Lessons Learned (The Gifted Realm Book 2)

by Jillian Neal

  “Yeah, it’s so scandalous that the Haydenshire children watch movies,” Logan sounded thoroughly annoyed. “Yum, gumbo,” he was easily distracted from his irritation as his mother piled Styrofoam bowls and serving spoons by the large pots of soup and told everyone to eat when they got hungry. She was putting her feet up for a little while, which everyone quickly encouraged her to do.

  Governor Haydenshire entered the living room. He was carrying Keaton, who’d just awoken as well.

  Henry scrambled out of Rainer’s lap as Keaton met him on the floor in front of their toys. Emily fell into Rainer’s now-vacant lap.

  “Yeah, this is way better.” Rainer listened to her giggle as he cradled her to him. She laid her head on his shoulder as most everyone lined up to fill their bowls with gumbo.

  “You know,” she drawled in his ear. “Guys who are so sweet and good with kids are kind of a major turn-on.”

  “Really?” Rainer let his hand slip up her backside.

  “Really.”

  “Hmm, I might have to cash in on that later,” he explained in a low, husky, growl.

  “I was hoping you would,” she brushed a kiss across his lips.

  “Wanna go out later?” He noted that the rain was ebbing, and being alone with her was the only thing he really wanted.

  A few minutes later, Governor Haydenshire’s cell phone rang, and Chloe and Garrett returned from wherever they’d been all day.

  “What’d you find out, Dan?” was the Governor’s commanding inquiry.

  Garrett and Chloe fell onto the couch. Emily got up and got herself and Rainer some gumbo as Garrett began his story.

  “So, Peterson has hired private detectives to follow all of us.” He rolled his eyes. “I cornered the guy, flashed my badge, threatened to arrest him for invasion of privacy, and he coughed up the goods on Peterson. Oh, and as irony for you, he said to tell you he’s voting for you, Dad,” he called as Governor Haydenshire flashed him a thumbs-up sign. “But he’s still being paid to follow all of us.”

  “How would you arrest him? Hiring a private detective and tailing someone isn’t against the law,” Logan quizzed curiously.

  “No, but following my date into a drugstore and then threatening the sales clerk if he doesn’t give you a copy of the receipt, showing what she bought, is against the law. And it just so happened that Chloe felt threatened,” he mocked as Chloe poked out her bottom lip and laughed at her own dramatic abilities.

  “Anyway,” Garrett tousled Chloe’s hair and grinned at her. “Making an Elite Iodex officer’s girl feel threatened tends to end badly, so the guy was fairly forthcoming.”

  A minute later, Governor Haydenshire hung up the phone. “We’re all being followed. Seems Peterson’s hired not one but four P.I.s. They’re assigned to all of you kids and even to your mother and I. So, I’m begging all of you, please don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to be on the cover of the Times.”

  Everyone agreed that they would play nice. Rainer was relieved that it wasn’t Wretchkinsides’ men following them. Compared to that, he decided, private investigators really weren’t so bad.

  “Ok, so let’s all go out and be good at the Hornbeam Festival tonight,” Chloe urged excitedly.

  Emily’s eyes lit. She loved going to the Hornbeam. It had been a year or two since they’d attended.

  The Hornbeam was a huge open beach concert that featured relatively new bands from the area, but the stage was set well out in the bay and the audience situated themselves on the vast Virginia Beaches. Most of the enthusiasts brought quilts and blankets and bottles of wine or beer, and cuddled up under the stars to listen to the music.

  As the bands weren’t headliners by any stretch, there was usually room for each couple to have their own comfortable space on the beach without encroaching on others.

  When Rainer had gone with the Haydenshires in years past, they’d always had a great time. Even Brooke seemed excited about going.

  Governor and Mrs. Haydenshire shared a sweet smile.

  “You all go on. We’ll put the boys to bed and turn in ourselves,” Mrs. Haydenshire smiled.

  Rainer doubted they would be going straight to bed, but he tried to hide his smile.

  “It’s really fun. No partying crowds, no bar, just a good concert out on the beach. Very subdued,” Logan explained to Adeline. Emily and Rainer agreed, and Adeline seemed excited to go.

  Everyone quickly helped do the dishes. They ordered Mrs. Haydenshire to remain in her chair and rest while the Governor gave the twins their bath. As soon as everything was cleaned up, they began getting ready for the concert.

  Every Step of the Way

  Emily packed several quilts for her and Rainer, as Rainer piled Dr. Peppers and a few snacks into one of the coolers.

  “Okay, I’m going to go change. I’m so excited!” Emily was bouncing in the kitchen. Rainer caught her hand and pulled her back to him.

  “Don’t be gone too long. I’ll miss you.” He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her until Connor and Logan began making gagging noises.

  “Gee, reminds me of the first time I kissed her, when we were eight,” he rolled his eyes at them, only making them laugh harder.

  Emily was still beaming as she scooted off to join all of the girls in their room. “Rainer?” she called. He assumed that either she or someone else was in a state of undress that he shouldn’t see, so answered from the kitchen.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Can I borrow one of your white button-down shirts?”

  “Uh, if you packed me one,” Rainer felt mildly ashamed that he hadn’t packed for himself and didn’t really know what Emily had packed for him.

  “I did.”

  “It’s yours, sweetheart.” He grabbed the quilts and cooler and headed out to the Hummer. He was growing weary of the relative immaturity that came from having all of the Haydenshire brothers together in close proximity. Apart they were all relatively mature, respectful men. Together, they tended to revert back to their horny, teenage revery.

  He let his mind drift back to the first week of summer with just him and Emily, alone in the beach house. As much as he loved all of the Haydenshires, he wanted Emily all to himself -- no private detectives, no big brothers, and, though he felt mildly guilty thinking it, no parents.

  He sighed and dutifully ignored the P.I. parked across the street snapping pictures of him loading blankets into Emily’s car.

  He returned to the house and moved out of the way of Will and Patrick as they loaded their own blankets and food into their cars.

  As he returned to the kitchen, he listened to Garrett explain what he was calling ‘the tactical maneuvers for their evening’ to his younger brothers.

  “Okay, so they can’t all take our pictures at once, a big advantage to there being eight of us, so thanks, Mom.”

  Mrs. Haydenshire was lying in one of the recliners with her eyes closed, but not sleeping. “Yes, well that’s why I did it, dear.”

  “So, we’re going to use a breakthrough and flank maneuver,” Garrett explained.

  Logan rolled his eyes. “You have been hanging out with Grandpa way too damn long.”

  Levi nodded his agreement.

  “So, you don’t want us all to sit together. Done. Let’s go.”

  According to Emily, Sarah was mortified, not only with what Levi had inadvertently said to Mrs. Haydenshire that morning, but angry with Levi that he’d believed she would’ve done that with his entire family waiting on them to eat breakfast.

  She’d been giving Levi the cold shoulder most of the day, and it appeared that cuddling her into a better mood at the concert was his only concern.

  He’d gone to Emily for advice on how to do just that and, in exchange, he promised that he would not join in with Connor and Garrett’s continued jokes about Rainer sleeping with her underwear.

  Emily had given him clear instructions on how to get Sarah to forgive him. Rainer and Logan had also paid close attention to he
r, for future reference.

  Governor Haydenshire returned to the living room with the twins. One was dressed in Superman pajamas, the other in Batman. They began running around the living room, making the attached capes whirl out behind them.

  The Governor and Mrs. Haydenshire chuckled as they continued to gaze at one another adoringly.

  Governor Haydenshire’s smile faded as soon as Emily entered the living room, accompanied by Adeline and Sarah. The girls had clearly all been planning on going out while on vacation and were dressed thusly.

  Rainer’s mouth watered as he took in Emily. She, however, looked terrified as her father glared at her outfit. She’d planned to slip out while he was still giving the boys their bath. Rainer just couldn’t seem to remember how to speak as she was standing there in a gorgeous black bikini that had her ample cleavage on full display.

  She’d added Rainer’s white button down, only it was open and the tails were tied up under her breasts, adding to their heft.

  Her midriff was bare and the black bikini bottom was covered in a white eyelet skirt. Though it came almost to her knees, the patterned eyelet holes throughout the fabric made it an entirely see-through bathing suit cover.

  And to her father’s horror, her tattoo of Rainer’s crest was on full display, accented quite nicely by the black bathing suit, juxtaposed with the white shirt and skirt.

  Rainer fished around in his head, trying to remember how to make his lower jaw reconnect with his upper and braced for the incoming fury.

  It hadn’t been lost on him that Emily had worn a one-piece swimsuit when they’d been on the beach earlier, but he hadn’t commented. He didn’t want her to ever think that she had to wear bikinis for him, though he knew they were her preference.

  With everything going on, he’d decided she could show off the tattoo whenever she was comfortable with it. As long as he got to see it on a regular basis, that was all that mattered to him.

  “Damn, that’s just mean!” Garret slapped Rainer on the shoulder, clearly hoping Chloe was wearing something equally as revealing.

  “What… exactly… is that?” Governor Haydenshire demanded. Gall burned in his eyes.

  “Stephen,” Mrs. Haydenshire warned, though it didn’t appear that the Governor could even hear his wife.

  “Rainer, stop drooling and go help her,” Will had come back into the kitchen in time to see Emily make her appearance, and shoved Rainer forward with an urgent whisper.

  Rainer moved to Emily’s side.

  “I asked you a question, young lady,” Governor Haydenshire commanded furiously.

  “What is what?” Emily’s temper flared as quickly as her father’s. Rainer shuddered and took her hand.

  “Emily!” The Governor moved inches from Emily’s face. “What is this right here on your hip?” he drove his index finger into Emily’s hipbone. It infuriated Rainer.

  Without really thinking, he caught the Governor’s hand. “Sir, please!”

  Governor Haydenshire seemed to realize what he’d been doing, and he forced his own hand down in a tightly clenched fist.

  “And for that matter, why can I see your hip bone, young lady?” he continued fuming loudly.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed. “That is the Lawson crest. I believe you’ve seen it before. You know, it used to hang all over the Senate when Rainer’s dad was Crown.”

  “Emily,” Rainer warned. He prayed that she would calm down.

  Governor Haydenshire’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Yes, I have seen it!” he turned his glare momentarily on Rainer. “My question is, why is it on you?”

  “Because I had it tattooed there.”

  Mrs. Haydenshire sighed as she moved to her husband’s side.

  “Stephen, she will be twenty years old in just a couple of weeks. She can tattoo anything she wants, anywhere she wants.”

  “I don’t give a damn how old she is. She will not tattoo his crest on her… body,” the Governor choked back what he was about to call the part of Emily that bore the tattoo.

  “And she will leave this house dressed in that outfit over my dead body!”

  Taking a moment to draw a steadying breath, Mrs. Haydenshire tried to negotiate.

  “Emily, honey, I don’t think that outfit is appropriate for the Hornbeam concerts. You can wear it as a cover up for the beach, but not for a concert.”

  Governor Haydenshire spun and glared at his wife. “She will wear that never!”

  He turned back to Emily. “And I still want to know what possessed you to brand his family crest right beside your….,” he gestured his hand to Emily’s crotch, still unable to think of a word for the exact placement of Rainer’s crest. “There,” he fumed.

  “Dad, come on,” Will stepped in. He took Governor Haydenshire by the shoulders, and ushered him away from Emily’s face.

  “I have Brooke’s name on my chest.” He pulled down the deep V-neck of the t-shirt he was wearing to bare a large tattoo of Brooke’s name and their wedding date, done very artfully across his left breastbone.

  Rainer debated asking Emily to change. He hoped that her giving in on the outfit might make her father get over the tattoo, but the Governor had pushed her too far and it was over.

  He saw the defiant determined look in her eye. She wasn’t backing down. Her fingers customarily slipped her hair over her right ear and she narrowed her eyes.

  “Brooke’s got all of our dates on her ankle and my name on her…” Will halted abruptly. His eyes goggled in the effort. Wherever Will’s name was, it wasn’t somewhere any of the family had seen. This, however, did nothing to quell the Governor’s fury.

  He glared angrily at Rainer. “What? It wasn’t enough to put your ring on her, and take her innocence; you had to brand her, too?” Disbelief rang through the room. Rainer felt like he’d been punched. His stomach clenched tightly as if he’d actually been hit.

  “Daddy!” Emily gasped.

  “Come on, Dad,” Connor moved into the room to step in for Rainer. His expression was irate. “Rainer didn’t even know what she was doing. This was all Em. She designed the whole thing. Rainer had nothing to do with it!”

  Governor Haydenshire rolled his eyes in mocking disbelief.

  “That was low, Dad. I know you’re stressed, and that Em’s your baby girl, or whatever!” Garrett stepped up to bat. “But lay off Rainer. He’s never done anything to her that she didn’t ask him to do. He’s a good guy, and he takes excellent care of her. She’s not a baby anymore! You didn’t freak like this when I had my whole chest inked all at once.”

  “That is different!” Governor Haydenshire spat. “You are not Emily, and all Rainer has done is force her into his bed.”

  “Right!” Emily shoved Rainer and her brothers out of her way. Furious tears pricked her eyes. “It’s fine for Will and Garrett and Patrick and Levi to have them, but not me because I’m your baby girl.”

  “And if I decide I do want one, then it must be Rainer’s fault because I’m not intelligent enough to make my own decisions about my body. Well, guess what,” Her eyes flashed heatedly.

  “I am not your baby! I’m all grown up, and I can have sex, and I can get his crest tattooed on places that I let him see, and touch, and feel all the time, whenever I want him to! And I can wear whatever I want, whenever I want to, and you can’t stop me!”

  Governor Haydenshire staggered back. He looked as if Emily had just backhanded him. Everyone in the house was absolutely silent. Rainer was reeling from the things she’d just informed her father of.

  Emily took another step towards her father, utter hatred etching her face as she dealt the final blow.

  “And do you know what we’re going to do right now? We’re leaving and I won’t be back tonight!” she spat and grabbed the keys to the Hummer and ran out the door.

  “Emily, wait!” Rainer ran after her, but halted abruptly in the kitchen. “Sir, if you ever want to see her again then you need to go apologize and make this right, because I’ve never
seen her so angry. And if she asks me to take her away,” Rainer wasn’t able to believe what he was about to say to the people who had raised him and given him so much, but he continued in a heartbroken whisper, “then I will.”

  With that, Rainer shook his head and focused on Emily as he rushed to the garage. She was leaning against the door of the Hummer, sobbing hysterically.

  “Baby,” he wrapped her up in his arms and let her cry as he tried to soothe her. “Shhh, baby, it’s ok. I’m right here,” he held her tightly, well aware they were being photographed.

  “I want to leave and never come back,” she convulsed in Rainer’s arms. She was crying so hard Rainer could no longer see the individual tears; they fell in vicious waves. She could hardly breathe.

  “Okay, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Just give me the keys,” he instructed in a soothing intonation.

  She thrust the keys into his hands as he tried to think of some way to make her and her father see eye to eye, on something that just didn’t seem like it should divide a family.

  He continued to hold her, in no hurry to drive her away. He desperately hoped that her father would come to his senses. The door from the house opened, and Rainer turned as Emily buried her face further into his chest.

  Logan stalked out and shared a knowing glance with Rainer.

  “She okay?”

  Rainer gestured his hands to her sobbing in his arms. The question didn’t really require any other response.

  “Dad wanted me to see if you’d come back inside, Em,” Logan seemed worried that he was about to be the recipient of Emily’s next infuriated rant. She shook her head combatively into Rainer’s chest.

  “Logan, man, he went way too far this time. He needs to come to her.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I told him, but I don’t want you to leave, Em. Please, you’re my favorite sister,” he tried for a joke but it was too late for that.

  They could hear shouting coming from inside the house. Rainer held out, hoping that Governor Haydenshire would come around.

  “Em, please,” Logan begged. “Listen, I don’t know what’s gonna happen with the election, or the baby, or with Adeline. I don’t know anything.”