The Billionaire's Family Secret (Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Book 15)

by Danni Lee Nicholls

  It was Trev’s challenging words, along with Paige’s honesty that forced her to take a hard look at herself. She didn’t like what she’d seen, but she appreciated Trev’s daring willingness to confront her.

  She wrestled the question and the appreciation from her mind. There couldn’t be any misgivings over her decisions to break up with him. It was over, and it was for the best, because any relationship with Trev went beyond just the two of them or even their parents. Resolve filled Leah. Allison was also part of the equation, and Leah wasn’t going to hustle Trev’s sister—or anyone else—for validation again.

  Chapter 26

  The following evening, Leah drove to the small nondescript three-bedroom ranch in the older part of Eureka Springs. Humility had dismantled the scaffolding of her pride since her conversation with Paige, but the repairs needing to be made with her family were just beginning. She hoped to rebuild her relationship with her parents with gratitude and willingness to recognize all they’ve done for her.

  Pulling into the drive, she noticed the yard was clipped and well maintained and the walk was swept clean. A smile played on her lips as an old welcoming familiarity came over her, expanding with each step. When she’d been a child, the driveway and patio leading to the house had always been her responsibility. She’d hated sweeping the walk every other day or every day in the fall, when the leaves covered her effort before she’d even finished. Which sister was keeping the walk clean now?

  Light spilled from the front window, lighting her way to the front door. Music filtered from the house along with her sisters’ laughter and the aroma of her mother’s favorite tuna casserole. Leah’s mouth watered. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten her mother’s home cooking. Was it an accident that she’d decided to come home at dinnertime?

  She was about to knock when the sound of her father’s truck purred in the drive. Leah turned to watch him park beside her yellow VW. The memory of when he’d presented her the keys to the VW filled her mind in sparkling clarity. She recalled the look of pride that had come into his eyes as he’d handed over the keys along with some fatherly advice.

  “Don’t ever get below a half a tank of gas. There may come a day when you’re faced with an emergency and you won’t have time to stop and fill up. It’s just as easy to put ten bucks of gas in a half a tank as an empty one.” He continued, “And if it ever makes a strange noise or acts off, call me immediately, and I’ll come and take a look. The longer you wait, the worse it can get.”

  She nodded solemnly before rushing to him for a hug. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered fiercely in his ear. Her father’s embrace wrapped around her warm and firm.

  Seeing him now, in the long shadows of the summer evening, she tried to hide her shock at how he’d aged since that afternoon three years ago. Although she’d seen him occasionally since starting school, she’d never really studied him until now. His hair was almost entirely gray, and his face was lined with new wrinkles. But he maintained a wiry fitness, and his steel colored eyes, so much like hers in shape and color, still held their sharp edge.

  Leah bit her lip as she watched him come near. Someday, she’d need to face the world without him and his advice to keep her gas tank filled and to call him if her car acted up. She’d have to do without his bold encouragement and desire for her best interest, even if it was sometimes misplaced. Contrition made it clear that she’d waited too long to have this conversation, but fragile hope helped her see that it wasn’t too late.

  Surprising herself, she remembered Trev’s admonition to apologize to her father. She offered a quick prayer of gratitude for his part in what she was about to do before letting him retreat to the back of her mind. She focused on her father and gave him a timid smile in the dimming sun.

  Her father stopped at the VW. “How’s the car running?”

  Leah’s smile widened as relief overcame her. This was familiar ground between them. Their talk about the car meant her father would meet her at least halfway in her effort to say difficult things. “Like a champ.”

  “Glad to hear it.” He leaned against the fender of the car, folding his arms. “Do you need something?”

  Leah bit her lip. Was that how her father saw her? Did she only come home when she needed something? She shook her head and made her way toward her father. The music and laughter from the house faded as she moved from the familiarity of her family home and into uncertain territory of honesty and apologies. She hoped she had the courage for this conversation. “I came to talk to you.”

  “Well, talk away.” In spite of his easy smile, a wary, hesitant look came into her father’s eyes.

  Leah licked her lips with her dry tongue, the words she wanted to say sticking at the back of her throat. She started slowly. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for what I said the other day at Paige’s. I know how important my schooling is to you, and it was mean-spirited of me to throw all of that in your face.” Awkwardly, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. How would her father take her apology? Self-reproach fueled her words. “I haven’t always been—” She searched for the right way to express what was in her heart. “—kind to you and Mom.” Her heart swelled with sorrow. “Or grateful for all you’ve done for me.” Leah took in a deep inhalation. “And I’m so sorry.” A surprising new weightlessness buoyed her. How long had she felt burdened by this refusal to own those who loved her best?

  Her father reached out and grasped Leah by the upper arms, his warm grip causing her to look up into his eyes. His gaze was intense and full of distress, love, and hope. “I’ve thought a lot about what you said the other day, and Leah, I’m glad to know you’re not like me.” His voice was gruff with emotion. “I’ve always known it, but I haven’t always trusted it. That’s where I have failed you.”

  Leah wanted to cry. Was this the outcome of her careless shame? How could her father think he’d ever failed her? She shook her head vehemently. “That’s not true. You haven’t failed me, Dad. You’ve always—”

  Her father squeezed her arms. “I placed my burdens on you and insisted that you make certain choices, because I made so many poor ones. It’s not fair.” He let her go. “But I’ll work on that. After all, you’re no longer fifteen.” He paused. “As your mother reminds me regularly. And you don’t need me telling you how to run your life every minute.”

  Leah relaxed. Her father had met her more than halfway. “But I do need you, Dad. You and Mom both. I need your support and your love, and you’ve always given that to me without reservation.” She paused. “And although I may not need you to run my life every minute …” She gave him a teasing smile before becoming serious again, speaking slowly and with purpose. “I’ll always need your guidance, Dad. That’ll never change. You know things I don’t, because of the choices you made. I need to remember that.”

  He gave her an honest grin and put his arm around her. “I hope you’re keeping that gas tank filled.”

  Leah laughed with happy relief as she leaned against her father. The discussion was over, and he’d more than forgiven her. In his own way, he’d also asked for forgiveness. The familiar smell of grease and gasoline filled her nostrils along with the heavy forested scent of the deepening Eureka Springs summer. She leaned against her father. “Always,” she replied.

  “Glad to hear it.” Her father slapped his leg. “Now, why don’t you come into the house, and you can tell me all about this man you’re dating. His name is Trev, right?”

  Leah was sensitive to the difficulty under which her father labored in mentioning Trev. It made his effort all the more meaningful, but it also opened the despairing emptiness she’d prefer to forget. “We’re not together anymore.”

  Her father stopped and looked at her. “Why not? What happened? I hope it’s not because of what took place at Paige’s house.”

  Leah shook her head in resignation. “It’s a work incident, and I ended up quitting.”

  Her father pulled her close with one arm. “Yo
u’d think this would make me happy, but it doesn’t. The look on your face tells me this relationship meant something to you.”

  Leah opened to the comfort that only her family could provide as tears filled her eyes. “Yeah. I thought we had a chance. I loved him, Dad.”

  “Your mother is better at these things than I am, but I’m sorry for how I treated him at Paige’s. It might not matter now, but I wished I’d been willing to talk to him. By pushing him away, I alienated you.”

  Leah placed her arm around her dad’s waist. He was thin and wiry, but still warm and more than strong enough to lean on. She needed him more than ever. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “C’mon.” Her father propelled her forward alongside him. “I know the perfect remedy for a broken heart, and it’s right inside that door. Can you smell your mother’s cooking?”

  Leah choked back the tears that were just below the surface and smiled. “Yeah. It smells heavenly.”

  “See? I bet you feel better already.”

  Leah laughed at her father’s full-hearted attempts at brightening her mood. When he opened the front door to the house, light flooded Leah as her sisters squealed with happiness and her mother came from the kitchen. Everyone rushed to embrace her at once, and Leah was cocooned in a blanket of familial love that had always been there, just waiting for her to step into its generous warmth. Tears of both loss and homecoming welled up in her eyes. Her father was right. She felt better already.

  Chapter 27

  Trev sat separate from his family, who crowded together on the sofa. His parents flanked Allison, who tried not to look frightened. Ms. Burns, the APS investigator, sat in the overstuffed chair, writing something on a clipboard. Trev studied her closely. The woman was just short of middle age, with cropped brown hair and a petite frame. Her brown eyes held sympathy and compassion. Once Sanders had invited her in, she’d sat with the family with an air of openness and no judgment, surprising Trev. This woman would make it easy to spill secrets.

  After introductions, Ms. Burns raised her eyebrows. “I’ll need to interview Mrs. Michaels alone. Is there a place where you’d be more comfortable?” she asked.

  Trev’s eyes darted to his mother. She appeared calm and warm, even though Trev knew she was hating every minute of this intrusion.

  “The deck might be nice,” his mother suggested. “And I’d like my son to be there.”

  Earlier, Trev and his family had decided it would be best if he sat in on the interview between his mother and the APS investigator while their father and Allison remained out of sight.

  A quick look of disapproval came across the investigator’s face. “I’d prefer to meet with you alone, but you have every right to have another person with you.” She stood. “Lead the way.”

  Trev ushered Ms. Burns and his mother to the deck, his anxiety escalating to new heights. Everything was riding on this interview. He remembered to breathe as he pulled out Ms. Burns chair and the three of them sat in a small group.

  Once they were settled, Ms. Burns began. “Let me just outline how this is going to go.” She smiled. “First, I appreciate you seeing me today. I know these unscheduled visits can be inconvenient. Today is just an assessment. Through this interview, I’ll determine your need for our services.”

  As the interview began, every nerve in Trev’s body throbbed as if on fire. But as the interview progressed, Trev’s appreciation for his mother deepened as she answered each question with a warm, placid expression and just the right information.

  “May I do an examination of the back of your head?” Ms. Burns asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Trev’s mother stated.

  Ms. Burns put on a pair of gloves and gently palpated his mother’s head. She said nothing when she finished, snapped off the gloves, and stuffed them in her bag before writing out her findings. “How many times has the altercation turned physical?” Ms. Burns asked.

  “Just this once.”

  “Have there been arguments around money prior to this incident?”

  “Yes.”

  “How have those turned out?” Ms. Burns asked.

  His mother shrugged. “It depends on what I’ve got planned for the money. Sometimes I give it to my daughter, and sometimes I don’t.”

  Ms. Burns changed directions. “I pulled up a police report that states a young woman died on this property about a year ago. It was ruled an accident.”

  Trev tried to keep his face straight, but his heart slammed into his ribs and his body weakened into the chair. Thank goodness Leah had told him he didn’t have to talk about Desiree, and he’d passed that information along to his family. He bit the inside of his cheek and held his breath as his mother spoke.

  “Yes. It’s a tragedy we’re still dealing with. My daughter Allison and Desiree were like sisters. We’ve considered therapy for my daughter. What do you think, Ms. Burns?”

  All of Trev’s nervous misgivings drained from him. His mother was honest and forthright in her answers. She wasn’t hiding anything. The truth was setting all of them free.

  “Yes,” Ms. Burns replied. “I think that’s a great start. Grief can be a hard thing to process. When those appointments are up and running, I’d like to be informed.”

  “Absolutely,” Trev’s mother replied.

  After an hour, Ms. Burns stood. “Thanks so much for your time. I know this can be stressful, and your cooperation is really appreciated. It makes things so much easier for everyone. I’ll go back to the office and put together my case before making any recommendations. I’ll be in touch.”

  Sanders showed Ms. Burns to the door. Once she left, Trev took a deep breath, his chest expanding with relief for the first time in days. Putting his arm around his mother, he asked, “How did you know exactly what to say?”

  His mother gave him a wry smile. “I wasn’t born in the South for nothing.”

  Timidly, Allison came down the stairs, followed by their father.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Mom did a great job,” Trev said.

  His mother concurred. “It went well, but I made a promise to Ms. Burns that I expect you to keep, Allison.”

  Allison’s eyes grew large.

  His mother continued, “I told Ms. Burns that you planned on starting therapy. I’ll help you get it set up, but by the end of the day, I expect you to have an appointment with a mental health provider.”

  Allison nodded, her head bowed. “When Leah first arrived and made the suggestion of physical therapy, I misunderstood and believed she meant mental health therapy.” Her voice shook. “I thought she was crazy, but I’m the one who needs help.”

  “You’re not crazy because you need help,” her mother said. “We’ve had a tough few years with the accident, the move, and Desiree’s death. We can all use a little healing work.”

  Trev tensed with alarm at the mention of Desiree. Even though the secret was out, the fear of it still burned on the residual fuel of grief and sorrow. He exhaled, allowing his body to relax. He needn’t hide any longer.

  Allison moved down the stairs toward their mother. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry for what I did. It won’t happen again. I promise.”

  Trev’s mother pulled his sister close. “I’m counting on that, Allison.”

  Allison started to cry. “I’m glad this part is over, at least.”

  Trev concurred, his thoughts drifting toward Leah. None of this would’ve happened without her call to APS. The investigation was unpleasant, but without Leah’s actions, the clearing of secrets around Desiree’s death would’ve never happened, and his family would still be living under the cloud of loss and hidden stories.

  Maybe Leah was brave. She’d gone against what he and his mother wanted, even in the face of hostility, in order to do the right thing. That effort had cost her dearly. She’d suffered the loss of her job and his family, as well as their budding relationship and an easier way through medical school. Fresh grief rose up as he considered her terrible cost. But s
he wasn’t the only one who had paid. He’d lost more than all of that combined. Shades of loneliness lingered in the hole left by her departure reminding him that without Leah he would never be complete.

  Chapter 28

  Later that same evening, Trev sat on his private balcony, the dark, sultry night surrounding him with the midsummer serenade of crickets and the last of the cicadas. He stared at the lake, black as an inkblot; the unseen wavelets gave a percussion to the symphony of insects. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply in spite of the humidity and heat that clung to him like the melancholy that had followed him since Leah’s departure.

  He was grateful that things were settled with his family. Living without the secret of Desiree’s death freed him. The guarded vigilance that had been his constant companion since Desiree’s passing was finally beginning to stand down, and it brought relief, but it was only a partial victory since he couldn’t share it with the woman who’d instigated it. The woman he loved.

  He stood and walked back into his air-conditioned room. Moving toward his dresser, he opened the top drawer and pulled the ring out of its box. Sitting on the bed, he stared at the beautiful piece of jewelry in the dim bedroom light, but he didn’t see it as Desiree’s engagement ring any longer. Now, it was Leah’s ticket to medical school.

  He thought over the day she’d returned it. When Sanders had come to answer the door, Trev had waved him off. He’d been waiting for Leah to show. “I’ll get this,” he’d said.

  The elderly butler had nodded with a knowing look and moved away.

  There she’d stood, with the bright sun behind her, highlighting her long blond hair and clear gray eyes. He’d longed to pull her close and feel her hair against his face and her beating heart matching his. He’d asked her to come into the house without thinking. Would his family be happy to see Leah? Probably not, but he hadn’t cared. All he wanted was her steady, warm, and accepting company, but she’d refused the invitation, leaving his raw desire unfulfilled.