It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3)

by Tamra Baumann

  Dammit. He was going to twist everything she said and use it against her. “It’s in the exact same place it was when you lived—” Casey stopped herself when Caleb appeared.

  “Dad? What are you doing here?”

  Tomas quickly pasted on a grin and tousled Caleb’s hair. “I’d never miss your first day of school, would I? I told Ty he was getting a surprise and guess what? It’s me.” Tomas spread his arms wide. “Don’t you have a hug for your papa?”

  Casey wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained. Tomas hadn’t given a flip about their first day of school—ever. What was the man up to?

  While they hugged it out, Zane asked softly, “You want me to stay or go?”

  “Stay!” she whispered back. “Tomas is going to be the one to go.”

  Ty showed up next, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Dad?”

  “Hey, buddy!” Tomas swung around and gave Ty a hug too. “Sorry about your arm. But why didn’t you tell me how serious your accident was?” Tomas’s eyes found hers. “Not telling the whole truth is the same as lying.”

  Dammit. Tomas knew all the details. That’s why he’d shown up unexpectedly.

  Ty shifted nervously from foot to foot. “You know the rules, Dad. We can’t talk about our guests. I couldn’t tell you how Zane saved me from drowning.” Panic lit Ty’s face as he looked at her. “I swear I didn’t tell him, Mom.”

  “Me neither,” Caleb added.

  She hated the worried look in the boys’ eyes. But then how could Tomas have possibly figured it out?

  Tomas said, “You’ve trained them to lie very well, Casey. But unfortunately for you, your dad’s assistant never took me off the e-mail loop. I know exactly who your guests have been and what goes on here with my boys.”

  Crap! How could that have happened? What a freakin’ disaster. He’d have that much more ammunition to use against her now.

  But she refused to argue with him in front of the kids. “Caleb and Ty, say goodnight to your dad and then hit the hay, please. You both have big days tomorrow.”

  After the boys said their goodnights and had shuffled back down the hall, she gritted her teeth. “You have no right to show up out of the blue and disrupt our lives like this. You had all summer with them. It’s my time now. And it’s late. Please leave.”

  “I thought we agreed we’d be reasonable about visitation. Or did you and Daddy have another tiff?” He shot her one of his charming, fake grins. “Is that what’s put you in one of your little moods, chérie?”

  Before she could let Tomas have it, Zane stepped in front of her. “She asked you to leave. So, go.”

  “Just because you’re sleeping with my wife, that doesn’t give you the right to stick your nose in this. So, if you’ll excuse us, we have a few things we need to discuss in private. One of them being I don’t want you anywhere near my kids!”

  Zane calmly replied, “No, you’re going to leave like she asked, or we’ll call the sheriff and let him decide. I’m guessing Ryan would jump at the opportunity to arrest you for trespassing.”

  That got Tomas’s attention. Zane was right. Both her brothers would love to beat the crap out of Tomas. Arresting him would be even better.

  “Go, Tomas.” She held out her palm. “But hand over the key first.”

  “Fine. We can talk tomorrow. I’m jet-lagged anyway.” He dug the key from his jeans pocket and dropped it into her hand. “Which room is vacant?”

  “Sorry, we’re all booked up. And so is Meg. If you’d have called first, I would have told you to make a reservation down south, because who knows? They might be booked up too.”

  His jaw clenched. “You’re really going to make me stay at that fleabag inn fifteen miles away?”

  “Yep.” The last thing she needed was Tomas snooping around looking for more things to throw at her in court. Clearly he wasn’t going to play fair.

  “You’ll pay for this, Casey.” He turned and stormed down the hallway. “And I’m sure the judge is going to hand me the kids in a heartbeat when he finds out you and some deviant rock star are shacking up in front of our children! Thanks for the proof.”

  When the door slammed closed behind him, she crumpled onto the bed. “I can’t believe he still had access to the e-mail loop. He probably will make me pay, Zane.” She held her head in her hands and fought back the tears that burned in her eyes.

  Zane sank beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his side. “I’m sorry, Casey.”

  She let her head fall onto his shoulder. “This makes no sense. The last two summers when the boys were in France, Tomas pawned the kids off with his parents for half of their visit. And then to show up here out of the blue like that is just another of his mind games. To catch me off guard to get what he wants. But the boys’ well-being is at stake.” Could Tomas really believe the boys were better off with him than with her? They still got plenty of male-bonding time with her brothers and even Dax. They loved Dax.

  Zane ran a hand up and down her back as she pulled it together. He asked, “What does your lawyer think?”

  “He says I need to be concerned. There have been other court cases in the state that set a precedent. But Tomas never even mentioned he was unhappy with our visitation arrangement. If he was genuinely worried about the boys, why wouldn’t he call and discuss this with me before he filed a lawsuit?”

  Zane laid a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I happen to know a few good lawyers. Maybe there’s a way out of all this.”

  She laid a hand on her aching stomach. “Thanks. But it’s my problem, not yours. Seems you have plenty of your own.” She stood to get ready for bed. And maybe be sick. “It’s late and you need rest. I’ll call my lawyer in the morning.”

  She closed the bathroom door behind her and let her pent-up tears flow freely down her cheeks. Her boys needed to grow up somewhere safe. Surrounded by people who loved them. They belonged in Anderson Butte.

  While Casey was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, Zane finished up the phone call he’d made to his lawyer, then slipped under the sheets. After Casey’s teary explanation of the situation with her ex, he needed to be sure she had the best representation she could get. Getting her to accept his help would be the next hurdle. But the lawyer told him his reputation, along with the picture, could hurt her case, so if he really wanted to help he needed to back off.

  Casey stepped out of the bathroom dressed in her robe, with her hair up in a ponytail. She sat on the edge of the bed next to him. “I’m sure Tomas will ask the boys where I slept tonight, so I’d better bunk on the couch.” She laid her soft hand on his chest and forced a smile. “I’m sorry I dumped all of my troubles on you just now. I don’t usually do that. I’m usually the dump-ee.”

  He wrapped up her small hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze. “I’m sorry to cause you more trouble with your boys. I’ll move back to the guesthouse tomorrow.”

  “That’d probably be best.” She laid a soft kiss on his lips. “I texted Ben and he said since you’re feeling better I could wake you just once tonight, so sweet dreams. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Goodnight.”

  After she closed the bedroom door behind her, he blew out a long breath. He’d finally met a woman he’d been instantly attracted to, loved to spend time with, whose kids he liked—but he couldn’t have her.

  Because of his damn brother.

  He’d wait until after the paternity test came back. If it was a positive match, maybe a preemptive strike would be in order to make Nick think twice before lying about their father’s death.

  Just before seven thirty the next morning, Casey and Dax were talking in the hotel’s kitchen when her cell rang. She hit the “Send” button. “Hello?”

  A deep voice said, “Mrs. Anderson-Bovier?”

  “Yes, how may I help you?” Her father probably gave one of his friends her private number again.

  “Good morning. I’m Roger Wells. Zane Steele thought
I might be able to help you with a case.”

  The Roger Wells? The most famous divorce attorney in the US. “Hello, Mr. Wells. That was very nice of Zane, but I’m not sure I can afford—”

  “No charge. I often take on pro bono cases. The international aspect of yours is a challenge I find interesting.”

  It was probably pro Zane, not pro bono. She couldn’t accept a gift that large.

  Before she could refuse, the boys appeared in the hotel’s kitchen with their backpacks weighing them down. “Mr. Wells, I have something I have to attend to. May I call you or text you at this number later?”

  “Absolutely. I look forward to working with you. Goodbye.”

  “Bye.” She quickly hung up and smiled at the boys. “You two look mighty handsome in your new clothes.” She planted a kiss on the top of Ty’s head and then Caleb’s, not caring if they liked it or not. It was the first day of school so she was entitled. “Be good and have a great day, you two. And remember, it’s straight home right after school because you’re both still on restriction.”

  Caleb moaned, “Aw, Mom. Dad’s here. How are we going to do fun things with him if we’re on restriction? Can’t we have a pass until he goes?”

  “Nope. That’s the price you pay for disobeying.”

  Ty stuck out his stubborn little chin. “Maybe Dad would have been here to say goodbye if you hadn’t made him go away last night.”

  Tomas knew what time school started. It was his own fault he wasn’t there to see them off. “You know how long the flights are from here to France. I’m sure he’s tired this morning. Maybe you’ll see him this afternoon.”

  Casey’s phone dinged with a text.

  Tell the guys to have a good first day of school!

  She smiled and turned the screen so the kids could see it. “A message from Zane.”

  The boys eagerly crowded around the phone. Caleb asked, “Can I text him back?”

  “Sure.”

  While Caleb tapped out a return message, Casey exchanged a glance with Dax, who had been pretending not to listen to their conversation. He sent her an “I told you so” look and then got back to his bread baking. He’d predicted Tomas would be a no-show when she’d filled him in before the boys got there.

  Caleb grinned at whatever Zane had replied with and then handed her phone back. “Tell Dad we’ll see him this afternoon. Bye.”

  “Bye, guys. Love you.”

  They both mumbled, “Love you too,” then headed out the back door.

  After the door slammed closed behind them, Dax said, “That bastard. He comes all this way, tells them he’s here for their first day of school, and then can’t bother to drag his prissy French ass out of bed?”

  “Typical Tomas behavior.” She shook her head. “He’s always been all talk and no walk. What did I ever see in him?”

  Curious about what Caleb had texted to Zane, she read the screen.

  Thx. Can I play the song I’ve been working on for you before I show my dad? I want it to be good.

  I heard you playing yesterday while Ty was killing me in Mortal Crush. It was awesome so go for it!

  That was nice.

  Dax asked, “So what are you going to do about the boys if Tomas tells you to keep them away from Zane? They like him.”

  “They really do.” She sat at the center island. “I don’t know what Tomas wants exactly, but his lawyer has done his homework. I’m afraid I’m going to have a real fight on my hands this time.”

  “Damn e-mail loop.”

  “Yeah. I texted Meg and she promised to take him off within the hour, but the damage is done.”

  “True.” Dax pulled out the stool next to her and sat down. “But what about you? Are you going to stay away from Zane too? Because I see the way you look at the guy.”

  She lifted her head and met his amused gaze. “I look at Zane a certain way?”

  “Oh, yeah. Beau, you looked at like you wanted to jump his bones. Zane, you look at like you want to jump his bones . . . and then have his babies.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “I am not having this conversation with you.”

  He chuckled. “Just calling them like I see ’em. You really like him, don’t you?”

  She studied her nails that were badly in need of a touch-up rather than looking Dax in the eyes, afraid just how much she did like Zane would show. “Doesn’t matter. I can’t be with him. Not if Tomas will use Zane’s reputation to say he’d have a bad influence on the boys.” Even though she now knew Zane’s reputation was false. She wished she could shout it from the rooftops, but Zane must have reasons for protecting his brother. Besides, she worried he’d be gone so much, be too busy to have a long-term relationship with anyway. He led a big life she and the boys would never be able to fit into.

  “Zane has taught Caleb how to play the guitar, and then he had the nerve to save Ty’s life, so yeah, he’s a real crappy influence on the boys.” Dax stood and uncovered the bread dough he’d left to rise in a bowl. “You ask me, just like the e-mail loop, that damage is done. After catching you and Zane in bed, no matter what you were doing, Tomas will use that against you. Might as well jump the man’s bones for real to see if he’s worth that dreamy look in your eyes.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think it’d be a good idea, Dax.”

  He punched the dough with his beefy fist, sending a yummy, yeasty aroma into the air. “You kept your relationship with Beau a secret for months. Pretty impressive in Anderson Butte. And you would’ve gotten away with it completely if it weren’t for your grandmother. I bet you could manage one for a few weeks. No one would ever have to know. And by then you’d know for sure how you felt about him.”

  Weirdly, she was pretty sure she already knew. Zane made her feel wanted, needed, and something she’d never felt from a man before, respected. “Since when are you Dr. Phil?”

  A smile slowly lit his face. “Since I finally figured out what it’s like to be in love.”

  “Really? That’s great, Dax. Have you told Pam?”

  “Nope.” He frowned as he sprinkled flour on the countertop. “Pam says she’s not looking for forever. So it’ll have to be her idea to take it to the next level. I’m still working on how to get her to figure out she loves me too. She’s the most stubborn woman on earth.”

  Casey leaned across the counter and laid her hand over Dax’s. “Anything Meg and I can do, even if it breaks girl code, we’re in. We both want you guys to end up together.” She gave his hand a pat.

  “That’s a deal. Thanks, Boss.”

  The back door opened and Tomas appeared. “You sleeping with the kitchen help now too, Casey?”

  Dax narrowed his eyes. “Listen, pal—”

  “I got this, Dax.” She slipped her hand from his and turned to her ex. “I got burned by the former kitchen help, so I learned my lesson there, Tomas. We need to talk.”

  When she glanced at Dax, he lifted his chin in a “go get ’em, girl” gesture. He was right. She needed to stay strong and show Tomas who was going to win this round.

  Zane had just finished moving the last of his things into the guesthouse when Ben appeared on the front porch. He tapped on the screen door and called out, “Zane?”

  “Come in.” Zane swallowed back his anger at the doctor for dropping off the sample late. It had set off a chain of events he’d never be able to completely reverse. It took all he could muster to stand from behind his keyboard to greet the man.

  “Hi.” Ben stepped inside and glanced around the living room. “Wow. Quite the setup here. Feeling better?”

  Zane nodded. “What can I help you with?”

  “I came to apologize about the sample. My patient went into cardiac arrest. Once I got her stabilized, I ran your DNA test to the lab as soon as I could.”

  “Sorry about your patient.” Zane’s anger instantly cooled. “How long before we get the DNA results?”

  Ben smirked. “Just so happens, I date the se
xy head tech now and again, so she moved it to the top. I had to promise her a weekend getaway to Vegas in return, but I’ll suffer through it.” Ben grabbed a slip of paper from his top pocket. “I’ve sent the results to the baby’s mother and to her lawyer too. You’re not the child’s father.”

  “Thanks.” Relief filled Zane as he read the test results for himself. Looked like his brother hadn’t been lying after all. “I appreciate your suffering on my behalf. How about I keep my plane on standby for whenever you’d like to use it?”

  “I’ll take you up on that.” Ben stuck his hands in his pockets and then cleared his throat. “Listen, I ran into Meg last night. She ripped me a new one and said I was wrong about you. That I was too quick to judge and I need to give you a chance. She said Casey hasn’t smiled this much in a long time and that my nephews care about you too. So I’m willing to keep an open mind. Don’t prove Meg wrong.”

  Permission from the big brother? Didn’t see that coming.

  “I appreciate that, Ben, but I’m going to leave what happens between Casey and me up to her. She’s the one with the most to lose.”

  “Fair enough.” Ben stuck his hand out. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” Zane returned the shake. “Just let me know when you want to use the jet. It’s all yours.”

  “Will do! See you.” Ben turned and walked down the steps.

  Zane sank back onto his stool and read the test results again, thankful that one black mark against him was erased. Now to get Kip and his PR machine rolling into action.

  Casey started for her office, but Tomas grabbed her elbow and stopped her. He said, “I thought we could maybe take a boat out. Have some wine while we talk. It’s a beautiful day.”

  Nope. She wasn’t going to let him attempt to charm her. That had worked before, but never again. “I’m busy, Tomas. I still have to work for a living. But I hear you aren’t working these days.”

  “I quit my job at the restaurant to spend time with the boys over the summer. I’ll find another one soon.” He shrugged. “Or maybe I won’t. Marie likes when I don’t work so we can travel more often.”