"Okay, Lise. Stop." James held her with a firm hand. "Mason did not use Samantha like that and you know it. He cares for her."

My mother hit his arm down. She seethed at him, "You're blind when it comes to your sons. They're evil. You don't know the things they've done to me and now they've taken my daughter away from me. It was the last straw, James. I won't lose my daughter, not to anyone."

Helen laughed. The sound was shrill and harsh, and it shut my mother up. Her lip curled up higher. "This is so ridiculous, it's a comedy. You've lost your daughter to my sons? Is that why you banned Garrett from seeing her? Were you worried about an inappropriate relationship there as well?"

I went cold at her words. My heart slowed…

She continued, sounding like she was enjoying herself, "It's laughable! You're so nuts. Way to pick 'em, James. I thought you had a doozy on your hands with the fourth mistress. She was your secretary? No, that's not right. She was your assistant. And she hated me. I could always tell, but this one." She shook her head. "This one takes the cake."

Garrett had been banned? I started to stand up…

"Shut up, you bitch!" my mom shrieked.

Helen snapped her mouth shut, but her eyes glittered from suppressed anger. She shook her head again. "I'm the bitch? Look at what you've done to my family. You kicked my sons out. How dare you! And how dare you, James! When it involves my children, you bring me into the discussion. This relationship between our children makes it a family situation. I should've been brought in and brought up to date. I wasn't aware of the intimacy that they've reached—"

James barked out a laugh. "Are you joking with me?" He turned to face her squarely but kept Analise behind him with a hand on her wrist. His gaze settled on his ex-wife. "No, Helen. How dare you. You didn't know the level of intimacy between them?" His shoulders shook as more laughter poured out from him. "You walked in on them. And that was on your watch. He was at the hotel with you."

She sputtered out, "Not in my room. He had his own room."

"That you allowed." He pointed a hand at Mason, who was very still and very silent. "You know what our sons do. They have sex. They drink. They've both been in physical altercations. How many times have you bribed officials for them? I've done it a handful of times. I know you've dirtied your hands a few times, more than a few times. You can't stand there and spout that you thought Mason was this innocent son of ours."

"I didn't." Her jaw clamped shut, so tight. As she gritted her teeth together, the movement was visible. "I've never said that Mason and Logan are innocent little boys, but they're my little boys. You had no right to throw them out of the house."

"I didn't. I said they couldn't live here if they didn't comply with my wishes, and it's within reason to wish that my own son would not have sexual intercourse with his future stepsister, not under my roof."

Helen snorted. "Your roof? This was my father's home. Don't you forget that."

James raised his voice, "I got this house in the divorce settlement. It is my home. Let's not have you forget that!"

She threw her arms over her chest again and folded them. "It doesn't change the fact that you kicked our sons out, for any short amount of time or for any reason. You kicked both our sons out. Only one of them is sleeping with the girl."

"You didn't want Logan with you?"

"Of course, I did, but I wasn't given the chance to make sure that he came to me. He showed up one day, stayed a day, and took off with his cousins. I thought my son wanted to see me and I relished that time with him. I had no idea he was supposed to be there the entire break."

"He couldn't stay, not when he supports their relationship."

"Then kick the girl out!" Helen yelled.

She wasn't ladylike anymore, nor did she remain cold. The fury had taken over, and she was heated in anger. Her chest rose up and down at a rapid rate.

"She's my daughter," Analise yelled back. She started forward, but James crowded her back to the sink. "This is my home now. This will be my husband. My daughter will stay in my home. She has no other home to go to."

Helen reared her head back. "Are you kidding me?"

James closed his eyes.

Analise's eyes bulged out, even more enraged. She tried to launch herself forward, but he blocked her with his body. As she started to crawl over him, he turned to face her. He tugged her back down. She twisted around his side and snarled, "Get out of this house. Get out right now!"

"No," Helen clipped out. "Garrett told me about your quick little divorce, but as far as my private investigator knows, you haven't married my ex-husband yet. So, no, this isn't your home. You have no legal right to throw me out either, although I shouldn't be surprised. Isn't that what you do? Throw people out when they don't fall in line and pretend you're not crazy? Isn't that why you really kicked my sons out or why your own daughter isn't living here anymore?"

The room fell silent.

David and Analise were divorced. It was final.

I shook my head. I'd process that later.

Then Helen's cruel snicker filled the room. "I can't believe your nerve. You don't think I didn't come here with the facts? Do you not have any idea of who I am? You're going to be my sons' stepmother. You better get your act together, honey, because if you harm one hair on my sons, I'll slap you with a lawsuit. And you won't have any chance at winning because your insanity, Analise, has been well-documented."

"Shut. Up." But Analise paled, and the words slid were whispered from clenched lips.

"Oh, yes, honey." Helen's control was back in place. She drew upright. Her chin lifted, her jaw squared into place, and her shoulders smoothed so her suit was impeccable once again. There were no wrinkles. She was a glossy version of an ice queen. "You don't think I'm aware of how you threatened Garrett from seeing his daughter? That if he even tried to make contact with her, you would take your daughter and disappear so he'd never find her again." Her eyes shifted to James. "I don't think there was much merit in that threat, but it scared the hell out of him. Or maybe," the cruel smirk on her face appeared again, "there was another reason Garrett would be scared for his daughter. Tell me, Lise, have you ever hurt anyone before?"