Masuk**Kierra**I listened carefully to Jonathan’s recollection of his tumultuous relationship with Eliza from the time their marriage started to break down, her cheating, their divorce, and everything that followed.“To your extensive and intimate knowledge of Mrs. Baker, did you suspect she suffered from mental health issues?”Jonathan sighed and rubbed his forehead before answering. “I…it’s hard to say.”“How so?” Detective Prescott queried.“I don’t know how to say this delicately, and I don’t wish to speak ill of the dead, but Eliza was…spoiled. She had a way of getting what she wanted, and I’ll hold myself accountable and say that I enabled her 100%. I think she reacted poorly when she realized she couldn’t get what she wanted from me any longer. She became verbally and physically abusive—she busted the windows out of my truck and physically attacked me outside of my residence—there are corroborating police reports to prove that.”“Yes, I’ve read them. Mrs. Baker was also placed on a
**Kierra**“What do you think?” Jonathan asked, holding up a dress for me.“Nah. I’m not feeling it.”“What’s wrong with it?” he asked incredulously, running his fingers over the soft fabric. I cringed at the ruffles.“How do I say this kindly? It’s giving…I sing enchanting songs that attract woodland creatures while baking bread from scratch.”Jonathan gawked at the dress. “I think it’d look lovely on you.”“Lovely or not, I’d prefer the Slasher crop top and sweats.”“But,” he said, slowly approaching me with the dress, “my mother, who saved your life, I might add, purchased this for you,” he said softly, trying to guilt the hell out of me.It’s working, but he can’t play the ‘you’d be dead if it weren’t for my mother’ card for much longer.I grinned. “You’re an asshole.”“I’ll take that as long as you still love me,” he expressed before caressing my lips with his. That was enough to make me forget about my injuries. I cupped him through his jeans with my free hand and groaned when h
**Jonathan**Kierra woke, and everyone kept the welfare check hushed under my instructions. I’d speak with her when she was alert. She woke from her nap and went straight to bed after the kids showed her their Christmas stockings.“How are you feeling?” I asked softly, stroking her bruised cheek.“I’m comfortable but exhausted,” she said, punctuating her statement with a yawn.“Thanks for joining us for dinner. I know it took a lot out of you, but we were happy to celebrate the day with you.”“I was barely there. I was in and out,” she laughed.“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we need to discuss the Christmas wish lists that these children wrote.”“Oh no. What was the most outrageous request?”“A dog. This led to an hour-long debate about what kind of dog to get, but I’m not truly keen on the idea. The thought of having dog hair stuck to my suits is enough to make me crawl out of my skin.”“I get it,” Kierra sympathized. “Whose idea was it to get a dog?”“Kiyah.”“Of course,
**Jonathan**“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!” Anthony shouted when his favorite football team scored a touchdown.“They’re still losing,” I chuckled, helping Daisy decorate her Christmas stocking while my mother and Simone decorated the tree.“You’re a hater, Jon. They have time to catch up.”“I might be a hater, but you’re delusional. They’re down by twenty-one and a two-point conversion with seven minutes to go in the last quarter and two time-outs. Sit down before you hurt yourself.”“I don’t need to sit,” he grumbled as he fell to the couch. A few seconds later, he was massaging his leg and wincing.“Uh oh,” Casey mumbled from beside me. I held back my sigh at the sight of the red glitter he spilled all over the coffee table.“It’s okay, Case. I think we have some more red glitter,” I reassured, rummaging around in the art box.“I’m running out of glue,” Kiyah whined as she squeezed the tube with her tongue sticking out.“There’s plenty of glue left. You just have to squeeze
**Kierra**Truthfully, I was shocked when Jonathan leaped into action and called the police once his ex arrived at the house—pounding on the door and ringing the doorbell like she didn’t have a lick of sense after Felicity refused to open the door for her. I had expected Jonathan to leave the dinner table and try to reason with her—give her a warning that she was trespassing and that he had a restraining order against her—but he didn’t.Good. That means he took our conversation in Vegas seriously. It’s not like I could leave him if I wanted to—not anymore. I wouldn’t dare run off with this man’s child.The adults cleared their throats and shifted in their chairs uncomfortably until Jonathan returned to the table. He was about to address everyone when he paused, noticing all the children greedily smacking their lips and stuffing their faces except Grant. Everyone could hear Eliza raging like a lunatic outside, but only Grant gave a damn.Jonathan left the table, grabbed Grant and his p
**Jonathan**“Let’s take a family picture before we dig in,” Mom said excitedly as we gathered around the dining room table.“Felicity…the pictures can wait; however, my stomach cannot,” Dad insisted.“I beg to differ, Marcus,” she drawled as she herded the children into the spot she determined had the best lighting. “Come on. Come on, everyone. The faster we take the pictures; the sooner Granddad can eat.”“He’s not going to eat the whole turkey, is he?” Casey asked.She grabbed Casey by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. “It’s 50/50. Now, make sure you show me those pearly whites, okay?” she said, tipping his chin.Casey nodded enthusiastically and stood proudly beside Grant, whose scowl nearly touched the ground. He wasn’t a fan, but that didn’t stop my mother from taking several photos.“Okay, now everyone else,” she expressed, wildly motioning with her hands. “Move over here behind Kierra so we can get her in the photo.”“Actually…I’d prefer to sit this one out if you don’t







