by Bella Andre
After Tasha nodded and said that would be great, they headed inside, leaving Daniel and Matt with Noah and the puppies.
“Are you sure Ari’s okay with taking care of three puppies?” Daniel asked.
“Are you kidding? She wanted to dash out here with Noah.”
Going to retrieve the puppies, they found Noah seated on the floorboards, fingers clutched in the bars, his face plastered to the crate hard enough to put lines on his cheeks. Daniel unhooked the seat belt he’d laced through the bars of the crate to keep it stable, pulled it out, then carried it up the steps, Noah scurrying alongside.
“They’re pretty much housebroken,” he told Matt once they were inside the foyer, “as long as you let them sleep in their crate and remember to take them outside every couple of hours. But they make it through the whole night.”
“Which one is mine, Uncle Daniel?” Noah asked. “Can I hold him?”
“It’s this little guy here.” He didn’t give a name, because Noah would need to pick his own for the puppy.
Of course, once Daniel opened the crate, all three rushed out, running around maniacally after having been cooped up and sleeping for so long. Noah joined the melee, happily chasing them.
* * *
Tasha had felt lightheaded since Drew’s call, her heart beating wildly with fear and dread. She couldn’t believe her father might actually die. He’d always been larger than life. Impervious to the colds and broken bones that had felled lesser men.
The only thing that had gotten her through was Daniel’s hand wrapped around hers as he drove. His warmth had flowed into her, calmed her, wore down the sharp edges of fear.
Now bright, sweet, kind Ari was taking over, pulling Tasha along into the kitchen where she was putting together the fixings for what looked like a feast to take on the plane.
“Here,” Ari said, handing her a glass of Chardonnay. “I know it’s the middle of the day, but sometimes gulping a glass of wine is exactly what we need to take the edge off.”
Grateful beyond measure, Tasha did just as she suggested, and warmth immediately flowed through her veins. “You have a lovely home.”
“The first time I walked in here,” Ari said, “I thought it was a palace. I’m sure the guys told you I was Noah’s nanny. I didn’t come from much, so I assumed someone this rich was going to be stuck up and arrogant and bossy.”
“But Matt isn’t like that.” Tasha knew firsthand. “None of the Mavericks are.” They’d all been sweet to her. And so normal. Money had never gone to their heads; it was just another tool in their belts.
“Exactly.” Ari beamed, her smile as bright as sunshine.
Her straight, silky blond hair didn’t look salon dyed and styled, and her flowery sundress, though very pretty, wasn’t haute couture. And her eyes shone with adoration whenever she said Noah’s name. And Matt’s.
The wine Tasha had gulped made her bold enough to say, “You’re telling me I shouldn’t be intimidated by Daniel’s wealth and that he’s just a normal guy, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know if normal is the word I would use,” Ari said with a grin. “But definitely one of the nicest guys on the planet, that’s for sure. I adore him.” Her grin widened as she said, “Seems like you do too.”
“I do.” Tasha adored every part of him. But—“We haven’t known each other that long.”
“Sometimes it only takes one look,” Ari said with perfect certainty. With that, she put the last container into the insulated bag. “That should keep you from getting hungry for a good long while. And now I know you’re anxious to get on your way.”
The front hall was a madhouse, with three puppies and a little boy chasing each other. Daniel stood talking to a tall guy with short, dark-blond hair whom Tasha assumed was Gideon Smith, Ari’s long-lost brother. On the drive down, Daniel had told her a bit about him, that he now worked for Daniel and lived with Ari and Matt. Gideon didn’t smile much, not like his sister.
Noah ran to Ari as soon as he saw her, Spanky in his arms. “Can I have this one, Mommy? Daddy said I had to ask.”
Ari flashed a smile at Matt. “Your daddy and I have talked about it, and yes, it’s okay with me.” She got down on his level. “But we’ve got to train him and take care of him and clean up after him too. That’s a huge responsibility. Are you sure you want to do it?”
“Yes!”
Ari squeezed his hand. “Then let’s take them all outside for a little bit so they don’t make any messes in here.”
Tasha’s heart ached with the love she saw among the three of them, a family unit. It didn’t matter that Ari had been the nanny, that she wasn’t Noah’s birth mother. They made a beautiful, loving family.
Tasha wanted to believe Daniel when he said it was time to forgive herself. That she could have a life again, a good one.
But could she really deserve all this? Not the money, but the happiness that was a shining halo around Ari. It was in the light of her eyes when she looked at Noah, the sweetness of her hand in Matt’s.
Could Tasha ever truly deserve a man like Daniel and a family like the Mavericks?
Chapter Twenty-Five
The flight took barely an hour, and a car waited to drive them straight to the hospital. As they pulled beneath the hospital’s portico, Tasha’s heart began to jackhammer in her chest and her blood pounded in her ears.
Especially when they learned that her father hadn’t been admitted under the name Summerfield.
The smells, antiseptic and sterile, turned her stomach. Soft-soled shoes screeched on the linoleum floors. The elevator walls closed in on her. The one positive thing she held on to was that Daniel had learned at Reception that her father wasn’t in ICU or even CCU, the coronary care unit. Which meant he wasn’t critical, thank God.
“Thank you,” she said to Daniel as the elevator doors slid open silently. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
He’d done everything—helped find her family, flown her to the hospital, arranged a car. He’d even booked a hotel room for later, in case she was too tired to head back to San Francisco tonight.
But more than that, he’d simply been there, a solid warmth surrounding her, giving her comfort when she needed it most.
She’d lost her ability to trust when her father sold her out. But in this moment, she trusted Daniel with everything. And knew, deep within her heart, that he’d never betray her.
Ever.
Her father was in a private room. It made her sick to think he had paid for it with stolen money, but she still knocked on the door.
Drew opened it. “Thank God you’re here, Tash.”
In the three months since she’d seen him, her brother’s short, dark hair had grown scraggly. His shirt was rumpled, his jeans baggy, his face gaunt, and his eyes sunken in dark circles. He looked ten years older.
She threw herself into his arms, hugging him so tightly her muscles hurt. Drew hugged her just as hard.
Then she stepped back to say, “This is Daniel Spencer.” Daniel shook her brother’s hand as though Drew were an equal, rather than a man who’d helped bilk people out of their money. “Daniel, this is my brother, Drew.”
Drew’s eyes widened, obviously realizing who Daniel was.
“Before we go in—” She pulled her brother into the hall. “What’s going on?”
He closed the door. “Dad was complaining of chest pains and trouble breathing. We thought it was a heart attack, but—” He glanced back and lowered his voice as if their father could hear through the door. “His doctor was here just a few minutes ago and now they think he might have had a panic attack. The symptoms can sometimes mimic a heart attack.”
Her father was the least panicky person she knew, always in control. But maybe that was just a lie too. Still, she was grateful to feel the weight of her fear that her father might die lift off her like a rising air balloon. Yet there was anger too, a simmering anger she felt guilty about when Drew needed her to be strong.
“The
y want to monitor him overnight,” Drew went on. “I’m sorry I made you come all the way down here just for a panic attack. But I was worried.” With a deep sigh that revealed his rattled emotions, he added, “And I wanted to see you.”
She held his hand tightly. “Of course you had to call me. Daniel brought me as soon as humanly possible.”
“I told Dad you were coming,” Drew said. “He thought it was a bad idea.”
“Why?” She snapped her teeth shut on the word. “Because he didn’t want to worry me? Or because he thought I’d turn him in?”
“Tash.” Her brother’s dark eyes pleaded with her.
She felt Daniel at her side then, his strength seeping into her. She didn’t want to turn into a bitter person because of her family.
She knew she had to forgive herself. But did the path to that mean forgiving her father first?
She took a deep breath. “I better go in and see him.”
The room was small, with a bathroom cubicle, a chair, a tray table, and enough room for the medical machines that monitored her father’s vital signs.
She almost didn’t recognize the man lying in the bed. Like Drew, his cheeks were gaunt. His steel-gray hair was dull, his skin sallow, his jowls hanging. The imposing figure was gone, and all that remained was a frail old man.
And it terrified her.
“Daddy.” She hadn’t called him that since she was a child, and maybe she did so now because she needed him to be the big, all-powerful father he’d once been.
Except that man had been an illusion.
Daniel’s hand squeezed hers, and she drew courage from him. He possessed true strength made up of kindness and heart.
With Daniel by her side, she was able to take her father’s hand. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” he tried to bluster, but he no longer had the power for that. “I don’t need to be here. Drew’s just an old biddy.”
“You might have been having a heart attack. He did the right thing.”
“Bah,” her father grumbled. “And who’s he?” He jutted his chin at Daniel.
“This is Daniel. He brought me here to see you.” And I love him.
Drew broke in before their father could make a derogatory comment. “Thank you for bringing Tasha. We appreciate it.”
Daniel tipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. “She needed to be here.” He squeezed her hand. “And I needed to be here for her.”
His words and his solid presence warmed her. There was so much in that simple statement.
Her brother’s gaze flashed from Daniel and back to her, and she knew Drew could see the importance of their relationship. So did her father, his brow furrowing.
“Dad.” She wouldn’t call him Daddy again. The past was gone, and the man she’d thought he was had never truly existed. “We need to talk.” She let go of Daniel’s hand to take her father’s in both of hers. “About what happened. About the resort.”
Her father sank back against the pillow. “I’m tired.”
“It was a panic attack.” She wouldn’t have pushed if he’d had a heart attack. But with nurses and doctors just outside the door to tend to him, she decided he was well enough to answer her questions.
“I’m still tired.”
“And we still need to talk. I’ve had a lot of time to think.” She tightened her hold on his hand when he closed his eyes. “In fact, I’ve been angry with myself for not seeing the truth.”
His hand was weak in hers, not returning her grip, and for a long moment, she thought he would ignore her. But at last he opened his eyes. “You weren’t supposed to see. I wanted to shield you. That’s why I made you an outside contractor, so you wouldn’t be affected by any of it.”
“For God’s sake,” Drew burst out, “tell her the truth, Dad. She deserves it after everything we’ve put her through. And I deserve it too.”
Her father pierced him with a long look, but her brother didn’t back down. Tension simmered in the air between them like steam rising.
“All right, if you really want to know the truth, your brother is the one who insisted on making you a subcontractor. And he insisted on not letting you go to the site. But I concurred that it was better to keep you at arm’s length.”
Drew stood then, his back suddenly straight and some of the haggard strain leaving his face. “You’re not tainted by this, Tasha. No one ever blamed you or thought any of this was your fault.”
Daniel tensed. She sensed his need to do battle for her, but she couldn’t let him. Three months ago, instead of fighting, she’d run to the mountains, licking her wounds. But she was stronger than that. She knew it now, even if she hadn’t known it before.
With a hand on Daniel’s arm, she willed him to relax. Then she said what had to be said. “You’re wrong, Drew. I am tainted, by all the lies if nothing else. But I love you for trying to make me believe I’m not.”
Her family wasn’t Daniel’s family. They weren’t good or pure. But they were her family, and no matter what, she could never stop loving them, flaws and all. She didn’t have to be like them, but she wouldn’t stop loving them.
She’d blamed herself, her blindness, but it was time to forgive. Daniel had taught her that, but she hadn’t believed, not until this moment, when she saw how the seeds of her blindness had been born.
Out of love.
“I understand now.” She gazed at her father for long, agonizing moments, at his haggard features, his downhill slide. “I love you, Dad. I always have and I always will, no matter what you’ve done. Because you made me feel loved. But I’m not a child anymore, and I can’t stand by and watch you destroy Drew. And I won’t watch you destroy other people either. You have to stop making excuses, saying that it was okay because I was only a subcontractor.”
“But it was only greedy people looking to get rich quick,” her father insisted.
She held up a hand to stop him from saying more. For the first time, her father shushed. She sensed Daniel’s outrage in his bristling body, and her outrage equaled his.
“Don’t you dare try to justify what you do,” she said. “You’re not Robin Hood. You’re not some sort of do-gooder.” She narrowed her eyes to a glare. “And if your lies and cheating and stealing weren’t bad enough, you dragged Drew into it.”
“Your brother—” her father started.
She couldn’t bear another excuse, so she turned to Drew. “Tell me the truth. Do you really want this for the rest of your life? To go on stealing? Because that’s what it is.”
“I’m tired.” His cracked voice sounded so weary. “And I’m done. I’ve been done since…” He shook his head sadly. “Since I lost you three months ago, Tash.”
He’d lost her the first time he’d helped her father with one of his schemes. Because he’d lost himself. But now that they’d found each other again, she wanted so badly to believe him. And to believe in him.
Maybe this was one of those times when looking on the bright side and seeing the best in people wasn’t a flaw.
She might end up being wrong for giving her brother a second chance. But she sensed that her belief in him would help the brother she loved actually become the good person he was capable of being. If she had faith in Drew and was there to buoy him up if he ever doubted, then maybe he could eventually find the will to trust in himself.
Maybe that’s what family was all about. Believing in them enough to make sure they believed in themselves. Just as Daniel’s mother believed in every one of her kids.
She went to her brother and took his hands in hers. “I believe in you, Drew.”
“You shouldn’t.”
But she wasn’t that easily scared away. Not anymore. “I do.”
Then she turned back to her father. “Before I leave tonight, you’re going to promise me two things.”
“What?” Her father looked mulish. But also a little cowed by her.
“That you’re going to pay back every single penny to every single person you
owe.”
“Impossible!”
“I’m sure you have records of all of them,” she replied in a firm tone. “And if not, I’m happy to find them for you and send each one a personal note to let them know their money is on its way back to them. Got it?”
He looked like a chastised child, pouting after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Fine.”
“Good. And second, you’re going to stop your cons, once and for all. If I find out that you haven’t—and believe me, I will—I’ll make sure the feds have enough information about what you’ve done to lock you up. Forever.”
He stared at her. For a long while. “You’ve changed.”
“I have.” She wouldn’t apologize for finally finding her strength. “And now it’s time for you to change. Long past time.”
His mouth was set in a firm line. But he nodded.
Tasha felt as though she’d sprinted an entire marathon. But she still had one more very important thing to say. “I love you both. You’re my family. I only want you to be able to do what’s good and what’s right. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Her father picked at the white sheets. No matter what he said, she believed the things he’d done weighed on him. The panic attack proved it.
Or, if she took off her rose-colored glasses, maybe he was just afraid of getting caught.
But even if her father was a lost cause, she believed in Drew. Her brother could change—and she wouldn’t give up on him until he did.
Gathering Daniel’s hand in hers, leaning into him for the comfort he had always been so quick to give, she said to her brother, “Tell me where you’ve been the past three months.”
And she listened to their story.
* * *
Daniel was so damn proud of Tasha, his heart felt near to bursting. Even as he’d wanted to crush her old man for what he’d done to her, for the pain he’d caused, for his betrayal. For making Tasha lose her ability to trust. For making her doubt herself.
Daniel wanted to help her heal, and healing was in every word she’d said. She’d gone to bat for her brother and hadn’t accepted her father’s excuses. But neither had she withheld her love.