“Mom, what’s living in sin? And if you two marry, will Madison become my second mom?”

Sherry was white as a sheet. “We won’t be getting married.”

When he opened his mouth again, Sherry said harshly, “Enough.”

Bill turned to Madison. “Did I say the wrong thing?”

“No.” Stupid, stupid, stupid. She should have known that Sherry would react like this. Madison forced a smile and pointed at Sherry. “This is how it looks when someone is being told that they could wake up one day being related to my charming grandmother.”

Everybody laughed except Sherry.

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“What an evening.” Madison closed the bedroom door behind them and leaned against it. “Good thing my grandmother left early.”

Sherry removed her earrings and placed them in the jewel box Madison had given her a few days ago. If she could manage to keep quiet or only say the most essential things until they went to bed, Sherry might be able to hold her fury in check. And tomorrow she would have calmed down enough not to rip Madison’s head off.

Madison seemed to be oblivious to Sherry’s emotions, because she kept laughing and talking. “Bill is really special, isn’t he? Did he manage even one right tone at the karaoke?” Madison stopped at the bathroom door and turned. “Sherry?”

“Mm-hmm?” The necklace followed the earrings.

“You’re so quiet. You okay?”

What did I expect? Even Madison would realize sooner rather than later that Sherry had barely reacted to her constant chatter since they’d left the party.

Now that she thought about it… This was a first. Normally, Madison was the one who wasn’t talking very much. Considering how much she usually drank, the single cocktail she’d consumed tonight couldn’t be the reason for this constant chatter.

“I could ask you the same.” She moved toward the door leading to the living room to get ready in the other bathroom.

Madison rushed to the door and blocked Sherry’s way. “What’s going on here?”

Sherry’s hands turned into fists. She looked from the door to Madison’s confused face. “Step…to…the…side,” Sherry growled between clenched teeth.

Madison’s mouth fell open. “What’s your problem?”

That was all it took for it to break out of Sherry. “What’s my problem? Maybe I don’t like being treated like a slave? You kiss me whenever it pleases you; you order me around, and then you have the nerve to hint in front of your whole family that we might get married.”

“Wait a minute.”

Sherry stepped further into Madison’s personal space, staring up at her. “For your information: I am not your property. We have a contract. But I’m not paid to be your little toy or your entertainment. Or do you think I didn’t get that all that talk about marriage was nothing but a joke at my expense?”

“Hang on a minu—”