“Thank you for coming to lunch, Declan.” Margaret drew my attention to her. “I understand that this might be somewhat strange for you. But I assure you, your father very much wanted you to be a part of this family. He simply was not able to locate you before his untimely passing.”
“I understand.” I know when I’d first heard that from the Kavanaugh family attorney six months ago I had snorted and rolled my eyes, my bullshit detector sounding on high alert. But I’d had my own guy look into it. It turned out that my mother had used a whole bunch of fake names and false identities, filling out everything from leases to job applications at least a dozen different ways. Couple that with the fact that we’d moved at least every six months, and then my time in foster care and what you got was a kid that was hard to track down.
Plus, if my late father hadn’t wanted me to be a part of the family, he could have simply left me out of his will. He didn’t have to dangle two hundred and fifty million dollars in front of me. And he could have set out different provisions for the funds to be disbursed. As it was, all he required of me to receive the inheritance was meeting my family. Hard to argue with the wishes of the deceased. He had attached strings to the money, but they seemed to be the well-meaning kind.
“It certainly seems as if you’ve accomplished a great deal all on your own,” Margaret continued. Her grandmotherly praise felt strange but good. “Your father would have been very proud of you. You should be quite proud of yourself.”
I grunted. I didn’t want to be rude, but I really didn’t know what to say.
“See, there’s the gruff,” Kara explained. “But he means thank you.”
Kara would really piss me off if she weren’t so wonderful.
“I’m so looking forward to having you both at our annual holiday party this weekend,” Margaret exclaimed as a woman in a crisp white shirt and black slacks whisked away our plates. “Friends and relations will all be in attendance and it will be a lovely way in which to officially welcome you into the family.”
“I am just so excited to meet everyone! And it’s at the Waldorf Astoria!”
There were many reasons I was grateful for having Kara as my partner in life. Her ability to talk was one of them.
“We give the party there every year. It’s always a delight.”
“I love Christmas!” Kara declared.
“Yes, I imagine that you do.” Margaret made the observation without sounding condescending. She actually sounded delighted.
“Oh, I’m so glad that you’re not horrible.” Had Kara just said that out loud? I looked at her somewhat sharply, but she kept right on going. “I was worried you were going to be all fancy and rude. But you’re lovely!”
“Well, thank you very much! You’re lovely, too, my dear.”
I didn’t know if it was just good breeding, but Margaret didn’t look phased at all by the comment. Maybe I was starting to like her after all.
“Now tell me.” She leaned in slightly closer to Kara and asked, conspiratorially, “When are you due?”
“What?!” Kara sat back in her chair, her cheeks flushing pink, her hand to her belly. “How did you know?”
“My dear, you’re positively glowing, as if you have a fabulous surprise that you can’t wait to share.”
“I do!” Kara burst out with a laugh, and I couldn’t help but laugh as well. “I’m not even two months along yet so I know it’s early to be talking about it, but I’m due in July which is so amazing because Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays and I can’t help but wonder what if I had the baby on that day! Then our baby’s birthday would be the same as America’s birthday!”
“Much as it pains my English heart, I share in your enthusiasm.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Kara drew back, looking appalled with herself. “I didn’t think that would offend you!”
“No, my dear.” Margaret patted her hand. “I’m teasing you. We Brits have overcome the great disappointment over our tragic loss in 1776.” Looking up at me, she smiled. “Declan, you’ve made me so happy. This will be my first great grandchild, you know.”
“I didn’t know that.” I found myself smiling back at her. And just like that, things clicked into place. What did it matter, the past? So, I had a few issues to work out. My mother had dragged me around and my father had been absent and all that.
But now, I was about to become a father. And I wanted my child to know the family.
“We’ll have to come visit with the baby,” I said, inspiring a quick burst of a delighted hug from Kara.
“I would love that.” This time, my grandmother’s voice did break, but only a little and very briefly. She dabbed at her bright eyes with the corner of a linen napkin, then sniffed and drew her shoulders back up, posture erect. “You’ll have to come out to Yorkshire,” she declared. “This city air is no good for babies.”
“I absolutely agree,” Kara concurred.
“I have to say, you’ve really set the tone, Declan. As my eldest grandchild, I’m quite pleased. You’ve done so well for yourself. You married a lovely woman. You’re starting a family. Now we just have to see to it that your brothers and sister follow suit.”
“Ooh!” Kara clapped her hands together. “Project!”
“I’m in my 80s now, you see, and it’s absolute nonsense to wait much longer. I intend to see all of them married within the next five years.”
I chuckled, already seeing the writing on the wall for the rest of this Kavanaugh clan I had yet to meet. They might not know it yet, but if our grandmother had decreed it to be so, I bet there’d be wedding bells pealing out before long for every last one of them.
They might come along kicking and screaming. Lord knows I had. But as I watched my beautiful wife chat away with my grandmother, I knew deep in my heart that sometimes what we feared the most was what ultimately brought us the greatest joy.
Kara
“OK, so I’ve been trying to memorize everyone’s names. I’m so excited to meet the family!”
“Yes, well.” Margaret cleared her throat and took a sip of tea. Even through my exuberance, I could tell she felt slightly uncomfortable. “May I speak with you candidly, my dear?”
“Oh, of course!”
“They may not all be equally delighted to meet you.”
“I knew it.” Declan growled by my side, wrapping a protective arm around my waist. “I’m not going to expose Kara to that.”
“Now, wait a moment, please.” Margaret held up a slender finger and much to my surprise, Declan waited a moment. I’d have to ask her her secret for taming the beast. “I’m not attempting to dissuade you from attending our fete. Far from it. I’d very much like you to come as my honored guests. It was your late father’s dearest wish.”
She took a sip of her sparkling water, then added, “However, I do think it’s always in one’s best interest to be thoroughly prepared. Don’t you agree?”
“That’s why I’ve been studying the dossier!” I exclaimed. “I want to know everything about everyone!”
“And that’s what I’d like to share with you today. The kind of information that you won’t find in a dossier from an attorney. It will help everything go smoothly. Do you understand?”
She cocked her head and looked at Declan as she asked. He gave a quick nod of assent.
“Excellent. Now Richard’s widow, Brandi, absolutely detests your very existence. Almost as much as his first wife, Bebe, does, though she won’t be in attendance at either Friday’s reading of the will or at Saturday’s party.”
“Detests?” I repeated the word, looking to Declan for confirmation or at least explanation of what she was talking about.
But he simply nodded his head briefly at Margaret. “Go on.”
“Richard’s eldest, Colton, is taking this rather hard as well. He’s taken on a great deal in his father’s wake. Far too much, if you ask me.”
“Colton’s the one who…” I trailed off, not knowing how to put it
delicately to this elderly British woman. But I remembered who Colton was. He’d been the newborn baby back home while his dad had gone off to Montana and had himself a wild time.
“Yes,” Margaret finished for me, tactfully. “And he’s none too pleased at your emergence.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” Declan protested, his pride rearing up.
“Unquestionably,” Margaret soothed him.
“And I’m not trying to get any money out of this.”
“Oh, no.” Margaret shook her head as if she found even the word “money” distasteful. Dreadful business, money. “Mind you, Colton’s not overly concerned with your portion of inheritance. It’s his mother he’s concerned about. You see, when Richard’s first wife Margot learned about your existence she took a bit of a…turn for the worse, shall we say.”
I could read a world of hurt between her words. I bet she’d fallen completely apart when she’d learned not only of her husband’s infidelity, but of his out-of-wedlock child. Conceived while she’d been home with an infant. I knew I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but what an asshole move.
“Colton is quite protective of her. He bore the brunt of her collapse. And your re-emergence, well, it has him worried.”
“I’m not going to mess with her.”
“Of course not.” Margaret smiled reassuringly. “It’s simply a matter of putting these old, painful emotions to rest. They’ve been stirred up again with your discovery.”
“Again, I didn’t mean—”
“Declan, dear, I’m absolutely thrilled that you’re in our lives. And people will come around. I simply want you to be prepared for the landscape into which you are about to set forth.”
I loved how this woman talked. I’d never met anyone like her.
“Colton’s a proud man, like his father before him. They’re so alike. He’s inherited the title, you know. Baron of Warwick.”
“What?” I dropped my fork. It clattered loudly against the china.
“Yes, my late husband bore the title. In the House of Lords, you know.”
No, I did not know. I needed to fan myself a bit with my hand. “You’re royalty? Do you know Kate and William?”
“Yes, I have had the pleasure of meeting the Duchess of Cambridge. She’s lovely.”
“You’ve met her!”
“On a few occasions. And Princess Charlotte.”
“You’ve met their baby girl!” Now I knew my voice was reaching an unnaturally high octave as I clutched the arm of my chair. Declan placed a hand at the middle of my back, maybe recognizing he might need to hold me back from leaping up into the air. “She’s so cute!”
“That she is. And I know you’re going to have one just as sweet.”
“I can’t believe it!” I’d joked with Declan about him being related to royalty, but he was. He actually was. I turned to him, my hands clasped together at my heart. “Maybe we can have play dates with the princess!”
“Hold on, now. Settle down.” Declan spoke to me the way I’d heard him speak to skittish horses, talking them down, soothing them so they didn’t go so wild they broke their leg.
“You are a peach,” Margaret declared with a smile on her face.
“And here I thought the most exciting thing about this family was Ash Black! A real live rock star!”
“Oh, Asher is terribly exciting,” Margaret agreed, taking another sip of her water. “He never fails to entertain.”
“Will he? On Saturday night?” I didn’t think my heart could take much more of this. Was I about to see Ash Black perform?
“Would you like to see him sing a song?”
“Yes!”
“Keep it calm, now, honey.” Declan rubbed my shoulder.
“Then I’ll see to it that he does. Perhaps some Frank Sinatra.”
I had no words. I might actually explode from glee. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, a gorgeous young woman floated into the room with a welcoming smile on her face.
“Gigi!” Margaret exclaimed, rising to greet Declan’s half-sister.
“Oh, no, don’t get up!” Gigi hurried to her side, greeting her warmly with a kiss on each cheek. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I hope there’s still time for me to say a quick hello!”
She was as friendly as you could imagine. Only about 20 years old, but she spoke just like her grandmother. Minus the British accent, but more vocabulary words than a dictionary. Neither of them sounded stuck up, though. They really put me right at ease.
Declan, he didn’t seem as at home, but he wasn’t what you’d call a relaxed man in general. Only I got to see that side of him. It made me smile, seeing him so gruff and stiff. He was a good man, as protective of me as a bear.
“And so you live in Montana? I’ve heard it’s absolutely gorgeous there.” Gigi turned her charming attention to Declan and even he warmed up a bit. He invited her up to one of the ranching properties he owned.
“The one in Bozeman is my favorite,” I told her.
“Maybe during my summer break,” Gigi agreed. “Thank you for the invitation.” She explained that she was studying at Vanderbilt University, which apparently was down in Tennessee. She was in a sorority there and had declared her major as English. No wonder she had a way with words.
“You’re going to have a lovely time Saturday night,” Gigi assured me as we made our way to the door. Lunch had been so pleasant, but I knew Declan wanted to get out of there. I wanted to be alone with him, too.
“And you’re sure Ash Black will be there?” I had to ask. I knew I was sounding starstruck, but that’s because I was.
“Yes,” Gigi assured me with a laugh.
“Everyone will be there.” Margaret joined in. The way she said it made it sound like there was no alternative for family members. Again, I wanted to ask her her secret. She was so pleasant but I also had the feeling that absolutely nobody crossed her. How cool was that?
“Not everyone,” Gigi added in a quiet voice I wasn’t sure anyone else could hear.
“No?” I asked, suddenly wanting to give her a hug. She looked sad. Maybe she was thinking about her father.
“He’s received an invitation, dear.” Margaret murmured to her. Apparently she had heard her. “But you know his work takes him overseas.”
“Yes, of course.” Gigi recovered herself, giving her shoulders a small shake as if to rouse herself from her momentary slump.
Naturally, I was full of questions, but even exuberant me knew when to hold my tongue. It was hard, though. I figured I’d get it out of Gigi at the holiday party. I couldn’t drink anyway with a baby on the way. What better way to dig up a few family secrets than stay sober at a party with a free, open bar. At least I figured it would be a free, open bar. This family didn’t seem to stint on anything.
A servant of some kind brought us our coats. Over the past six months with Declan he’d taken me to some awfully nice places, but I still wasn’t used to having people paid to wait on me. Even waiters and waitresses still seemed more like my kinfolk than my underlings. Declan seemed to have grown accustomed to it all, without ever seeming dismissive or spoiled. I guessed maybe I’d work my way there, but maybe not.
In the car back to our hotel I took the opportunity to snuggle into Declan. The heater was on, but the seat still felt chilly. He radiated heat, though, my big man.
“How’d that go?” I asked him, admiring his handsome profile.
“You tell me.”
“Oh, you know I had fun. I can’t believe your grandmother has met the baby princess.”
“Yes, because what’s better than a princess?”
“A baby princess!” I elbowed him in the ribs because I knew he was trying to get a rise out of me. He didn’t go gaga over celebrities or royalty, but I was a mere mortal and, yes, I got excited over all those kinds of things.
“Do you think I can ask for Ash Black’s autograph Saturday night?”
“Just don’t ask for it on your boob.”
> “Declan!” That earned him another elbow to the rib. “I know I’m sort of hyper over all of this. But honestly, it’s like this extra bonus gift.”
“You sound like he’s a prize at the bottom of your Cracker Jack box.”
“Yes! That’s exactly it!” Declan hadn’t actually meant it, but that’s really how I felt.
“OK, but let me just ask you this.” He sounded serious. I turned to him, looking into his eyes. “Are you or are you not going to sew the family tree onto a pillowcase?”
I burst out laughing. “Don’t be ridiculous. The family tree is clearly a needlepoint project! And you wouldn’t put it on something you’d sleep on. You’d want to frame it.”
“Naturally, naturally.”
We teased and laughed as the city blocks passed, but as we drew closer I had to ask.
“You’re sure you’re OK? Was that strange for you?”
“Sure, it was strange. I’d never have been there if not for you. And none of it feels like it’s my life.”
“I know, I mean, how crazy nice was her place?”
“Crazy nice.”
“They’re, like, billionaires.”
“And royalty.”
“I mean…” I didn’t really have words. I’d certainly never rubbed shoulders with the likes of the baroness.
“But I’m glad we did it.” Declan clasped my hand and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You’ve done everything.”
He ushered me upstairs to our hotel suite. He’d booked us at a boutique place that had such charm. Having grown up around rough-hewn wooden planks, all the lavish detail wowed me, the crown moldings and ornate carvings along the fireplace mantle.
“What do you think these are?” I asked, tracing the carved decorations with my finger. To me, they looked like dancers but I couldn’t decide if they were supposed to be people or some kind of mystical creatures like fairies. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
Unleashed: Declan & Kara (Unleashed #1-4; Beg for It #1) Page 55