Center Stage (The Keller Family Series)

by Marie, Bernadette

  “I don’t think so. I’m not sure what his motivation in scaring the hell out of her was, but it worked.”

  Carlos hit the balls and sent them rolling. “Solids.” He lined up another shot. “I tell you what. If the man comes near my sisters, or my family, they’ll be locking me up for a very long time.”

  He understood that sentiment. “I’ve done business with him a few times. I know four years ago Zach had all intentions of sending me to that job. I’m glad it didn’t pan out.”

  Carlos laid the stick on the table and picked up his beer. Obviously the game was a distraction to get John in the basement. That was just as fine.

  “You don’t really think he wants Regan’s baby, do you? The one she gave up, I mean.”

  “I think the Keller family stopped him from his intentions, and he’s a vengeful man.”

  Carlos shook his head. “I never did like Curtis telling him they both died. But it made him go away. Regan needed that.”

  “She never kept in touch with the adoptive family?”

  “No. She never even looked at the baby. Curtis is the only one who ever saw her.” He shrugged. “Seems like a long time ago.”

  “Wasn’t really.”

  Carlos took a pull from his beer. “Nope, sure wasn’t.”

  Arianna knew she’d made Clara’s night by telling her the news. Madeline had screamed aloud, too. It was going to be a wonderful production, and she couldn’t wait to get started.

  But, at that moment, she was digging into a cherry pie slice at Village Inn, and it was heaven.

  She looked up to see John nursing a cup of coffee and staring at her.

  “What?” she asked with her mouth full.

  “You’re beautiful when you’re enjoying things.”

  She swallowed the large piece she’d shoved in her mouth and wiped off her lips. “You’re one of those men, huh? The kind that feed women sweets just to see them devour it?”

  John shrugged and smiled from behind his mug.

  Arianna loaded her fork with a much smaller bite. “I’ll have to remember to keep going to yoga, or you’ll make me fat.”

  John sipped his coffee. “Clara seemed excited about Annie.”

  “Oh, she is.” She swallowed the next bite and then washed it down with her bitter and cold coffee. “I told you it was what she’d want. And did you hear about Christian? He’s going to be playing varsity, and he’s only a freshman.”

  “Pretty talented family.”

  “Well, don’t get me started on Ed. He’s the smartest kid I know. If Zach keeps him around, I’ll guarantee you Ed will be running the place.”

  John set down his mug, but it was his face that grabbed hold of her attention. Something was on his mind, and he didn’t know how to talk about it. She’d seen it before.

  “What’s bothering you?”

  John let out a breath. “You and your family.”

  That wasn’t a positive statement, and she couldn’t imagine where he’d go with it.

  “Something wrong with my family?”

  “No. No.” He tried to ease back in his seat, but he wasn’t comfortable. She figured John Forrester hadn’t talked so much in his whole life, and now he was having deep conversations on a daily basis. She’d ease him into it.

  “My family is very important to me.”

  “I know. In fact, when you were talking about offering Clara the part, your eyes lit up.”

  “My nieces and nephews are my life.”

  He nodded and reached for her hands across the table and held them. “That’s what I’m trying to get to. How can you not want to have children?”

  Her heartbeat began beating extremely hard in her chest. “Why do you ask?”

  “I think you’d be a fantastic mother.”

  Which way was this going? He hadn’t wanted kids. She hadn’t wanted kids. That was part of the charm that was their relationship. Which one of them was now causing the problem?

  Arianna pursed her lips together. “Do you want kids?”

  “I’m fifty-three years old.”

  “I’m not sure that was an answer to my question.”

  He held her hands tighter. “I just think that you’d be so good at having them. You shouldn’t give that up.”

  “Do you want kids?” She reiterated her question.

  This time he shrugged, and that made her heart rate go even faster. It was very uncomfortable.

  “John, what are you trying to say to me? You want to have a baby?”

  The tense look on his face softened. “Can you imagine? By the time they were thirty, I’d be eighty-three.”

  “You’re freaking me out. What are you talking about?”

  He lifted her hands to his lips and gently placed a kiss on her knuckles. “No, I don’t want kids of my own. I gave that desire up years ago. But you are still young enough to have them, and if you wanted them, I wouldn’t run away.”

  She let her shoulders drop. “I don’t want kids. I thought you knew that.”

  “But you love your nieces and nephews so much…”

  “Yes, I do.” She scooted out of her side of the booth and walked around the table to sit next to him. “They are my world, just as my brothers and sister are. I don’t want some big wedding with flower girls and ring bearers either.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “You asked me when we first tumbled on my bed if I would commit to you. That’s what I did. John, I don’t want a wedding dress. I never have. I don’t want children. I never have. But I have grown very fond of you.”

  “Okay.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just didn’t want you to give up something that might someday be important.”

  “You’re all I want. Stay with me forever?”

  “I promise.”

  Just to prove he did love a woman with her mouth full of pie, John had bought one for them to take home. Arianna had scolded him, but he’d seen her break off a piece of crust and eat it before she expended him in bed and then fell asleep.

  As he watched her dream, he thought about his ex-wife. She was nothing like the woman wrapped in his arms, and he supposed that was why everything now was so perfect.

  His ex-wife had a family now. It had been something she’d wanted, and he hadn’t been against it. It just hadn’t happened. Fate was sometimes generous—no matter how it played itself out.

  He was happy for her, even if he hadn’t seen her in the nearly ten years since she’d taken everything he’d ever saved. She must have needed it more, he always told himself.

  Of course, he’d never been happier than when he’d moved into the basement of Arianna’s house and given most of his furniture to Simone when she’d moved to Nashville. He never would have imagined he’d be living upstairs, wrapping his arms around the only other woman, other than his ex-wife, who had ever occupied his mind.

  John had been serious about the baby, too. If she’d wanted one, he’d make sure she had one. He’d be a fantastic father. That part he was certain of. But he was just as content to not have children. He, too, adored all of her nieces and nephews. And she was right. If Zach kept Eduardo active in the company, he could see him working the deals and designing the builds just as Zach had done.

  Marriage. Now that seemed to be another factor weighing in on his mind.

  He was going to buy her the biggest, gaudiest diamond he could find. She deserved that more than any woman he’d ever known. And who wouldn’t want to find that wrapped up for their fortieth birthday?

  The dilemma was should he attach a proposal with it?

  Construction continued on the theater, and Arianna was planning a grand opening performance. She’d been making lists of different classes she could offer when they opened and what kinds of performances she’d be putting together. There were days when she’d wake when John left for work and she’d be sitting in the same place in front of her computer when he came back. There was a lot of planning that went into a new business.
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  She’d sent off for her business licenses and opened a bank account. The insurance agent had called her at least four times in the past few weeks to tell her he’d been to the site and was always making sure the insurance would be enough on the building.

  There had been a few afternoons she’d picked Clara up from school, and they’d gone to the music store to pick up some sheet music to work on. It would never cease to amaze her how much alike they were, and yet, they weren’t, technically, even blood related.

  It also hadn’t gone unnoticed that her fortieth birthday was quickly approaching. The few lines around her eyes reminded her that she wasn’t getting any younger, but she’d never been happier.

  She was also sure the entire Keller/Benson clan was up to something because no one had talked to her in almost a week.

  Arianna wasn’t one to ruin surprises—if there was one. She wasn’t one to complain if there wasn’t one either. Though she’d like them all to at least take her out to dinner.

  As she started the coffeepot brewing, she planned out her day. Today she’d find a place to hold auditions for her grand opening event. It would be theatrical, but on a small scale.

  When her phone rang, she pulled it from her pocket and answered it.

  “Hello.” Her voice was song-like as she reached for a mug out of the cupboard.

  “The theater looks nice.”

  Arianna switched her phone to her other ear. She didn’t recognize the person, but she hadn’t looked at the ID either. “I’m sorry, who is this?”

  “It won’t always look so nice.”

  A chill ran down Arianna’s spine. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “Don’t be stupid. You know what I want.”

  She set the mug down on the counter and tucked her shaking hand in her pocket. “You need to just go away.”

  “Your sister is a disgrace. You can’t protect her forever.”

  “Leave us alone. Please. We don’t have anything for you.”

  “She will pay for the lies. Your brother will pay for the lies. You will pay.”

  The line went dead, and Arianna fell to the floor when her knees buckled beneath her.

  It could have been an hour. It could have been ten minutes. Arianna wasn’t sure. She’d been paralyzed on the floor—shaking, crying, oblivious to everything else.

  Her mind had only cleared when John opened the back door, called her name, and ran to her.

  Now she sat at the kitchen table, and John handed her a cup of hot tea. She hated tea. Why did she even have it in the cupboard?

  He watched her as she forced herself to take a sip. His face was hard. His brows narrowed, his lips were tight, and his face was a flush of red that could only mean anger.

  She hadn’t had to tell him much. He knew. He’d called the police and her family, but only after he’d called Zach and put him in motion to get to Regan.

  Arianna knew that she was about to face the wrath of John Forrester. She set down the mug, placed her hands in her lap, and waited.

  “You can’t be weak. What if he’d been here? What if…”

  “He wasn’t.”

  “The last thing I’d expect from you is to find you on the floor.”

  “I’m sorry. This isn’t my style. He just caught me off guard…”

  “And that’s what he wanted.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “If he can frazzle you, he can get to Regan. Don’t you see that?”

  She really hadn’t until he said it aloud.

  “Jesus, Arianna, I can’t lose you, and if you’re going to play with fire then we’re all going to get burned.”

  Now she was angry. She pushed up from her seat. “How has this become my fault? I came back to Nashville to be near my family. He’s stalking me. I didn’t ask for this.”

  “Are you sure?”

  That had crossed the line. She kicked back the chair and charged him. She’d smack him, punch him, and stop him from talking such nonsense. But he was quick. He caught her hands.

  “Calm down.”

  “Calm down? Are you kidding me?” She pulled her hands from his hold. “You’re accusing me of doing…something to provoke this.”

  He touched her arm, and she jerked away. “Actually, I was seeing how you’d react so I’d know you didn’t.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not very trustworthy of you.”

  “He’s not going to hurt Regan or the boys. Zach will see to that.”

  “He’s going to try.”

  John shook his head. “He’s not going to make it.”

  The pounding at the back door had Arianna jumping back. John turned and opened the door to Curtis who nearly knocked him over as he rushed past him.

  “What is with you?” Curtis grabbed her arms. “I’ve watched Regan come through the hospital twice. Once she nearly died at the hands of that monster and then again when you,” he turned and pointed at John, “fired that S.O.B. who tried to rape and kill her.”

  She watched as John fisted his hands at his side.

  Curtis turned back to her. “Now you’ve collected some maniac, too? What did you do in New York?”

  Arianna’s jaw dropped as she stared at her brother. “I had nothing to do with Alexander Hamilton. I didn’t do this.”

  “You had to have done something to have some guy stalking you.”

  “Some guy? He’s after Regan.”

  “No.” Curtis let go of her and shook his head. “Simone just got off the phone with her mother. Alexander Hamilton is in Paris.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  John paced the floor of his basement apartment—now his man cave.

  Again, the police had nothing to offer. An untraceable prank phone call wasn’t their first priority.

  Arianna had locked herself in her bedroom as soon as Curtis had left. The only thing left for him to do was to wait until she was ready to talk, but Curtis had brought up some points. Who had Arianna been involved with that would do this to her?

  He heard her stomp down the stairs, and he waited. Soon the noises were coming from the kitchen. It was time to face her and ask his own questions.

  John took the stairs slowly. It had been a long time since he had had to deal with a woman’s feelings. Truth was, he wasn’t great at it, and with lack of practice, he couldn’t expect that this was going to go well.

  Arianna was wrapped in her robe, leaning against the counter, sipping from a bottle of water. He couldn’t read her so he just watched.

  “Forrester, if you’re going to come up here on tip toe and stand quietly, you’re in for a world of hurt.”

  He tucked his thumbs into his front pockets and rocked back on his heels. “How’s that?”

  “I’m a screamer. When I’m mad, I have a tendency to scream, yell, and throw things. So this is your choice. You can disappear back into your cave, or you can see this very ugly side of me.”

  He considered her words and then walked to the kitchen table. He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Considering you’ve been quietly upstairs for the last hour, I’m going to assume anything being broken over my head would have happened already. So here I am. Let the words fly.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s it? You’re just going to sit there and let me have at it?”

  “Did I make you mad? Are you mad at me?”

  “I…well, no.”

  “You’re mad at Alexander Hamilton. You’re mad at Curtis. Hell, you’re probably mad at that inspector that made me change out that light switch. But, the point is, I haven’t done anything to warrant you walking out on me, so I’m here to let you do what you need to do.”

  She stomped her bare foot against the floor. “You’re ruining what could be a real good fit.”

  “I’m sorry. How can I help?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, but the smile she’d been trying to force away snuck through. “Damn you. I wanted to scream at you.”

  “And I’m offering the opportunity for you to do that
.”

  She shook her head. “I think I have a better idea.” She let her arms drop to her sides as she walked right up to John. With just one finger, she pulled the ties apart on her robe and then shrugged it off of her shoulders.

  He could smell the lavender scent from her skin. She’d soaked her worries away in a hot bath. Now she stood there before him naked and beautiful.

  This was the part of the relationship that made the fits of anger and insecurity worth it. As he pulled her down on his lap and pressed his mouth against her, he knew it didn’t matter who she’d been with in the past. It didn’t matter who was messing with them and keeping them on edge. What mattered was they would be together forever.

  Arianna lay in bed, her eyes wide open, the room dark. John breathed a steady rhythm next to her.

  She didn’t care what Curtis said. There was no one she’d been with who would stalk her. She’d been the one who heard the words the man spoke. It didn’t matter that Simone’s mother said that Alexander Hamilton was in Paris. Arianna knew that he was the one trying to scare her and her family, and he was doing a good job.

  She knew what he was capable of. And if Simone had been right about his wife leaving him and his loss of fortune, wouldn’t he be vengeful? After all, he’d tried to kill Regan and her baby. This wasn’t a man who had much fear.

  On the other hand, he didn’t have what she had. She had a family that would fight to the very end, and if a fight was what he wanted, then that would be what he would get.

  But until he showed his face, she’d carry her gun in her purse. She’d keep her sister close. And at night she’d sleep in the arms of the man she loved because, no matter what Alexander Hamilton said or did, she knew John Forrester would never leave her.

  As always, Arianna stood at the steps which led up to the theater the next morning. Her grande, skinny caramel latte warmed her throat as she took a sip and looked up at the building her family had bought her. They might all have had a hand in owning it, but it was hers to make great.

  John opened the front door and walked toward her. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw him. He wasn’t the man she had thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, but it had worked out that way.