by Maggie Marr
Dimitry shook his head, but his gaze remained locked to Ilana’s. “Only if you wish to do so. I…that is a choice that you must make. Your mother and I…we decided it would be best if you didn’t know about us, about your father’s family, until after he passed away—”
“Why? I’m a grown woman. Why wouldn’t she think I should make these decisions on my own?”
“You weren’t grown then. And the path your father chose was filled with enemies and danger.” His gaze dropped. “And to be honest, I didn’t wish to lie to my brother. Continue to pretend that I didn’t know where you were. He lost himself, but in his own way, he still loved you, still loved your mother. I’d say that you two may be the only people that he ever did love. I didn’t want his choices and my weakness to ever put you in danger. So, we made a decision, the three of us, your mother, myself, and Natasha, that we would not communicate, not until the possibility of your father finding you and of you ever being unsafe due to his anger or his choices had passed.”
“I…I just…” She crinkled her eyebrows. “I’m having a hard time understanding.” Ilana looked around the room. “You know, there were times we didn’t have electricity, and there were times when I was hungry, and—”
“I know.” Dimitry’s voice cracked. “I do know. While I wasn’t supposed to have any contact with you, and I wasn’t supposed to know where you and your mother were, I did. Oh, Ilana, I did. And I sent her money, I sent her checks…I…we tried, but she wanted nothing from me. I can’t blame her, really.” Her uncle shook his head. “While we’re different men, I look just like your father. That had to be hard. And she feared that for you, as a small child, me looking just like your father would be confusing. And Natasha and I worried that the boys might accidentally tell someone your true identity—they were so young. I promise you, these decisions were not made lightly. They were not made to harm you, but to protect you.”
His words hurt Ilana’s heart. Mama had lied to her. While the reasons for the lie were valid and loving, the lie still existed.
“But…my father…he’s still alive. If I wasn’t supposed to find out about you until he was dead—”
“As I said, he is very ill.” Her uncle’s lips thinned. “He’s in prison, and he is dying. We don’t believe he will live much longer.”
“You think I should see him.”
Her uncle shook his head again. “I think you should have the choice. If we had contacted you later and you discovered that we’d known he was going to die and hadn’t told you, how would you have felt? I was afraid you might forever turn your back on us. I never wanted to do anything unforgivable, Ilana. We always kept you in our thoughts and our hearts. We waited for this day, this night, for so long. We’d hoped it would be with your mother too…but it wasn’t.”
“You…” Ilana’s voice came in a hushed whisper. Key pieces of her past were falling into place. “You paid for her funeral. You…it was you who sent the package with the money and the Eurail pass.”
“I…Natasha and I…we…” He closed his eyes and they tightened. “We loved your mother. She was like a sister to me, your aunt’s close friend, and we missed her, Ilana. We still miss her. It was…it was what we had to do to keep you safe.”
Ilana swallowed. This, tonight, her emotions vacillated between happiness and deep sadness. They overwhelmed her, swamped her like a ship in a squall. Slowly Ilana stood. She needed to move, to walk, she couldn’t sit still. She clasped her hands together and walked around to the back of the couch. “I’m having a hard time processing all this information.” She looked up at the ceiling. “I…if you didn’t look exactly like my father, I’m not sure I’d believe any of it. It’s almost too much.”
“I can’t even imagine.” Dimitry gave her a sad look edged with empathy. “Please, know that every decision was made to try and protect you. We made them out of love.”
Ilana dropped her chin to her chest. She understood the need to keep the bad away from those you loved, to protect children, to provide the safest and best environment for them. Wasn’t that what she was trying to do for the children of Venice in her own unique way? She understood all this in her head, but her heart? Her heart ached with the lie her mother had lived, with the decisions her uncle and aunt had made.
“I think I should go home now. I need to think about all this.”
“I understand.” Dimitry stood and walked toward Ilana. “I hope that you’ll allow us to be your family. To be part of your life. We’re here whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
Ilana was unsure whether she could accept this new reality anytime soon.
Chapter 11
“It’s time for you to come home.”
Devon shook his head. How many times would he have to listen to one of his brothers inform him that it was time for him to return to the east coast, and how many times would he have to say that he intended to remain in Venice? Leo delivered the ultimatum via teleconference this time, flanked by the other two Travati brothers.
“The threat is nearly gone.”
Devon cocked his head, puzzled.
“Dead. Or just about, anyway. According to what we hear, he’ll be dead by the end of the month, two tops.” Leo sat back in his chair and glanced toward Justin. “You can come home now.”
His brothers believed that he’d stayed away this long after the trial because he was afraid? Because he was scared? Because he didn’t want to face what had happened in the Travati-owned clubs and then in the courtroom when he testified?
“I am home.”
“Home? Dude, your home is where your family is.” Leo leaned forward. “How can you say that? You don’t have roots in Cali, none of us do.”
Devon might not have roots in California yet, but he knew enough about his adopted state to know that no self-respecting native or transplant would ever call the state “Cali.”
“I’m not coming back to live in New York.” Devon scrubbed his hand over his jaw. He’d told his three older brothers a million times, but he guessed it would have to be a million and one. “I’m staying here. I’ll be back to visit, but I’m building my life here. I’ll have my family here, my business here—”
“Wait.” Justin held up his hand. He tilted his head and his gaze lasered in on Devon. “You met a woman.”
Devon jerked back. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh please, little brother, like you can fool any of us? I mean, come on. Each of us has gotten married and started families in the last two years. We know what love looks like.”
“He said family.” Leo smiled a cocksure grin.
“He did.” Anthony crossed his arms over his chest. “A California girl, no doubt. So when do we get to meet the next new Travati?”
“Hold up.” Devon attempted to paste a nonchalant grin to his face, but instead heat burst across his face. “Just because you three bit the dust doesn’t mean—”
“So you’re denying it?” Justin asked. “You’re saying there isn’t a woman that you’re serious about?”
“Don’t lie to us, okay?” Leo added. “Because if you lie we’ll just send Aubrey, Shelly, and Gwen to your house to investigate.”
“No.” Devon shook his head and waved his hands. “No, no, no…don’t do that.” My God, just the idea of his three sisters-in-laws all in his home at the same time made chills to race up his spine. “Okay,” he sighed, a sound of surrender. “There is a woman I’ve been spending time with, someone I like and—”
“Businesswoman?”
“Accountant?”
“Hedge fund manager?”
“Community activist and artist.” His brothers’ hopeful expressions deflated in unison. “Oh come on, you assholes. She’s amazing.”
“I’m sure she is,” Justin said. “We’d just hoped we might get a woman on our side. We’ve already got three of them who want to spend all our money to save the world, and then you move to California and turn into some leftist liberal
socialist, and now you’re marrying a community activist artist—”
“Stop. Stop.” Laughter burst from Devon’s lips. “You fuckers have more money than you can ever spend.”
Anthony crossed his arms over his chest. “Not if my wife has anything to do with it. She’s starting a school for women. Single moms. Provides child care and classes so that they can earn their degree.”
Devon’s smile widened. His brothers. They acted like they didn’t want the Travati women saving the world, but each of his brothers took enormous pride in his wife.
Now, finally, Devon understood why they were so proud. A woman, a smart, motivated, strong woman, was like a diamond for a man. A woman who had chutzpah and determination meant infinitely more than a piece of arm candy that he could put on his arm for a week or two. How many years had it taken Devon to understand how important a woman of substance was to a man? His entire lifetime. How many women? Too many to count.
But now, here, in Venice, California, he’d found that type of woman. A woman who worked hard, took a dream and built that dream into a reality. A woman who loved children and her community. Plus he was wildly attracted to her and maybe…just maybe…damn, who was he kidding? He’d completely fallen for her.
Maybe that’s why what he’d found out at the real estate office hurt him. Made him question who she was. Why would she lie? But then again, he’d worked at Travati Finance, and business often required omissions to get deals closed. Maybe Ilana was just focused on getting the Center opened. Maybe she had a solid plan to deal with the lease. She was smart, maybe not business-savvy, but smart. Deep breath. He could understand why she hadn’t told him about the lease, but still, the omission bothered him.
“You didn’t answer our question, little brother. When do we get to meet her?”
Devon fixed his gaze on his computer screen, where his three brothers all stared at him.
“Soon.” Devon smiled again. “Most likely soon.”
*
Silence enveloped Ilana. How strange it felt when the Enrichment Center was silent. The shouts of children and the laughter of teachers and parents had faded for the day, and now Ilana sat alone at the front desk, reworking the schedule for the following Tuesday.
Ilana was thankful for the silence. Devon had been asleep when she’d gotten to his place the night before, and then he’d been up and out the door early to chase waves. She’d snuck off to work like a liar with a secret. Which she was. But damn, she didn’t want to talk about what she’d discovered last night. Not yet. Not to anyone. “Nobody had seen her leave Devon’s in the predawn light except for the clean-cut, buff guy across the street, who leaned down to adjust a shoelace when she appeared. Same guy nearly every time she was at Devon’s. Security. She’d heard through the Venice grapevine that the dark-haired Latino guy worked for Greystone Security. Did Devon know? Maybe all rich guys had security hanging outside their homes.
Her head ached and her heart hurt. Her mother’s directives to Ilana, that she never mention her other last name, that Ilana never tell people about her father, were so ingrained, so a part of who she’d become, that she, even now, with her mother gone and her father incarcerated and about to die, couldn’t bring herself to discuss her family.
Amelia walked out of the art studio and paused at the front desk. “We should probably talk.”
Ilana’s already anxious and tight belly flipped. She looked up from her computer screen. Worry stretched Amelia’s mouth into a tight line. Absent was the constant light of joy and enthusiasm that normally shone from her eyes.
“Probably.” Ilana closed her laptop and stood. “Back patio?”
Amelia nodded. Ilana followed Amelia through the empty Enrichment Center. The rooms felt hollow without the giggles and footsteps of the children. Ilana sat in an outdoor chair beside the bright fuchsia bougainvillea bursting with color.
“Listen.” Amelia sat across from her and stared at her hands. “I’ve decided not to go to New York. I don’t want to leave you in the lurch here.”
Ilana’s jaw dropped. “What? No, absolutely not. You have to go.”
“Wait, what? Oh my God, Ilana, you threw a complete fit about me going and now you want me to go?”
“I never didn’t want you to go.” Ilana leaned back in the chair. “I just…I wanted you to discuss it with me and not order me around like I was the hired help.”
“The hired help? My God, Ilana, you own this place.”
“We own this place.”
“Okay, in name we own this place, but in actuality, this is your place. This was your idea, you made it happen. You found the location, the lease, the supplies. All I did was come up with some funding. This place”—Amelia waved her hands in the air—“this place is all you. You even live here. When your apartment isn’t full of paper, that is.”
Ilana’s brows creased. “I’ve never thought of this place as mine. I think of it as ours. I know you have your art and that’s what makes this place so special. That all these amazing artists are teaching kids…I don’t know…I wanted you to discuss a big change like that with me. Not tell me. I do want you to go—I know how important the trip is for your art career. We can figure out how to make it work. I guess…I just wanted to feel like this place, what we’re doing, what we’re building, is a priority to you.” Ilana dropped her eyes to her hands and pressed her fingertips together. “Even when I know it’s not the most important thing in your life.”
“You’re my best friend. You’re a priority, this place is a priority.” Amelia reached out and grasped Ilana’s fingers. “I’m sorry.”
The weight that had lodged in her chest since their argument lifted. She could breathe. Some of the pressure was off—Amelia wasn’t upset and their friendship was okay.
“Feel better?”
Ilana nodded.
“You never liked it when we argued.”
“And you did?
Amelia shook her head. “No, but I’m more stubborn than you. I’m surprised you lasted this long. Usually you cave by now.”
Ilana sucked in a deep breath. Sighed and stood.
“Is everything okay with you?’
Tingles shot through Ilana’s fingertips. No. No, everything wasn’t okay. Mama had kept a gargantuan secret from Ilana for her entire life. She wanted to tell Amelia everything. Now. This minute. But she hesitated. Fear. Fatigue. The warning Ilana’s mother had repeated over and over and over—Don’t tell. Don’t tell anyone about your father or your family—still circled in Ilana’s head.
“I’m fine.” Ilana summoned a false smile to her lips. “Just tired.” She tried, oh how she tried, to brighten her smile for her best friend. “It’s not easy starting a business.”
“You’re right about that.” Amelia rose from her seat. “I’m glad we talked this out. I was worried.”
Ilana followed Amelia back into the Center. “We’re best friends, like family. There isn’t anything we can’t work through, is there?”
“After all these years, probably not.”
They walked through the center and into the lobby. Devon stood just inside the front door.
Heat and longing and need flashed through Ilana. Desire curled deep in her belly and sent a delicious tendril of want through her sex.
“Hey,” he said, his bright, white-toothed smile decorating his face. “The door was unlocked.”
The sound of his voice, the smile on his face, just him inhabiting the same building made Ilana’s heart kick into overdrive.
“Hi.” She’d just seen him early that morning. She slept with him every night, and yet this moment was electric. As though she hadn’t seen him in days. The power of her attraction to him amazed her.
Amelia raised her eyebrows and shot Ilana a coy smile. “I’ve got dinner plans. I’ll see you two later.” She lifted her purse from behind the desk and headed out the front door.
“I missed you this morning. You were already gone when I got back from surfing.” Devon shoved his
hands into the back pockets of his jeans and his T-shirt strained across the muscles in his chest, his biceps flexing with the motion.
She tore her gaze from his body and looked into his eyes. Heat blazed through her cheeks. “Uh…Sorry I had to take off so early. Amelia and I were just talking about how crazy this week has been.” She turned to the front desk and shuffled a couple of papers next to her computer.
Ilana could feel the weight of his eyes on her. She couldn’t help it—her eyes crept up until her gaze locked to his.
Energy zinged through her body. Devon stepped closer. Her skin prickled, as if his nearness completed an electrical circuit. A flash of heat shot through her. She couldn’t breathe right, she couldn’t think…the scent of Devon, so close to her now, just beside her. Clean like soap with a hint of—what was it?—salt and ocean and him…the scent of Devon.
He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist.
Her sex tightened. She swallowed. My God, she could barely even swallow. So close she could smell the mint on his breath, feel the heat of him pressed to her, his hard sex nudging against her.
“I missed you. I was worried about you.”
She was worried about her, too. Did she want to be a part of her aunt and uncle’s family? Did she want to tell Devon about them? She had to tell Devon, didn’t she? And Amelia…Amelia still didn’t know about the lease…and now Ilana’s family. Thoughts spun through Ilana’s head. His hard muscles pressed against her body, the heat of him, her craving for him…suddenly all the other thoughts drifted away toward the horizon of her mind, like ships traveling from shore to sea.
“God, I missed you.” His lips descended on hers and she opened her mouth to his. Passion rolled through her body. So thankful for this moment, the release into his kiss. He hadn’t pushed her away or made her feel badly for being distant. He’d come to her and said he missed her and kissed her. She wanted him with a deep hunger that was about more than sex. This was a connection…to him. A connection so profound she might be able to tell him about her life, about her family, about her secrets…