Forever a Stallion

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  * * *

  “Lord, have mercy, this cannot be happening,” Juanita whispered loudly as she moved to clear the dishes from the table.

  Marah pressed her hand against the woman’s arm. “Aunt Juanita, what is this all about?”

  Juanita met Marah’s gaze. She gently tapped the back of Marah’s hand, not saying anything else at all, then continued with the dishes.

  “Marah,” Edward said, noting his wife’s distress. “We’ll all talk about it later. Let Juanita be, please.”

  “I think we need to talk about it now, Daddy,” Marah said defiantly, her hand falling to her hip. “Did you see my husband’s face? I’ve never seen John so devastated.”

  “And Mark was so mad he was ready to spit nails,” Michelle added as she cradled baby Irene close to her chest. “Mark never gets mad about anything.”

  Juanita was still shaking her head.

  “Is that girl really their sister?” Collin asked, his innocent gaze skating from one adult to the next. “I mean, she does look like them!”

  “Collin, why don’t you go down to the stables and ride, please,” Katrina suggested.

  “But, why do—” Collin started.

  “Now, Collin,” Katrina ordered, her stern tone silencing his question.

  Collin mumbled his way out of the room, visibly annoyed that he was always being sent someplace else when it was the adults messing up. When he messed up, it was adult central with all of them coming to toss in two cents. He could sense that things were about to get interesting and he was irritated that he might miss the really good stuff.

  * * *

  “Did you know about this?” Katrina mouthed in her brother’s direction, her eyes widened with surprise. Mason had shaken his head at his sister, shrugging in astonishment. It had all happened so fast that he was just as stunned by the turn of events as the rest of them.

  As the brothers had left the room in one direction, Phaedra had rushed out in the other. The ensuing commotion from the other women had been a complete distraction. When Mason had turned back to her, Phaedra was gone. Ignoring the questions the women were suddenly hammering him with, he raced to catch up with her.

  Outside, Phaedra was doing a run-walk thing up the expansive driveway, her high heels impeding her from breaking out into a full sprint. As he paused at the top of the steps, he stared off in her direction.

  Bounding down the steps, Mason raced to catch up to her, calling her name. “Phaedra! Please stop!” he shouted. “Please!”

  With Mason suddenly on her heels, Phaedra found herself wishing for a deep hole to drop down into. If there was any way possible for the day to go from bad to worse, having to face Mason Boudreaux had to be it. She picked up her pace, wrapping her arms tightly around her torso. She was still sobbing, her eyes swollen red, and all she wanted was for Mason to go away and not see her in such a state of distress.

  Catching up to her, Mason clasped his hand beneath her elbow, gently spinning her around to face him. His heart suddenly cracked, pierced by the pain that shimmered in the woman’s dark eyes. Before he realized what he was doing, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. When Phaedra didn’t pull away, allowing herself to give in to the embrace, he tightened his hold as he leaned to whisper in her ear, “I’ve got you, Phaedra. I’ve got you. Everything is going to be just fine. I won’t let anything hurt you. I promise.”

  * * *

  From the family porch Vanessa Long stood staring out at the couple hugging in the middle of the driveway. Her son slept comfortably against her shoulder, the baby oblivious of the excitement around him.

  Vanessa took a deep breath and then a second as she looked from the papers that Phaedra had dropped, out toward the couple and back again.

  Friends with the Stallion sons for as long as any of them could remember, Vanessa was family to them, the only “sister” they had ever known. She’d been best friends with brother Mark first, the two allies on the playground. Vanessa was all tomboy, her daredevil antics rivaling most males and giving each of them a run for his money. For a brief moment, Mark and the woman had been boyfriend and girlfriend, the rest of the family thinking the two would end up head over heels in love with each other. College changed the dynamics of their relationship when Vanessa admitted her predilection for women. Each of the Stallion men had been only slightly disturbed when their family friend had finally come out about her sexuality. But over time they had all found their balance, Vanessa acting as if she were just one of the boys and the brothers treating her so. Then she’d had a baby with the help of a sperm donor and the brothers had each stepped in to be the best uncles baby Vaughan would ever know.

  And now Vanessa understood better than anyone that this news had twisted everything the four men had ever believed into a tight knot that might not come undone. Each of the brothers had exalted his father, believing the man had never, in his whole life, done one thing wrong. John, especially, had emulated everything about his father, defining himself as a true alpha male with a rock-solid confidence that radiated from the inside out.

  Since his parents’ deaths when John was eighteen, every decision he had made for himself and his brothers had been based on the ideologies his father had instilled in him. And each of the brothers had followed suit. Without realizing it, Phaedra had tarnished the gold that was James Stallion, and Vanessa knew that his sons might not ever be the same because of this revelation.

  Vanessa turned to face the front door just as John and Matthew stepped out onto the porch. She gave them both a quick smile and a wink as Matthew reached to take baby Vaughan from her arms.

  Noticing the papers in her hand, John asked, “Is there anything there that supports what she says?” He stared out to where she stared, Mason and Phaedra still clinging to each other.

  “Nothing concrete. I think it’s all pure conjecture right now. I can do some digging to see what I can come up with, though,” Vanessa said, falling into her private investigator mode.

  John nodded. “Do you know where Aunt Juanita disappeared to?”

  “She and Mr. Edward took off a few minutes ago. Those women in there were giving her a pretty rough time. He decided they needed to go for a ride before he and Marah got into it.”

  “My wife can be a little hard on her stepmother.”

  “Your wife is worried about you guys. So am I.”

  John cut his eye at Vanessa.

  Matthew chuckled softly, nuzzling Vanessa’s baby beneath his chin. “Your buddy Mark is about to have a seizure, he’s so worked up. Mitch put him on diaper duty for the rest of the day to give him something else to think about.”

  Vanessa smiled. “Maybe I should add Vaughan to Mark’s list, too.”

  “What list is that?” Mark asked, hearing his name called as he joined them on the porch. Luke followed closely on his heels.

  “Your diaper list,” Vanessa said with a slight giggle. “I hear you’re the go-to man today.”

  Mark rolled his eyes. “You and my wife need to recognize that I’ve got skills when it comes to these kids. I’m the go-to man every day!” he said as he dropped into a cushioned rocking chair.

  “So, what’s next?” Luke asked as he took a seat on the top step and leaned back against the rails. “What are we going to do about her?” He turned to stare up at John.

  Mark and Matthew both turned to look at their older brother, anxious for him to answer.

  John took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm morning air. His gaze was still focused on the young woman standing off in the distance, fighting to regain her composure.

  “If what she says is true and she is our sister, then a DNA test will confirm it,” John finally said.

  Matthew nodded. “I’ll call and make the arrangements.”

  “And then?” Vanessa asked.

&nbs
p; John hesitated, his thoughts feeling fractured as they spun through his head. He shrugged. “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

  * * *

  Phaedra didn’t know why she’d allowed Mason to convince her to go back to the house to continue the conversation with John and his brothers. But she had and now she was sitting in the home’s wood-paneled library staring at them as hard as they were staring back at her.

  Other than Matthew, who’d been talking into his cell phone, no one had said anything, waiting for what, Phaedra wasn’t sure. The tension in the room was so intense that the young woman imagined they might all self-combust if such a thing were possible.

  Seated beside her, Mason had a tight grip on her hand, having promised to not let it, or her, go until she was safe and secure back in her hotel room. She couldn’t help wondering what he had to be thinking of her and the drama she’d rained down on them all. So much for their first date, she thought as she stole a glance in his direction, careful not to catch his eye.

  Seeming to read her thoughts, Mason drew his hand down the length of her back, an easy caress that helped to calm her nerves. His concern for her well-being was sincere, warming her spirit and affording her a level of comfort she hadn’t felt since the last time she’d spent with her mother.

  As Matthew seemed to be concluding his telephone call, John came to his feet, reaching for the door. As he pulled it open, Marah, Vanessa and Joanne fell into the entrance, catching themselves before hitting the floor. Mark and Luke both burst out laughing, the chortles gut-deep. Mason grinned, shaking his head. Behind the three women, Katrina stood with a hand pressed over her mouth, her eyes widened, as she tried not to laugh.

  John crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing his wife with a raised eyebrow. “I swear,” he said, shaking his head. “If I didn’t know better I’d declare this whole damn family was crazy.”

  “Talk about yourself,” Vanessa said, her hands gliding down the front of her shirt as if she needed to brush her clothes back into place.

  “Sorry,” Marah said, embarrassed, her cheeks turning a bright shade of crimson red. “We were…” she started as she shrugged.

  “You were being nosy,” John finished for her. He extended his arms as Marah stepped into them, easing up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

  “Yes, we were,” she said.

  Luke pointed a finger at his new wife. “Joanne, we leave for our honeymoon in just a few hours. Please do not let these women corrupt you before we do. Please, baby!”

  Joanne laughed. “Yes, dear,” she said sheepishly.

  John chuckled. “I like that. You need to take some pointers from Joanne, Marah. Brush up on your ‘yes, dears.’ See how nicely she did that? Yes, dear!” he said, mimicking his new sister-in-law.

  Marah shook her head. “We just wanted you to know that we’ll be in the family room if you need us for anything.”

  “Anything,” Vanessa echoed, pushing a closed fist into her open palm. “We got your back!”

  Shaking his head, John closed the door behind them. As he moved back to his seat, he met Phaedra’s stare, the woman watching him closely. “They can be a handful sometimes,” he said, his full lips bending into a slight smile.

  Phaedra smiled back, the bend to her own mouth just as slight.

  John cleared his throat as Matthew laid his iPhone on the desktop and sat down, closing the circle of siblings. He leaned forward in his seat, his elbows dropping to his thighs as he rested his chin over his hands.

  “Phaedra, first, I want to apologize for anything we may have said or done this morning that may have offended or hurt you. I think I speak for all of us when I say that you really knocked us off guard and I’m embarrassed that we…that I…reacted so horribly.”

  Phaedra nodded as Mason squeezed her fingers. She continued to listen as John went on.

  “I have no doubts that you honestly believe that our father is your father, but I hope that you will understand and not hold it against us if we have some doubts.”

  “And we have some doubts,” Mark chimed in, his body tense as he postured in his seat.

  John tossed his brother a look.

  Phaedra nodded again. “I was as surprised as you were,” she said, her soft voice just shy of being a loud whisper. “And I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. I just…well…” She paused, looking to Mason and then John as she searched for the words to explain.

  John smiled warmly. “I don’t think there was any perfect way to say something like that.”

  Mason shifted in his seat. “Obviously, there is only one way for you all to know the truth,” he said, looking from John to Matthew and back.

  Matthew nodded. “We’ve already got that covered,” he said. “Phaedra, if you’re in agreement, I’ve arranged for all of us to be DNA-tested tomorrow afternoon. We have a two o’clock appointment at the genetics center in Houston.”

  “Everyone except me, that is,” Luke interjected.

  “Everyone except Luke,” Matthew acknowledged. “Luke will be in South Africa on his honeymoon.”

  “But I’m sure if you’re related to the rest of these mugs, then you’ll be related to me, too,” Luke said, winking an eye in Phaedra’s direction.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Matthew countered. “We keep telling him that he was found on our doorstep. We don’t know where he came from!”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” Luke said. “I hope you inherited a better sense of humor, Phaedra!”

  Phaedra’s smile widened. “Thank you,” she said.

  Mark rolled his eyes. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “I don’t know why we’re wasting the time.”

  An uneasy quiet fell over the room. Phaedra’s gaze skated from one brother to the other, resting on Mark, who was glaring in her direction.

  “You know everything I know,” she said, her comments directed at Mark. “And after tomorrow we’ll know even more. And I understand if you aren’t interested in our being family, but if the tests show that we are related, I hope that you’ll at least try to get to know me. We might never be friends, but I hope that we won’t be enemies.”

  Mark took a deep breath, brushing his palms against his thighs. He didn’t bother to respond as John and Matthew both shook their heads in his direction. “I hear my daughter crying,” he said finally. “I need to go change a diaper or something.” He stood abruptly and crossed to the other side of the room. He paused in the doorway, his hand clutching tightly to the doorknob. He took a quick glance over his shoulder, his gaze meeting Phaedra’s. “I won’t be your enemy,” he said, his eyes locking with hers.

  Phaedra met his stare evenly, tears swelling again in her eyes. She nodded and then he turned and exited the room.

  “He’ll come around,” Luke said softly.

  As the others rose to their feet to follow, John extended his hand to shake Mason’s. “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate you keeping an eye on our new friend here.” He gave the young woman an easy smile.

  Mason locked eyes with Phaedra, his own smile widening across his face as she met his gaze and held it. He nodded. “Not to worry. I don’t plan to let her out of my sight.”

  Chapter 7

  There was an awkward silence as Mason closed the hotel room door behind them. Phaedra crossed over to the sitting area, dropping her purse to the wooden desk against the wall as she kicked off her high-heeled pumps. Mason stood at the entrance, his gaze following every move. Dropping down into a wingback chair, Phaedra extended her legs in front of her, both hands bearing down against the seat cushion as she twisted her ankles from side to side. She lifted her gaze to study the man who was watching her so intently.

  Mason Boudreaux was just shy of being six feet tall. With his hands locked behind his back, his feet shoulder width apart, he was quite the male spe
cimen. His chest was broad, flanked by wide shoulders and thick arms that were indicative of his daily workouts with a very good trainer. His legs were long, the khaki slacks he wore nicely complementing the hard, full, basketball-like curves of his behind. His chocolate-syrup complexion stretched nicely over tight, toned muscles, complementing his closely cropped head of silver-and-black peppered curls. The man was delectable and a seriously pleasant diversion.

  She smiled, her lips stretching wide and full over her Colgate smile. “You can come in and have a seat,” she said, gesturing for him to join her. “I promise no more hysterical sobbing.”

  Mason smiled back. “The sobbing didn’t bother me.”

  Phaedra lifted her eyes, a smirk crossing her face.

  Mason laughed. “Really, the tears didn’t bother me at all,” he said as he made his way to the chair beside her and sat down.

  “I don’t know if I believe you, Mr. Boudreaux, but it’s very sweet of you to say so.”

  He nodded. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t believe me. I’m usually so convincing,” he said teasingly.

  Phaedra giggled softly. “I believe that.”

  Mason laughed with her and then the awkward silence stepped back into the room.

  Phaedra closed her eyes for a brief second, wiping her palms across her thighs. Reopening her eyes, she cut her gaze in Mason’s direction, the man seeming to be lost in very deep thought.

  Phaedra couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in such close proximity to such a beautiful man, and Mason Boudreaux was one beautiful specimen of maleness. He exuded strength, his self-confidence, compassionate spirit and obvious integrity like a banner of honor wrapped around him. There was something clearly special about him, and Phaedra found herself wanting to know about everything that made him so.

  With her mother dying, then discovering that she had family she knew nothing about, and with one of the biggest photo assignments of her career now on her plate, Phaedra was surprised that she was even thinking about men. But Mason wasn’t your average guy next door. Mason Boudreaux was a man a woman couldn’t help thinking about.