Accidental Heiress (Welcome to Spartan Book 2) Read online

  They were great parents who were put in a difficult situation. I know this because I started reading the letters yesterday, and I couldn’t put them down to save my life.

  They were childhood sweethearts. My dad’s dad was the gardener on her family’s property and they played endlessly when they were younger. The older they got, the more mature their feelings became for each other.

  When my mother was sixteen, her father informed her that he had arranged a marriage for her to a business partner twenty years her senior. Her father was a hard man who never thought much of my mother. On occasion, he verbally and physically abused her. My grandmother was not much help, drinking herself into an early grave when my mother was fourteen. Her wedding was scheduled for a week after her eighteenth birthday, so her and my dad ran the night she turned eighteen. She took all the jewelry that her mother had left her and didn’t look back.

  At first, things were good. She contacted her father and told him not to look for her, that she wasn’t going to marry who he wanted her to, and that she was marrying Tim.

  Not long after that, they really did have to run because my grandfather sent men after them to pick her up and bring her home.

  With no other options, they burned anything that could identify them after pawning some jewelry and some of the stones from the pieces that she kept. They came back to New Jersey and settled on the plot of land that was owned by the family, thinking that that would be the one place no one would look for them.

  They were right. They lived and loved in those woods until the day they both died. Every birthday, she would write me a new letter, reviewing the year with little anecdotes she wanted me to know. Stories from when they were younger, and what she wanted for me. In her last letter, she apologized for the life we lived, that they never expected it to last so long.

  But they were both worried for their safety, and through the letters, I gained so much closure. My soul feels free—free to live my life without guilt over my mother’s death. I wish that my father would have stuck around, but for him, life without her wasn’t a life at all. Even though I was there, I remember that about a year after my mom died, my dad finally dragged himself out of his grief, determined. He drilled me and did everything he could to make sure I could take care of myself. I see now that he was preparing me for when he would leave me. It was his last gift to me, teaching me to survive and showing me he loved me as best he could.

  As usual, I overate. I always do at get-togethers. I'm wore out from crying, and I’m tired. I’m saying goodbye and thanking everyone for coming when Parker's phone rings. He immediately stiffens up and curses, so I hustle over to him. The look on his face has my gut clenching with worry.

  He hangs up and takes me to the back office. “Baby, I need you to stay here, okay? I know you’re tired, but that was Tanner, and it looks like someone broke into your house.”

  I gasp and feel like a ton of bricks just knocked me over the head. That was my sanctuary, my home—my first real home—and the fact that someone violated that space freaking hurts.

  “I’m going to go get Ali and Roger. I need to know that you’re safe, baby, and I’ll come get you when I know it’s safe.” He gives me a kiss and hauls ass out of the office.

  As if this day isn’t hard enough, now some bastard has to destroy my sanctuary. I barely notice when Bruce, Ali, and Roger come into the office. Roger comes in with some water, but I just sit there and stare at the wall. I’m numb and pissed, and I’m praying that Parker stays safe.

  Parker

  Her house is a mess. The couch is cut up and her clothes are strewn out all over the place. They weren’t looking for anything, this was an attack of rage. I’m hoping that in their haste to destroy, they left evidence, anything to nail this bastard to the wall. I know, I fucking know it was that jackass, Marcus.

  I called Todd on the way and asked if he could find him, after I explained a little of what was going on. I also told him to call Mom and Dad to tell them that we were coming into town first thing in the morning.

  I want her away from here and somewhere safe. My parents’ house is the perfect place. I’m picking through things, trying to see if anything is missing. All her mother's jewelry is at Paul’s, and the letters are in the safe that Luke had installed when he moved in here, and that bastard isn’t going anywhere. It’s lag bolted to the fucking floor, so I know that it and its contents are safe.

  “Looks like they kicked in the door. Definite boot print there, and boot prints are in the dirt in front of the house. So far, I have a ton of prints, but until I can run them I won’t know for sure,” Tanner informs me from the back of the house.

  “Okay, let's get this scene cleared. I called Luke and he’s going to come out and repair the door. Margo and Cleo will be here to see what, if anything, we can salvage. I’m taking Amy to my parents’ house until the probate hearing. Peterson also covers for me sometimes, and he cleared it with his chief to come and help out until I can get back.”

  “No worries, man. Just take care of your girl. We can handle shit here until you get back.”

  We get back to the task of collecting evidence. Every piece of broken furniture is destroyed. All the nicknacks are shattered, and the clothes are ripped to shreds. I’m so pissed.

  I’m determined to keep my girl safe, happy, and healthy. I’ll do whatever I can to take this bastard down.

  Amy

  The longer I sit here, the more pissed I get. One minute I’m sitting here, staring off into space, and the next, I’m up and pacing. I’m angry. So angry, I start crying. “How dare he! How fucking dare he ruin my fucking happy! He destroyed my fucking house! If I catch up with that little bastard, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”

  I turn and look at everyone, and they’re looking at me with shocked faces. I throw my hands up in exasperation. “This is a foul language moment, so let me have my fucking moment!”

  Bruce nods and raises his hand. “Proceed, girl. Get it out, get mad. You fucking deserve it.”

  “Fucking A! I finally slice out a little bit of fucking paradise, a haven, and get my shit together. I got a kick-ass fucking man, kick-ass motherfucking friends, and kick-ass fucking family. Then this fucking asswipe motherfucker comes in here and shits on it. Fuck him!”

  I look a bit sheepish at that one.“I think I’m good. That felt good.”

  “That was a great rant, Amy. Your use of the word fuck as a period, a comma, and an exclamation mark were on fucking point,” Roger tells me.

  I laugh a bit at that. Looking at the door, I see Parker standing there with a grin on his face. “That’s my strong girl.”

  “Fucking A.”

  Everyone clears out of the room, and it’s just me and Parker. “Babe, all those dirty words coming out of that pretty fucking mouth of yours were hot as fuck. Just ignore the wood I’m sporting, ’cause we gotta talk.”

  I straddle his lap and lean in for a kiss. “Lay it on me, big guy.”

  “He kicked in the door, and just…ripped the house apart. Broke everything that he could. All your clothes are in shreds. It’s bad, babe.”

  “If there’s one thing I learned growing up the way I did is that things can be replaced. Clothes can be bought, new dishes can be picked out. People cannot be replaced, so no matter what he destroyed, he didn’t get me or you, or anyone else in this town for that matter. I’m freaking pissed, yes. I’m pissed that he took away my safe haven. I don’t feel safe in that house anymore, and that’s what pisses me off the most.”

  “For tonight, we’ll stay at my house. In the morning, we’re going to my parents’ house. We weren’t going to go there until next Wednesday, since their anniversary party is on Saturday. But with all this, I want to leave in the morning and we’ll just spend a week down there. I would feel better if you weren’t in town right now.

  “When we get back, we can decide where you want to live. Either we move into my house, or you can get a new place. Hell, we can both move in togeth
er in a new place, it’s up to you. I plan on putting a ring on it ASAP. I want you to be Mrs. Amy West.”

  “We can move into your place. I like that it’s closer to town, and I love the neighborhood. Plus, I’ll be closer to Bruce. He’s family. I consider him a father figure of sorts, maybe an uncle.”

  “You seem different.”

  “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted after reading my mom's letters. So much was explained. I always felt like I had to live up to their way of life, that it was super important to them. Guilt over my mother passing and not being able to do anything to make it better or easier. She told me that she never wanted that life for me, but they were too worried about someone hurting me, or taking me away from them. I feel like she gave me permission to live my life however I wanted. So, that’s what I’m going to do. Balls to the wall, I’m living life loud. YOLO, baby.”

  He kisses me so sweetly. With his hands on my ass, I can’t help but grind down on him a bit. I moan at the delicious sensations.

  Someone interrupst us by banging on the door. “Hey! No sex in my freaking office. I have a hard enough time keeping Ali and Luke out of there,” Cleo yells through the door. We both laugh and walk out to find Steven standing there, surrounded by my shopping bags. I look at him curiously. “When we went shopping for court clothes, you left your bags at my house. I also grabbed some of Ali’s clothes so you’ll have something to wear at Parker's parents’ house. Ali told us about that after Parker told her. You just need to stop and get undies and things.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Ali didn’t help you pick out clothes, did she?” Ali huffs in annoyance.

  “Nope, all me. I remember shopping with you so I only grabbed stuff I knew you would be comfortable in.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No problemo, babe.” He has his adorable daughter in his arms and my heart squeezes. I really can’t wait to see Parker holding our babies. He laughs at me, knowing what my look means. “Parker, my man, you better get a ring on it. She’s got that look, the one of a woman whose biological clock has started ticking.”

  Parker looks at me, smiling wide as hell. I can’t tell if his look says yes, I want to make babies with you, or yes, I would like to practice. Either one is fine with me. I realize with a start that I really, truly want this man. He better get with the program because I cannot wait to be Mrs. West.

  He just winks at me. Turd.

  Lint Licker

  Parker

  Amy’s been a beautiful, bouncing ball of energy the whole drive up to my parents’ house. Living in Salem, New Jersey, their home is awesome, and growing up here was amazing. The house has been lovingly restored by my dad, who has made a living out of restoring old homes.

  The wrap around porch and massive columns on the front porch are iconic, and the yard is large, with emerald green grass. The grass is a “thing” with my dad. He’s that guy on the block that has signs saying, “DO NOT WALK ON GRASS.” If my mom would let him, he would clip it to the perfect length with a pair of scissors.

  When we pull up, my mother is literally running down the driveway, while my dad stands in the doorway, shaking his head.

  I get out of the car and open my arms, but she veers off and goes straight for Amy and hugs her so hard, I think she’s going to pop her head right off her shoulders.

  “Seriously?”

  “Oh, hush, son of mine. I’m too excited about meeting my future daughter-in-law. You’re not too old to spank, young man. You remember that I still have your paddle around here somewhere.”

  Amy’s laughing at the wounded expression on my face as my mom hauls her toward the house. My dad comes down the drive and hugs Amy as well, then makes his way over to me.

  “So, at least one parent loves me.”

  My dad hugs me, smiling at me like a loon. “Boy, she’s a cute little thing. You love her?”

  “Yup.”

  “You going to lock that down?”

  “Got the ring with me, and I got something planned for the tree house tomorrow night.”

  He laughs and smacks me on the back. “Not waiting long, are ya?”

  “Hell no. You don’t ever let a girl like her get away.”

  “Let's get your stuff in and go rescue your girl. Your mom’s sitting on the couch, going over the photo albums as we speak.”

  “Shit.”

  We make it inside the house and there’s my girl, looking at my baby pictures. She looks so happy sitting there, I can’t help but grin. I give her an Eskimo kiss on my way upstairs and head to my old bedroom to dump our stuff so I can get back downstairs.

  The second I step down, I’m wrapped in a headlock, and Todd’s giving a noogie. “Get off me, you prick.”

  “Nope. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to do this.”

  “God, I hate you.”

  “You loooove me, so can it, baby bro.”

  “Then let me kiss you. Come here, Todd. Give me some love.” I pucker up for a kiss and he runs outside.

  I give chase and tackle his ass outside. Grinding his face in the grass, my dad yells out for us to get off the lawn. We both roll over, onto our backs. “We’re getting too old for this shit,” I tell him.

  “Naw. I’m fit as a fiddle. I don’t know about your fat ass, but I actually work out. Helps me keep my girlish figure.”

  “Where’s Drea?”

  “She had to work late, but she’ll be here later with the kids. I wanted to get here early so I could talk to you. Marcus is MIA. I haven’t been able to locate his ass anywhere. His lady love is at home, looking freaked as fuck, though.”

  “Fuck, man. I just want this shit over with.”

  “Understandable. How bad was her house?”

  “Bad. I got a text from friends at home who are trying to clean it up. Pretty much nothing is salvageable. All her clothes are torn and shredded. Every plate and cup is shattered. Hell, even the fucking silverware was bent. Took fucking hammers to pots and pans, and the walls.

  “Amy grew up with nothing, so material things don’t hold much meaning for her, but the house was hers. It was her first real place, not a tent in the fucking woods. The violation of her space is what’s hitting her hard.”

  “Marcus is a dumb fuck. He’ll fuck up soon and we’ll get him. You guys get any prints?”

  “Tanner’s back home running them. He’s supposed to get back to me sometime today.”

  The front door is still open from our mad dash through the house, and I hear Mom say, “You want some lemon meringue pie? Did you know that’s Parker’s favorite?”

  My asshole dad is standing on the front porch when he hears this. The jackass slams and locks the door, so both Todd and I take off running for the back door. We’re neck and neck, running around the side yard. I push him and he slips on the grass and eats dirt. I hold up the middle finger salute and hit the back door and turn and lock it, quickly.

  I burst out laughing when Todd runs face-first into the door. “You’re a cocksucker, Parker.”

  The smack upside my head is delivered by my mother, who unlocks the door and lets the trash in. Before he can get any more hits in, my mother smacks him too.

  “You two, I swear. You grew up together so you would think you’d get along but nooo. In your freaking 30’s and still running around like children. Both of you, wash up and sit your asses at opposite ends of the table. I won't have you fighting over the pie and making a damn mess of my kitchen.”

  I sit next to Amy and give her my best puppy dog eyes. “Sorry I left you.”

  “It’s okay. Your mom’s sending me a copy of that super cute photo of you dressed up in her lingerie for our wedding slideshow.”

  “That’s low, my little Sprite.” Todd’s laughing his ass off, as is my dad. To hell with them. I looked sexy in that shit anyway, so the joke’s on them.

  Amy

  “I’m a little in love with your mom,” I tell Drea.

  Drea and I are kicking back on the beautiful back
porch, watching Todd and Parker play pirates with the kids. Drea is amazing, and not at all what I expected. She’s so sweet, and unbelievably beautiful. She has sandy blonde hair, like Parker. It’s cut very short and has blue streaks running through it. She has bright blue eyes, also like Parker. But where Parker is tall, Drea’s on the short side with some kick-ass curves.

  “Me too,” she says with a wink. “So how are you doing with everything that’s going on?” she asks me.

  I inhale, then blow out a long breath. “I’m fine most of the time, and then I think back over everything and how quick my life has changed. It gives me a mild panic attack if I think on it all too long. Then I think that there’s so much goodness in the world that I missed out on. I want to experience it all, and now I can. All this court stuff and crap with the will has me freaked out more than anything. I haven’t ever had money, and the way Parker makes it sound, I’m going to be a very rich woman, practically overnight. I don’t think I’ll keep all of it. I’ll probably help out the residents in town and donate some to charity. I just want it all behind me so that Parker and I can settle into our lives and just live.”

  “Parker, stop spinning him! He’s packed full of cookies because of Mom. You’re going to make him puke.”

  Parker either doesn’t hear her, or is choosing to ignore her when that exact thing she just warned him about happens. Parker’s covered from neck to waist in regurgitated cookies, milk, and dinner. Parker looks at his nephew Tate, then his chest, and back to Drea and I as we start to laugh our asses off.

  He sets Tate down and he runs off to go play on the jungle gym. Parker’s mom comes down the steps and grabs the hose and starts spraying him down. He gives his mom the stink-eye, and she sprays him right in the face.

  Parker darts after her, trying to get the hose away, and then his dad comes down and pulls the hose out of both their hands and smacks Parker upside the head, then turns and proceeds to spray his wife. All laughter stops, and we all stand there in shock.