Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations) Read Free Page A

Sloane!” Lacey chimed. She wore a pink and white dress that was
covered in frills and lace. Long grey hair fell over one eye and a matching
miniature top hat sat perched on her head. She ran over to them followed by a
group of girls in dresses almost identical to hers.
    Lily
could only be amazed at the detail of each dress. Lacey truly had a talent for
fashion design. It was almost frightening. A smile crossed her face when the
seven year old caught her in a hug. “Happy birthday, Sweetheart,” Lily said
returning her embrace.
    Lacey
smiled brightly as she turned and hugged Sloane. “Happy birthday, Princess,”
Sloane echoed. When she pulled away, he winked at her. “The room looks divine,”
he gushed. “You have to tell me how you did it.”
    “Mommy
handled it,” Lacey giggled. She then turned to her group of friends. “This is
my uncle Sloane and aunt Lily. They’re dressed as Ryo
of the Wildfire and Lady Kayura from the anime Ronin Warriors.”
    Lily
glanced at Sloane. He barely contained his laughter as the child went on with
her little lesson on the anime that inspired their costumes. It seemed that the
little princess enjoyed the opportunity to educate her friends. Lily tilted her
head to the side. “Who are you and your friends supposed to be, Sweetheart?”
    Lacey
spun around in her dress to reveal petticoats and black-heeled boots. “I’m Ciel Phantomhive when he had to dress in drag. It’s from
the anime Black Butler. Tony is around here somewhere dressed as Sebastian. And
since a lot of my friends don’t know about anime, they’re just dressed in
Lolita style.”
    Lily
nodded as she looked at the different people in the room. “Can I assume the
ones not in costume are their parents?”
    One
of the little girls smiled. “Since they didn’t want to dress up, we’re calling
them Muggles .”
    Sloane
snorted before he could stop himself. He then looked around the room and saw
Dylan and Crispin over by what looked like a photography backdrop. “Well, you
girls have fun. I’m going to see what the rest of the family is up to.”
    Green
eyes spied Madison sitting at a table with Leigh. Lily left the group and made
her way to the table. “Do you think I would disappoint Lacey if I said I was
overwhelmed?” she asked as she sat.
    Madison
laughed as she rubbed her pregnant stomach. “I think she’d be disappointed if
you weren’t. That girl loves being over the top.” Madison shook her head when
the little girl in question took her flock of friends out into the gardens.
“She’s her mother’s daughter that way.”
    Leigh
chuckled when she saw a few parents talking quietly with Victor, Casper and
Troy. It was like the trio had been cornered. “The pictures from this are going
to be hysterical. I know it.”
    Lily
looked around the room again. It warmed her heart to see how close Eric’s
family was. Growing up, she only had Cord and then Mathias. Now with both of
them gone, she expected to feel lost and adrift. But Sloane needed company with
Eric still in a coma, and Madison practically bullied her way into a friendship
with her. It was almost as if Lily had become an unofficial member of the
family.
    “Hello
ladies,” a voice greeted from behind.
    Madison
arched an eyebrow at the man standing behind Lily. “Out of all of the costumes
you could have found, you chose Cloud?” she asked.
    Lily
turned and pressed her lips together when she saw Barry dressed in a dark blue
uniform and a blonde spiky wig. “Hi, Barry,” she said as Madison stood and
inspected his outfit.
    Barry
looked at her with wide eyes. While he caught glimpses of her for the past
seven months, Lily hadn’t spoken to him since that morning. “Hi.” A small smirk
crossed his face. “You look amazing,” he complimented.
    Madison
smirked as she touched his hair. “At least it’s not Styrofoam,” she said before
looking into his eyes. “She made you wear contacts too?” Madison laughed as she
went back to her