Tiana (Starkis Family #3)

by Cheryl Douglas

  I didn’t bother asking how he knew it was me or whether my mother felt the same way. Of course she did. “I’m not leaving here until I see him, Catherine.” I pushed the door open and waltzed past her. “Maybe he’ll want to have me thrown in jail too, but I’m willing to risk it.”

  I found my parents sitting at the table in the formal dining room, enjoying a breakfast of omelettes and toast as if they didn’t have a care in the world while my life was imploding thanks to my father’s interference. Nice. Real nice.

  “You certainly know how to make an entrance, Tiana,” my mother said, pursing her lips as she raised a delicate cup to her mouth.

  “Did he tell you what he did to me, to us?” I demanded, pointing at my father. Putting him on the defensive was the worst thing I could do, but every time I saw him, I got angry all over again. “He had my husband thrown in jail.”

  “Your husband?” My mother’s painted lips formed a thin line. “Yes, I heard about that debacle. In Las Vegas, of all places.” She shuddered after carefully setting down her cup. “Are you sure it’s even legal?”

  I hadn’t expected my mother to understand or support me—her role as Demi’s wife had always been her top priority—but it still hurt to be reminded that I couldn’t count on her when I needed her most. “It’s as legal as your marriage is.”

  I curled my hands around the back of a dining chair I’d sat on hundreds of times over the years, enjoying a family dinner and the warmth of my father’s love. That all seemed like an illusion now, as though I’d imagined the whole thing. But I knew I could never get what I wanted from my father by being confrontational with him. Demi was the kind of man who demanded complete submission and wouldn’t be satisfied until he got it.

  “I know what you did,” I said to my father, claiming the seat next to him. “And I know why you did it. You were trying to protect me.”

  His eyes met and held mine for a moment before he cleared his throat. “That’s my job as your father. It always has been, always will be. I don’t care that you’ve married and banished me from your life. You are still my daughter. My baby girl.”

  My mother’s eyes filled with tears before she lowered her gaze to her half-eaten breakfast.

  I covered his large hand with mine, praying that I could make him see reason. I knew that my husband would hate that I was there and making nice with my father, but it was my only option if I wanted to keep him out of jail. “I know you’ve made it your mission to protect me my whole life and it’s hard for you to let go now that I’m an adult.”

  He looked at my hand before his gaze landed on my face. He was softening. My father had very few weaknesses, but I had always been one, and I intended to use that to my advantage.

  “I will never let you go, Tiana. Even if you choose to never speak to me again, you will always be here,” he said, resting a hand on his chest. “In my heart. A part of my soul.”

  I was surprised when tears sprang to my eyes. I’d never expected to be affected by his words, never believed I could feel anything but anger and frustration toward him again, but just when I was about to write him off, he reminded me of the man I’d once known would do anything to protect me.

  “I love him, Dad,” I whispered. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I do.”

  “I know you do.” He withdrew his hand from mine and braced his hands on either side of his plate. “I was up half the night thinking about this, about the way you looked at me when you accused me of orchestrating this. You’ve never looked at me like that before.” His soft gaze landed on my face. “I never want to see you look at me like that again.”

  I thought of the lie I’d intended to tell him before begging him not to force me to raise a baby alone, but I suspected that may not be necessary. Maybe my father still loved me enough, in his own twisted way, to put an end to this before anyone else got hurt.

  “I never wanted this to come between us,” I said, hoping he believed me. “I just wanted to be free to fall in love, get married, and have a family.”

  “But this man?” he asked, sounding almost defeated. “Of all the men on God’s green earth, why him?”

  I giggled through my tears, drawing a half-smile from my father. “Who knows why we fall in love with the people we do? You know what they say—a girl usually marries a man the same as or the polar opposite of her father. You and Blake are more similar than you realize.”

  My husband was different from my father in the ways that mattered. He supported my dreams. He respected my wishes. He loved me unconditionally. But if my father could find common ground with Blake, all of our lives would be happier.

  “He has been my worthiest adversary,” my father said, his lips twitching in reluctant admiration. “I cannot deny that.”

  I touched his forearm. “Dad, he’s family now. He’s going to be the father of your grandchildren. Do you really want him in jail?”

  He closed his eyes before heaving a sigh. “Only you, my beloved Tiana, could wear me down. No one, and I do mean no one else could have.”

  “Does that mean you’ll get the charges dropped?” Had we been dealing with normal civilians, it wouldn’t have been that easy, but my father’s donations to police services coupled with his support of the district attorney’s last campaign meant he had them in his back pocket, and everyone knew it.

  He stood. “I’ll make a call. But I want to see that husband of yours here this afternoon. We have some things to discuss.”

  “Thank you.” I stood and reached for him before he could leave the room. “I’m not going to lie, I hate what you did to Blake and to me, but I know this hasn’t been easy on you either. I’m just grateful you’re finally willing to put my feelings before your own.”

  He drew me into his arms and hugged me hard as he brushed his lips over my forehead. “I may seem ruthless, but everything I have done has been because I love you and felt it was my duty to protect you.”

  In his own warped way, he was telling the truth.

  Chapter Twenty

  Blake

  If someone had told me twenty-four hours ago that I would have been standing on Demi’s doorstep today, praying for a peaceful resolution, I would have told them they were crazy. But there I was, and there was one reason. Tiana. I couldn’t allow her to be torn apart by this feud.

  Tiana had told me about her conversation with her father and I was grateful he had extended an olive branch by getting the police off my back, but I couldn’t forget that he had put his daughter in a compromising position just because he couldn’t stand the thought of us being together. Demi would never be my favorite person, but he was my wife’s father, so I had to swallow my pride and find a way to make peace with the man. Even if it killed me.

  As the housekeeper led me to Demi’s private office at the rear of the mansion, I had a few minutes to collect my thoughts. The past day had been a whirlwind, and I knew he had been the primary reason for my strife, but I couldn’t find harmony if I held on to that resentment.

  “I’m glad you came,” he said after the housekeeper left the room. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

  “We both know I’m here for one reason.”

  He nodded at the chair across from him before opening a box of fine Cuban cigars and offering one to me. I shook my head before sitting. I felt more like pacing, but I couldn’t let him know I was on edge.

  “Where to begin?” He cut the tip of his cigar before reaching into his desk drawer for a gold lighter.

  I thought about suggesting he start with an apology, but that would never happen. Right or wrong, men like Demi didn’t apologize. Ever.

  “We have a long history, you and I,” he said before drawing on the lit cigar. “A lot of bad blood that goes back years.”

  “Why not start there?” I crossed one leg over the other as I sat back, pretending to make myself comfortable. But I would never be at ease with Demi. He would always put me on guard. “Tiana tells me you hate me because you feel I’m resp
onsible for luring your children away from the family business.”

  “You have no idea how hard I’ve worked,” he said, letting the smoke seep out of his mouth. “I came from nothing. My parents were poor farmers. They worked from sun-up to sun-down every day.” He stared at a framed photo of his three children on his desk. “As the oldest, I had to step up and take care of my brothers and sisters.”

  I knew he didn’t need or want my feedback, so I just listened. I couldn’t deny I was curious to hear his life story in his own words.

  “Everyone in my village worked like dogs to survive. It never occurred to them they could want or expect more out of life.”

  “But you did?”

  He smiled, just a slight tip of his lips, but it was so genuine, I was taken aback. “I was about eleven years old. It was summer vacation, and I was just hanging out on the street with a few friends when this beautiful sports car pulled up to the curb. I’d never seen anything like it.”

  “So I walked up to the man and asked him what he did to be able to afford a car like that.” He held out the cigar, looking at it intently. “He was young, maybe thirty. He told me he’d gotten the hell out of the village the first chance he got. He said he was educated in America, became a stock broker, and made a bundle. That very day, I decided I would go to America too, to make my own fortune.”

  When Demi spoke of himself as a little boy, I could imagine it. He’d been a kid with a dream who worked his butt off to make it come true, with no help from anyone. I couldn’t even fathom what that must have been like.

  “And you did what you set out to do. For the record, I’ve always admired what you’ve accomplished.”

  “I don’t talk about how hard it was,” he said, his voice gruff. “Not even to my family. I wouldn’t want them to know. I took any job I could find: short order cook, janitor… as long as it provided a paycheck.”

  Imagining Demi doing manual labor was difficult, but maybe that was because I’d only seen him dripping in diamonds, wearing custom suits and shoes. “There’s no shame in that.”

  “I’m not ashamed of anything I did to get where I am,” he said, his eyes hardening. “I would do it all again to end up here.” He gestured around the exquisitely decorated office. It contained the finest furnishings and antiques, the walls panelled in solid mahogany with windows that afforded breathtaking views of the grounds.

  “But you don’t think I’ve earned anything I have. Yet another reason to resent me.”

  “It’s all comes so easily for you. Deacon used to talk to me about you while you were in school together. He said you were so smart, that you didn’t even have to try.” He set his cigar in a heavy crystal ashtray, letting the smoke spiral upward to the high ceiling. “Nothing ever came easily to me, not even reading, so if I’m being completely honest, I suppose that’s when I started to resent you.”

  That was news to me. Demi was touted as one of the most brilliant business minds of his time. I’d just assumed he’d been born with an uncanny ability to see potential where others couldn’t, as I had.

  “Deacon told me a bit about your family, your grandfather’s wealth and his holdings, and when I learned you inherited everything when you were barely old enough to drink…” He shook his head. “I was floored. And envious. Very, very envious.”

  “I didn’t ask to lose the people who meant the most to me, Demi. I would never have traded their lives for the billions I inherited.”

  “But you still have family, no?”

  “Yes,” I conceded. “My father and grandfather, but we’ve never been close.”

  “But family is important to you?”

  “Family means everything to me.”

  “At least we have that in common,” he said.

  “We have a lot more in common than you think.”

  “How so?”

  It was unlikely I would ever gain Demi’s respect, but I’d listened to his story, so now he would hear mine. It may not change his opinion of me, but at least if he still despised me, he would hate me for the right reasons. “I could have done what so many others have when they inherited more money than they could ever spend—nothing. But I wasn’t satisfied with that. I’ve always felt I was put on this earth for a purpose, to make my mark while helping people, and that’s what I’ve tried to do.

  “It just so happens that you’ve raised three amazing kids, Demi. Yes, I wanted to help them realize their goals, but that had nothing to do with you. Honestly, you weren’t even a consideration in my mind.” That may not have been entirely true. My situation with Tiana was personal. Very personal.

  He propped his elbows on his desk before dragging his hands over his face. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. The thought of losing my daughter makes me sick, but I don’t know how to go from hating someone to accepting him as family.”

  I smirked, thinking we might be asking the impossible of him. “No one’s asking you to love me, and I sure as hell hope no one’s expecting me to love you.”

  His lips twitched. “So what are we supposed to do then?”

  “Agree not to kill or incarcerate each other?” I asked, shrugging. I thought that was a good place to start.

  Demi laughed, his broad shoulders shaking with repressed mirth. “I think I can do that.”

  ***

  It had only been six weeks since my talk with Demi, but we were learning to tolerate each other. Someday, we might even be able to say we liked each other. I knew that would make my beautiful wife happy.

  “I’m so glad everyone is here,” she said, covering my hands, which were wrapped around her waist.

  We’d decided to put off our reception until my grandfather, who’d been out of town on business, could attend. He and I had never been close, so it didn’t really matter to me whether he was there, but it seemed important to Tiana, so I didn’t argue.

  “Mia outdid herself,” I said, looking around the lavishly decorated ballroom. “I can’t believe she managed to pull this together on such short notice.”

  “She did have some help from my mother and Eleni, but you’re right, she did an amazing job.” She spun around to loop her arms around my neck. “How lucky are we to have so many people who love us?”

  “I just consider myself lucky that you love me. That’s a hell of a lot more than I ever expected.” I kissed her cheek.

  “I wish everyone could be as happy as we are.”

  I noticed her eyes were on Kara. “Your cousin will figure things out on her own, baby. Don’t get any ideas about playing matchmaker while she’s here.”

  “She made a huge mistake,” she said, looking sad. “She should have married him.”

  “Who?”

  “Dustin.”

  “Dustin who?”

  “Dustin Matthews.”

  “Not the architect?” That guy was world-famous. I didn’t know why I was surprised that he and Kara ran in the same circles, but no one had ever told me he was a family friend. Hell, had I known, I would have called in a favor and had him design my home. He was the best of the best.

  “One and the same. Kara was engaged to him when they were young. His family had a summer home next to theirs in the Hamptons.”

  “Huh. So what happened?”

  “Kara called it off. Got cold feet right before the big day.”

  “Ouch.” I couldn’t imagine how I would have felt if the love of my life had broken my heart right before we’d planned to say our vows. “I’d ask how he took it, but I’m guessing not well?”

  “He was crushed and mad as hell. Kara hasn’t been back to the summer house. But now that she’s back in the area, I think she’s tempted.”

  “I read an article about him recently,” I said, trying to remember the details. “Isn’t he married or engaged or something?”

  “Engaged,” Tiana said, sounding dejected. “Kara won’t admit it, but I think she’s having a really hard time with it.”

  “Why? I thought you said it’s been years s
ince she dumped him.”

  Tiana winced at my callousness. “It has been years, but that doesn’t mean she’s ever stopped loving him.”

  “Yeah, but she was the one who dumped him. If she still has feelings for him, she could have reached out to him years ago to let him know that she’d made a mistake and was sorry.”

  “You weren’t there when she ended it,” Tiana said, cringing.

  “That ugly, huh?”

  “Worse. He said he hated her, that he never wanted to see her again.”

  I couldn’t say I blamed the guy. Not only had she’d broken his heart, but he’d suffered a blow to his ego when all of their family and friends had to be notified.

  “She’ll get over it.” Though I wasn’t so sure. If she hadn’t gotten over it after so many years, it may never happen.

  “I hope so.” She sighed before dragging her eyes back to mine. “I saw you talking to my father. No raised voices? That’s progress.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is.” We were still learning to coexist, but I was confident that our relationship would eventually grow into a more amicable one.

  “At least Chris finally left town,” Tiana said, scowling. “I don’t know what the hell my father was thinking, bringing him here in the first place. How could he—”

  I kissed her, which just happened to be my favorite way of silencing her. “We’re not going to let anything spoil this night, remember? The last person I want to talk about is him.”

  His injuries had healed nicely, but he’d still hung around for a while, hoping Demi would reward his loyalty. Eventually Tiana had told her father that she couldn’t stand knowing Chris was living in their guest house, and she refused to visit her parents if he was there. Within days, Demi had good old Christos on a private jet bound for Athens.

  “Are you excited about the studio?” I asked, thinking about the dance studio I’d bought and was retro-fitting for her.

  “Um…” She bit her lip as a blush crept over her cheeks.