Ever since she was a kid, Susanna had always known one thing for certain: her mother might've been a force to reckon with in the world of business, but in life? In everything else? The woman was hopelessly unreliable.

Now here it was, clear as day.

"His last name's Harlow!" Lacey declared dramatically.

"Lincoln Harlow?" Susanna's scalp tingled, but this time, it wasn't just her head-her

whole body broke out in cold chills. No. No way. Her mother wouldn't—would she?

"Mom, do you even know how old Lincoln is? And while we're at it, do you remember your own age?"

Lacey went quiet, stunned into silence.

Susanna pressed on, exasperated. "He's about the same age as Hull!" Hull was practically the same as Ronald-thirty, give or take. Her mother had a grown daughter; this was practically a plotline ripped right out of a cheesy soap opera.

“It's not Lincoln,” Lacey replied, a bit put out.

Susanna let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"What were you thinking? Am I some clueless teenager? I know exactly how old I am," her mother huffed.

“Good. Just... as long as you know,” Susanna muttered. A clammy sweat had broken out down her spine. If her mother really had started something with Lincoln, she might've fainted right on the spot. Plenty of times she'd seen old men pair off with young women, but this—an older woman with a guy nearly young enough to be her son? Her brain refused to conjure up that mental image.

Thank goodness her mother knew better. If she hadn't, Susanna would have been on her knees, thanking every god she could think of for sparing her that nightmare.

"It's Lincoln's older brother-Elliot Harlow!" Lacey finally confessed.

Susanna's mind went completely blank.

Wait. Not Lincoln-his brother? Since when did Lincoln even have an older brother? And, honestly, wasn't that pretty much the same thing

"Mom, I think "

"I'll be in Litamark in three days. We can talk then," Lacey cut in briskly. "And Derek isn't your father, so just handle him yourself in the meantime."

Handle him—she actually used the words "handle him." That told Susanna everything she needed to know. Even if Derek showed up waving a DNA test, her mother would never admit he was her actual father.

Before Susanna could get another word in, Lacey hung up.

Susanna stood staring at the phone, completely dumbfounded.

Hull came in, saw her spaced-out look, and came over with that familiar easy strength. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

"What's got you so lost in thought?" he murmured.

Susanna tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "How old is Lincoln's brother?"

Hull's brows knitted together. "Which brother?" There were a few; Lincoln was the youngest in the Harlows.

"Elliot," she specified.

Elliot? That one was notorious—definitely not someone anyone would want to cross.

"So why are you asking about him? You two have never even met," Hull said, his tone taking on a hint of seriousness. She never asked about other men-so why this one? The thought made something inside him uneasy.

"Just tell me how old he is."

"He's about twelve years older than Lincoln, so that must make him... forty-two or forty-three?" Hull

guessed, uncertainty coloring his et

voice Then, in a deliberate casual draw he added

le's pretty old

anyhow." Content befongs fo FindNovel.net

"So-early forties," Susanna mused aloud. Lincoln always seemed so young-she'd thought his brothers would be similar. Forty-two or

three Her mother w

Actually, when she thought about it the age difference wasn't that outrageous.

"Why are you asking about him?" Hull's voice tightened, less patient this time. Susanna's obvious relief didn't escape him either—if anything, it made him even more suspicious.

Susanna glanced up at him, searching for words. How was she supposed to explain this? Of course, she wanted her mother to find happiness, but this—this was.....

"My mom married him!" Susanna blurted, figuring there was no point in hiding it anyway. He'd find out soon enough.

Hull's face froze in total shock.

"They got married. Officially," Susanna confirmed. A sly, amused look flickered in her

eyes. “Who knows—maybe you'll have to start calling him Dad.”

Hull looked as if he'd been struck by lightning.

someone in her

"You know, for som

forties, my mom still has quite a way

with people," Susanna said, half in awe, half in disbelief. "Even though he'summis forties, Mom's a few years older than him. But still, she looks so much younger it almost doesn't matter."

Hull shifted uncomfortably, and her comment about having to call Elliot "Dad" made

his skin crawl. Was she serious? Was any of this real, or just the world's weirdest

joke?