Dana’s eyelids fluttered several times before she came awake. She eased away from Tyler, not wanting to wake him. A sensual smile curved her lips when she recalled what they’d shared the night before. Tyler had made love to her like a man possessed, and she’d accepted everything he offered.
Straightening a leg, she turned on her side, but never completed the motion. A flicker of apprehension coursed through her as her fingers touched the sticky substance on her inner thigh. Her eyes widened with realization. They’d made love without protection.
Turning over, she pounded on Tyler’s shoulder. “Wake up!”
He came awake immediately. “What is it?”
Dana sat up, pulling the edge of the sheet to her breasts. “Do you know what we did last night?”
He flashed a lecherous grin. “Oh, yeah. Do you want an instant replay?”
She slapped his hard shoulder. “Be serious, Tyler.”
His expression changed, sobering. “What the matter, Dana?”
“You didn’t protect me, Tyler. We made love without using anything.”
He placed a hand along the side her head. “I know it sounds lame, but I meant to protect you, darling. Things just got out of hand.”
Crossing her arms under her breasts, she glared up at him, her lashes fluttering as she struggled to form her words. “That is a juvenile excuse.”
Going to his knees, Tyler held her shoulders in a firm grip, pulling her up with him. “It wasn’t my intention to make love to you without using a condom. It happened, Dana, and nothing we can say or do will change that.”
“What if I’m pregnant?”
A tender smile softened his face. “There are worse things than having a husband who’s an obstetrician. I’ll deliver the baby.”
“Be serious, Tyler.”
“I am.” He pulled her into a protective embrace, one hand moving up and down her back. “We can marry now. That way no one will begin counting their fingers once the baby’s born.”
“What if I’m not pregnant?” she said close to his ear.
“Then that will just give us another month to try again. I’ve always heard from my patients that baby-making is incredible.”
She smiled, curving her arms around his strong neck. “Last night was incredible.”
“It was mind-blowing, sweetheart.”
“When do you want to get married?”
“How about this weekend?”
Pulling back, she stared at him as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “This weekend?”
“We can fly to Florida.”
“Are you serious, Tyler?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Didn’t you tell me to be serious?”
“Okay,” she said, shrugging a bare shoulder.
“Okay, what?”
Her smile was dazzling, the gesture lighting up her golden eyes. “Let’s do it.”
Tyler moved off the bed, pulling her with him and spinning her around and around. He finally stopped, swaying slightly. “I have to make a few phone calls. I need to reserve a jet for later today.”
Dana stood in the middle of the bedroom dazed as Tyler picked up a cordless phone and began dialing numbers. His first call was to Florida.
A sleepy Martin Cole answered the telephone. “Yes.”
“Hi, Dad. I need you to do a favor for me.”
“Do you know what time it is, son?”
“Yes. It’s one hour later where you are than here.”
“What do you want?”
Tyler ignored his father’s coolly disapproving tone. “I need you to call one of your legal associates to secure a marriage license for me and a Dana Nichols. Then need you to contact Timothy about flying me and Dana into West Palm tonight.”
“Marriage? Who is Dana?”
“She’s the woman I plan to marry this weekend.”
“Who’s getting married?” Parris Cole’s voice came through the earpiece. It was apparent she’d picked up the extension.
“I am,” Tyler announced proudly. “Hey, Mom, you win the bet.”
“What bet! Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on here!” Martin shouted.
“There’s not much to tell. I’m coming in tonight, and plan to marry Saturday, then fly back to Mississippi on Sunday.”
“Sweet heaven,” Parris moaned, “my children are going to put me in my grave before my time. Why didn’t you say something when you were here two weeks ago?”
“I hadn’t proposed two weeks ago.”
Parris sighed heavily. “I have to contact everyone to come back to Florida.”
“No, you don’t,” Tyler countered. “Dana and I can go to Vegas.”
“Oh, hell, no,” Martin shouted again. “I’m not going to have my only son get married and not witness it. What the hell kind of kids did we raise, Parris? One lives in the Amazon jungle, the other shacks up with a man for ten years before she decides he’s good enough for her, and now our son … no, your son … wants to marry some girl in a gambling juke joint.”
“Hang up the phone, Martin.”
“Parris.”
“I said to hang it up.” There was a distinctive click, followed by Tyler’s mother voice. “You’re going to have to excuse your father. He’s getting old and cranky.”
“Who the hell is old?” shouted Martin in the background.
“He’s become his father,” Parris whispered softly.
“Are you finished, Mother?”
“Don’t you dare call me Mother.”
Tyler ignored her protest. “I need a marriage license, a judge, and a jet. Not necessarily in that order.”
“Is she pregnant?”
Tyler turned and stared at Dana for the first time since dialing the telephone. He didn’t know if she was pregnant, didn’t want to know—at least not until after they’d exchanged vows.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am a doctor, and I think I’d know if she was.”
“I still get to name your firstborn.”
He chuckled softly. “And knowing you, you’ve probably already selected the names.”
“Of course. Martin if it’s a boy, and Simone if it’s a girl. That’s only if your wife doesn’t object.”
“You can talk to her about it once you meet her. Hold on a minute, Mom. I’m going need your help with something else.”
He moved over to Dana, curving an arm around her waist. “What size is your finger, and what cut of diamond do you like?”
She stared at Tyler as if he’d taken leave of his senses. He was making wedding plans like someone compiling a weekly shopping list.
“I think I’m a five.”
“What cut of stone?”
“Emerald.” It was the first thing that came to her mind.
Tyler kissed the top of her head. “Mom. I need you to select a ring for Dana. She’s a five and she prefers an emerald cut.”
“Would you like baguettes?” Parris questioned.
“Yes.”
“White or yellow gold?” she asked, continuing her questioning.
“Platinum. The band can be plain or with baguettes. If Dana doesn’t like it I can always buy her another one.”
“What about you, Tyler? Do you want to wear a ring?” Parris asked.
“Yes, please order a band for me.”
“How about a gift for your bride?”
“Pick out something nice for her. You have exquisite taste.”
“How about her family? When are they getting in?”
Tyler hesitated, staring at the woman he loved staring up at him. She was barefoot, naked, her face so open and trusting. She stood by silently, permitting him to plan her future. And for the first since meeting Dana Nichols, he was suddenly cognizant that she was totally alone. Her parents were gone, as was her grandmother, and as an only child she was unprotected. But she wasn’t alone because she had him. She had his family, who would become her family.
“They’re not. We’l
l become her family.”
“I hope she won’t mind if I assume the responsibility of becoming mother of the bride. If she doesn’t have a dress, I’ll take her shopping early Saturday morning.”
“Mom, we’ll talk again.”
“Tyler?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Depressing a button, he ended the call.
Dana rested her head against Tyler’s shoulder. “Was that your mother?”
Lowering his head, he kissed the end of her pert nose. “No, darling. That was our mother.”
Moving closer, Dana melted into his strength. She clung to Tyler until he swept her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed, where they had demonstrated a love so strong and profound that there was a possibility a new life might have begun in her womb.
Twenty-one
Tyler extended a hand to one of the pilots flying the Gulfstream IV jet, shaking his hand. “Good afternoon, Captain Gonzalez.”
The pilot inclined his head. “Dr. Cole.”
The fingers of Tyler’s left hand tightened around Dana’s waist. “Dana, this Captain Gonzalez, our copilot for this flight. Captain, I’d like to present my fiancée, Dana Nichols.”
Smiling broadly, Captain Gonzalez removed his cap, tucking it under his arm. “My pleasure, Miss Nichols. I’d like to offer my congratulations on your upcoming marriage.”
Dana found it impossible not to return the handsome pilot’s disarming smile. “Thank you very much.”
“Are you ready?” Tyler whispered close to her ear.
“Yes,” she replied breathlessly. And she was ready, ready to become Mrs. Tyler Cole and ready to share her life and future with him.
She followed Tyler up the stairs and into the sleek jet, her eyes widening in shock as she surveyed a forty-foot cabin that was configured for eleven to thirteen passengers, with sofas that folded out into beds. There was also a full galley and two rest rooms.
Captain Gonzalez entered the aircraft, pulled up the steps, then closed and locked the cabin door. He walked to the cockpit and took his seat next to the pilot, where they awaited the signal from the tower to take off.
Tyler belted Dana in, before he sat beside her and repeated the action for himself. Holding her hand, he stared at her looking out the large oval window. She’d had no way of knowing when she’d made an appointment to have her hair styled that it was because she was going to a wedding—her own. The pale rose-pink color on her nails and toes was soft and complementary to her tanned golden coloring. Her chemically straightened hair, set, blown out, the blunt-cut ends turned under with a large curling iron, swayed above her shoulder each time she moved her head. The hot summer sun had bleached the light brown strands until they shimmered like liquid gold.
“Who owns this jet?” she asked, her attention focused on the activity outside the aircraft.
“A cousin.”
Turning her head, she stared at Tyler. “Your cousin in Georgetown?”
He shook his head, knowing it was time he revealed his family connections. “No. The cousin is the eldest son of one of my aunts. Timothy Cole Thomas is the CEO of ColeDiz International, Ltd. ColeDiz is family-owned, operated, and controlled.”
Dana’s mouth formed a perfect O when realization dawned as to whom she would marry. “You’re one of those Coles?” Closing his eyes, Tyler nodded slowly. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
He opened his eyes and smiled. “Would it have made a difference, Dana? Would you not have consented to marry me if you’d known that I was one of those Coles?”
“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “To be completely honest, I never considered marrying anyone.”
“Why not?”
“I guess it was because of my parents. Their marriage seemed perfect for so many years, but toward the end they argued every day about every little thing. After a while I didn’t want them to stay together because of the constant bickering. And it was always the same thing, my dad accusing my mother of running around with other men.”
“Could he prove she was seeing other men?”
“I don’t think he could at first.”
A slight frown marred Tyler’s smooth forehead. “He did later?”
“Yes. At least that’s what he said the night she was murdered. I don’t know why, I can recall every word of their argument that night. He said, ‘How can you still do it now that I have proof? Don’t you have any shame?’”
“Do you know what proof he was talking about?”
She shook her head. “No, but he did call her a tramp.”
Turning in his seat, Tyler caught her delicate chin, forcing Dana to directly look at him. “Did you ever think that maybe your mother was pregnant and that the child in her womb wasn’t your father’s?”
“I don’t think so. There was no mention of a baby.”
“Please fasten your seat belts. We’re cleared for takeoff.” The pilot’s voice came through the speakers positioned throughout the cabin, and the conversation about Harry and Alicia Nichols was dropped.
The jet eased forward, taxiing down the runway before picking up speed. Closing her eyes and pressing her head against the back of the seat, Dana felt the power of the jet as it lifted off, climbing steadily before leveling off above the clouds.
She sat, Tyler’s hand cradling hers protectively in his stronger grasp, willing her mind blank. Dr. Tyler Cole was a ColeDiz Cole! The enormity of the life she would be thrust into was too unbelievable to fathom.
Her soon-to-be husband was a member of the wealthiest African-American family in the country, though the Coles had never disclosed the extent of their vast wealth. He’d talked about looking over loose diamonds the way a farmer would discuss his anticipated yield from a corn or soybeans crop.
You’re just like your mother, her inner voice nagged at her again.
Alicia had wanted to marry up, live in a grand house, and flaunt her status as the wife of Dr. Harry Nichols.
Dana wanted to shout to the world that she wasn’t Alicia Nichols because when she married Tyler she would remain faithful to him.
She loved him!
“I love you.”
Tyler went completely still, his whole face spreading into a smile. She’d finally said it!
Reaching over, he unbuckled her belt, lifting her effortlessly onto his lap. “Say it again,” he whispered in her ear. “Please.” At that moment he didn’t care how desperate he sounded.
Holding his head to her breasts, Dana pressed her lips to his close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair. “I love you, Tyler Cole.”
Rocking her gently, he kissed her mouth. “You are my everything. My life. My all.”
The time passed in a blur for Dana from the moment a limousine met them on a private airfield at the West Palm Beach airport for the drive to the Cole family estate.
She stared out the window at a large house designed in Spanish and Italian Revival styles with barrel-tiled red roofs, a stucco façade, and balconies shrouded in lush bougainvillea and sweeping French doors that opened onto broad expanses of terraces with spectacular panoramic water views. The magnificent structure was surrounded by tropical foliage, exotic gardens, and the reflection of light off sparkling lake waters.
“No, I didn’t grow up here,” Tyler said, reading her mind. “My father did. But he lives here now because of my abuela.”
“I take it abuela is grandmother?”
“Sí, senorita.”
She cast her eyes downward, blushing. “I suppose I’ll be around for more than four months, so now you can teach me to speak Spanish.”
“I intend to have your around for a long, long time, Mrs. Cole.”
She placed her fingertips over his mouth. “You can’t call me that for another twenty-four hours.” Their wedding ceremony was planned for seven Saturday evening.
“I’m just practicing. You’ll become one of only three other Mrs. Coles. There’s my mother, my uncle Da
vid’s wife Serena, and of course my grandmother.”
“There are no other Cole men?”
“Uncle David has two sons, Gabriel and Jason, but everyone’s given up on any of his children marrying.”
The driver stopped the car, shifting into park. Just as he exited the limousine to open the back door for his passengers, the front door to the opulent structure opened. A knowing smile touched Dana’s mouth when she saw a tall, silver-haired man descend the steps. She knew this man was Tyler’s father and her soon-to-be father-in-law.
She stepped out, reaching for Tyler’s hand, but he was already striding toward his father, arms outstretched. Watching, she saw them embrace warmly before Tyler kissed his father on both cheeks.
Shifting, Tyler held out his hand to her. She took it, moving closer to his side. “Dad, I’d like you to meet Dana Nichols. Dana, this is Martin Diaz Cole—my father.”
Martin stared at the delicate woman standing beside his son through half-lowered lids, his mind taking him back fifty years to when he first saw a young woman walk into the private room at a Palm Beach restaurant for an engagement party for a mutual friend. Dana Nichols wasn’t as tall as Parris, but her coloring and jewel-like eyes were similar. And it was like father, like son. He’d fallen in love with Parris Simmons on sight, and it was apparently the same with Tyler and Dana Nichols.
Martin pulled Dana to his chest, lowered his head, and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I welcome you on behalf of the entire family. I hope you think of me as your father, because as of now you are my daughter.”
She felt the power in the solid body pressed to hers. Martin Cole had celebrated his eighty-first birthday in January, but could easily pass for a man ten years younger. His silver hair lay against his scalp in layered precision, while a network of lines around his large dark eyes were more from squinting in the hot sun than age. And like fine wine, he’d aged beautifully.
“Everyone’s out back waiting to meet you,” Martin said in a soft drawling voice that reminded Dana of Tyler’s.
Tyler winked at her. “Are you ready?”
She flashed a tight smile. “I think I am.”
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