Unravel You: A Hot Billionaire Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 1)

by Diana A. Hicks

  “First we leave Vail in a rush. Then you send me home alone. You changed your shirt.”

  “I didn’t see her yesterday, if that’s what you think?” Bridget’s lies separated us once before. I wasn’t about to let that happen again. “I met with the head of security to arrange a security detail for you and Max.”

  “What? Why? What happened?” Her eyes went wide as she waited for my response.

  This was why I hadn’t told her about Bridget before. If she found out, she would worry sick about everything. “I promise you there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “If that’s the case, why the bodyguards?”

  “Extra precaution. Nothing more. Bridget has gotten into her head that she didn’t get enough money in the divorce settlement. Apparently, five million in cash wasn’t enough. She went to the house when we were in Vail and made some threats against you that got everyone nervous.”

  “Don’t try to play it down now. I saw how you were. What did she say?”

  “Bridget knows how to push my buttons. She said something about you paying the consequences if I didn’t give her more money.”

  Valentina pressed a hand to her forehead. No doubt a hundred scenarios ran through her head. Bridget had a gambling addiction. It made her irrational and volatile at times.

  “And Max? We need to go home.”

  “He’s fine. Our house is practically a fortress. Also, I received notice she’d left town an hour ago.” I fished my cell from the back pocket of my jeans and showed her the text. “He’s safe.”

  “I thought she was getting help to deal with her issues. What happened?”

  “I’m not sure. She checked out of rehab a few days ago. I didn’t think she’d have the balls to come back and ask me for more money.” I pulled her into my arms, and she relaxed against my chest. “She’s gone. I made it clear to her that she wasn’t getting anything else from us.”

  “You’ll tell me if she shows up in Tucson again? I don’t want Max there alone if she’s lurking around.”

  “I will. I promise.” I kissed the top of her head. Leaving town had been the right thing to do. It forced Bridget to give up on her plan. She didn’t know where we were, only that Valentina and Max were out of her reach. “I can’t wait to get you home.”

  She laughed, snuggling closer to me. Desire flooded my senses when she ran her hand up my thigh and stopped an inch from my crotch. “Vail was nice.”

  When the car pulled into the long driveway up to the main house, Valentina sat up and lowered her window, looking upward at the tall trees on either side of the road. Up ahead Cole Estate stood proud with its stone walls and white pillars lining the front facade.

  “Are you kidding me?” She turned to me with furrowed brows.

  The Cole Estate was in Atlanta proper, nestled in Druid Hills. Three generations had lived in this house. I grew up here. Tearing it down or selling the home, as Dad wanted to do, would have been a real shame. He’d called it a money pit. The house needed a lot of repairs, as any house built in the forties would, but to me, it was worth every penny.

  “I had pictured a more normal place, but I should know better by now.”

  The smile she flashed me released the knot I’ve had in my stomach since I got the call about Bridget. “Are you impressed?”

  “I don’t think impressed is the word I’d use.”

  “It’s been under renovation for two years, but it’s finally done. Wait ’til you see the gardens. You’ll forget you’re still in the city.”

  As soon as we pulled up to the front door, I climbed out of the car and walked around to meet Valentina. She leaned against the passenger door and stared with wide eyes. “I’m afraid to go inside. I feel like I’m going to lose you in there.”

  “That’s never going to happen. You’re stuck with me. This is our home.” I took her hand in mine and pulled her up the steps to the grand porch. I finally had the chance to show her the place where I’d spent so many of my childhood years. “How about I give you a tour of our bedroom first?”

  “Okay.” She giggled, then froze.

  I turned around to find Mom standing in the threshold, holding her reading glasses between her thumb and index finger, short-platinum hair perfectly framing her face. Her hazel gaze surveyed Valentina from head to toe before she extended her hand. This was the same act she used on all our girlfriends. Mine and my brothers’.

  “You must be Valentina. Look at you. You’ve been traveling all day, and you look like you just stepped out of a magazine. Bless your heart, to be so young again.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Valentina shot me an inquisitive look.

  I wedged myself between them. “I promise you that was the worst of it,” I said to Valentina before I hugged Mom. “I see you haven’t lost your touch.”

  “I’m happy you’re both here. Come in.” She let the door fall open behind her.

  My chest welled up with pride when I walked into the foyer. The old, shaggy carpet had been replaced with shiny marble floors.

  Mom wrapped her arm around my waist, beaming up at me. “We were able to salvage most of the original flooring. The missing pieces we had to order from Italy. What do you think?”

  “It looks amazing, Mom.”

  “Oh, here.” She placed her hand on Valentina’s lower back. “Do you want to see the kitchen? It had to be gutted completely, but we kept the wrought-iron fireplace.” She ushered Valentina past the grand staircase toward the back.

  I took Valentina’s hand and pointed at the drawing room to her right. “The old place had three separate drawing rooms like this one. And a super-tiny kitchen. Go figure.”

  “This is incredible. I can see why you’re so proud of it.”

  “My husband, bless him, grew up in this house. If it’d been up to him, he would’ve sold it years ago. But Derek saved it.” Mom gave me a warm smile.

  My plan to get back on her good side by letting her take over the renovations had worked. We’d kept in touch weekly. Even if all we did was talk about the projects, we were at least on speaking terms again.

  “Where’s Dad?” I asked.

  “He’s in Virginia. At a neonatal conference. He’ll be home in a few days. Don’t worry. He’ll have plenty of time to meet your girlfriend.”

  “Fiancée.”

  “Of course.” Mom waved her hand in dismissal and continued on to the kitchen, where she had a charcuterie board waiting for us. “I thought you might be hungry for a little something. We still have a couple of hours before dinner is ready. Eat. I’ll get Iris.”

  “Who?”

  “I took the liberty of hiring staff on. I’m going to need help with a full house.” She patted my arm, then turned to Valentina on her way out of the kitchen. “Eat.”

  Valentina was either too shy or too afraid to say no to Mom. Even though she’d said she wasn’t hungry before, she sat at one of the counter stools and served herself a single slice of baguette and prosciutto. I took the seat next to her and popped an olive in my mouth.

  “No Savannah honey this time.” The reminder had the desired effect and made Valentina blush. I wouldn’t mind licking honey off her back again tonight. “How about some wine?”

  “Yes, please.” She let out a breath. “Your mom seems nice.”

  “She moves fast. You’ll get used to it.” I grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine cellar lining the far end wall. It was an addition Mom thought would save us extra trips to the twelve-hundred-bottle cellar downstairs.

  “I didn’t realize she was going to already be here. Looks like she’s moved in.”

  “I guess she did.” I chuckled. Mom had been dying to spend some time in the house.

  “And get the new girl to take my son’s luggage up to the master bedroom. His girlfriend’s too.” Mom returned with a woman on her heels. She was around Em’s age—early sixties would be my guess—short, dark hair, and pale skin. She had a way about her that felt military-esque.

  “Derek, meet Iri
s. She’s our new housekeeper. She’s an excellent cook too.”

  “Welcome, Mr. Cole.” Iris nodded to me and then to Valentina.

  “Just Derek, please. This is Valentina, my fiancée.” By the quick glance she slanted to Mom, I had to guess Mom hadn’t mentioned Valentina and I were getting married.

  “Nice to meet you.” Valentina stood and shook Iris’s hand.

  “Of course. I keep forgetting.” Mom patted Valentina’s arm. “With the divorce and everything else, I still can’t keep it all straight. And if I’m being honest, I can’t believe Derek is feeling inclined to marry again.”

  “Sometimes, I can’t believe it either.” Valentina took a glass of wine off the counter and drank a big gulp.

  “Which reminds me. You’ll never guess who’s back.” Mom’s face lit up. She looked so much younger when she smiled.

  “I don’t know. Matt? I haven’t heard from him in a while.”

  Both my brothers Wesley and Matt had been sent to Venezuela on some special ops mission. Wesley returned about six months ago, but Matt hadn’t. That’d hurt Mom’s feelings. Even if Matt wasn’t her own blood, she considered him a son. I couldn’t remember a time when Matt wasn’t my brother. I’d reached out to him, but his number had been disconnected. I was about to hire a PI to find him when Wesley told us Matt had found a job in New Orleans.

  “Oh, I took care of that. I sent your brother Tyler to New Orleans with strict orders not to leave until Matt agreed to come home for a few weeks.” She placed a hand over her heart. “But no, I was talking about Anabelle Copenhaver. She decided to take up residence in her parents’ home next door. You should go see her later.”

  Next to me, Valentina took another swig of her wine. I placed an arm around her to include her in the conservation. All this talk about people she didn’t know probably made her feel left out. This was one of the reasons we were here, so she could get to know the people who were important in my life.

  “You’ll love Ana. She’s a friend. Her brother used to come over to the house all the time when we were visiting Grams over the summer.”

  “Sweet Ana would always spend time with me in the kitchen helping out. She’s like the daughter I never had.” Mom grabbed a cocktail napkin and placed Valentina’s glass on it before she grabbed a glass of wine for herself and sipped. “If I remember correctly, she had the biggest crush on you.”

  I chuckled. “No, Mom. You’re thinking of Zack. Is he coming too?”

  “Yes.” There was that face of complete contentment again. All her boys under one roof was like Christmas in August for Mom. “At least one good thing came out of this. Don’t you think? Zack is flying all the way from South Africa.”

  “That’s great.” Valentina gripped the back of my shirt. “What is he doing there?”

  “He’s a doctor. He’s there on some farming project with the Peace Corps.” I hugged Valentina closer to me. “I should’ve done note cards for you.”

  “I just need to put a face to a name, that’s all.” She relaxed against me.

  I should have warned her about Mom. After my short marriage to Bridget and the whole debacle of how I almost lost everything to her, Mom didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to jump into another relationship so soon. But that was why we were here. So she could see what Valentina and I had was rare and beautiful.

  I was rushing into it, yeah, but my eyes were wide open. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a life with Valentina and Max. Why wait? I didn’t need to date other people to know Valentina was the one for me. Mom thought I needed to date for a while to make sure my feelings for Valentina were real.

  If she knew the kind of hell I lived in before Valentina walked into my life, she never would have suggested I see other women. But I couldn’t tell her the truth. It would just hurt her to find out how hard I hit rock bottom and how long I’d stayed there, seeing a different girl every night, waking up drunk in the middle of the day, not knowing where I was or how I’d ended up at home after I left the bar.

  No, Mom didn’t need to know about any of that. Instead, she needed to get to know Valentina and see how happy she made me.

  “It’s not that hard, dear.” Mom put up her hand and counted on her fingers, starting with her thumb. “Derek is the oldest. Next is Tyler. He lives in New York City now, doing God only knows what. He never tells me anything. He’s the same age as Mattie.”

  When Valentina raised an eyebrow, I interrupted Mom to explain. “Matt came to live with us when he was ten. Our parents adopted him officially the next year, I think.”

  “Poor boy. Such a sad story. Anyway, the twins, Wesley and Zack, are the youngest.”

  “Five boys. I bet they kept you busy.”

  “They did, which is why they spent a great deal of time with my late mother-in-law.”

  “We weren’t that bad.” I poured more wine in Valentina’s glass. After that first drink, she seemed more at ease. “Valentina has a six-year-old son. Max is by far the most well-behaved boy you’ll ever meet.”

  “How sweet. Who’s staying with him while you’re here on vacation?”

  Valentina swallowed, furrowing her brows at her glass. “Em stayed with him. They get along great. My mom and dad also said they’d drive over and spend a few days with him so his routine is not disrupted.”

  “He has school, but he’ll visit next week so you can meet him.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. This house needs kids. Why don’t we finish our wine outside? A little stroll should get our appetite ready for dinner.” Mom grabbed the platter of cold cuts and headed out through the double french doors off the breakfast nook.

  “I love that smell.” Valentina walked out in front of me.

  “I know. It’s gardenias, like your perfume.”

  “I didn’t know you’d noticed.” She slipped her arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. Too bad we didn’t get to do a tour of the master bedroom first.

  I bent down and whispered in her ear. “I notice everything about you.”

  Since the moment I’d met Valentina almost a year ago, she felt like home to me. I spent months going to a coffee shop near her campus just so I could sit next to her and bask in her scent and soothing energy. I went back day after day, thinking I didn’t need to talk to her, that sitting next to her was enough.

  Mom waited at the bottom of the steps beyond the terrace, where a narrow gravel path stretched out and got lost behind the oak trees.

  “I couldn’t get rid of the trees,” she said when we joined her. “They’re so beautiful. Instead, I had the architect design an English garden that made the trees part of it. What do you think?”

  “You did an amazing job.” I put my arm around her and kissed her temple.

  “Grams would’ve loved to see this. I know she said she didn’t want us to touch any of it, but I think she would’ve come around eventually. I mean, how could she not?” She hugged my waist and led me deeper into the gardens. “We decided it made more sense to move the greenhouse to the east end of the house. Having it in the middle of the property made the space feel small, which is ridiculous given the eleven acres of land we have behind the house.”

  I nodded. “It’s exactly how I remember it, but better.”

  “I’m glad you agree with all the executive decisions I made. It’s been a joy to finally right this house.” She tightened her hold on me, beaming.

  When I told Valentina about the disagreement I had with Mom five years ago, she’d advised me to talk to her. I had every intention of doing that to clear the air and start fresh. I was glad the house project had served to bridge the chasm between us. I still had a lot of work to do, but this was a hell of a start. I didn’t want to mess it up with a serious talk.

  Beyond the tree line, the Copenhaver estate came into view. During renovations, I’d tried to buy the property next to us—all of ten acres of land. As it turned out, the surviving daughter of the Copenhavers had the same idea as me. She wasn’t ready to l
et her parents’ property go at all. Instead, she’d decided to come home. If Mom wanted to give me credit for Little Ana’s return, then who was I to argue with that?

  Five minutes later, we were at the edge of the property, where a creek divided the land between the Coles and the Copenhavers. Back in the day, the two families had not been as friendly, so a fence had been added to make sure there were no confusions or trespassing.

  I chuckled. “New cellar, new kitchen, custom marble floors, chandeliers, but you couldn’t spare a few bucks for a brand-new wooden picket fence?

  Mom laughed too, and for a moment it was like old times, when we worked together. When she was mom and mentor all in one. “Ana asked me to let it be. I saw no harm in it. Consider it art from your childhood. Come see what she did.”

  Mom swung open the small door, which creaked and moaned as both Mom and I walked over to the Copernhavers’ side of the property. When I gestured for Valentina to come with us, she shook her head and shuffled back.

  “You go on. I’ll wait here.”

  “Don’t be silly. You need to meet Ana.” I extended my arm toward her.

  “Derek, you need to see this.” Mom reached for my arm, and Valentina let go of my fingers. “Is this not genius?”

  I followed her line of sight to the white picket fence. Ana had drawn my brothers’ and my small-boy faces on the weathered wood. They were scenes of us playing baseball or having water-balloon fights. “Is she for real?”

  “She surprised me with it last week. I think it’s perfect. She gets us, you know?”

  “She was there. She better.” I laughed.

  Across the way, closer to the tree line, Valentina stood with an empty wine glass in her hand, deep furrows over her forehead, and a look on her face I knew well. She was ready to make a run for it. I unwrapped Mom’s arms from around my waist and picked my way over the rocks of the dry creek. “Come see this. You’ll love it. I promise.”

  She nodded but didn’t move. She pointed behind me. When I turned around, a small body slammed against me, long blonde curls tickled my face while her legs squeezed around my hips. “Oh my God, your mom finally got you here.”