kiddos. Claire is a beast at this game and showing the girls all the sweet hiding places. I still can’t find Shea, Erik, and Jakob. I’m pretty sure they are hiding with beer somewhere.”

“They better not be! Shea has the boys strapped to his chest,” Elli complained.

“I can’t confirm or deny that he isn’t drinking a beer, boss, but I will find out and report back.”

“Whatever,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ll find him and beat him.”

“Please make sure I am there to watch that,” Phillip said with such a serious face. Elli laughed as Phillip turned to look at her. “Gotta go.”

“Take me with you?” she asked, reaching for his arm. He looked back at where the four women stood watching them and shook his head.

“I’ve seen Piper ruin a whole gaming area, Harper scares me, Elli is my boss, and I want your mom to like me… sorry babe, you’re on your own.”

With that, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek before running out of the kitchen, dodging Posey before running down the hall as her sweet giggles flooded the hall. When Reese turned back, all of the women were grinning like cats that had eaten a family of mice.

“What?”

Harper shrugged. “Just wondering what is going on with you two?”

“Yeah, you two make a cute couple,” Piper said.

“I think you guys would be great together. Phillip is a really great guy,” Elli added.

“I just want more grandbabies,” Rowan all but cooed.

Scoffing, Reese shook her head and decided she needed an out. Fast. Cocking her head to the side like she was hearing something, she reached for the door and then yelled, “Shea? Is that you? Of course, I’ll come help with the boys!”

And then she was gone.

It was short-lived though. She tried hiding with Shelli and Posey, but it didn’t work. The two little girls that favored their mommy with big green eyes and dark hair gave her up to Elli and, before she knew it, Reese was seated at the table with Claire on one side and Phillip on the other. She didn’t mind the seating much, but she did mind the way her mother was staring at the two of them. She could see it in her mother’s beautiful brown eyes, she was planning their wedding, the names of their children, and picking colleges for Claire. It scared her to the core.