“How long has this school been in existence?” Tristan asked the secretary.
“For about three years now. It’s a smaller institution than most around the country, but it serves its purpose. Ms. Hodges is doing an excellent job of running the place.”
Danielle nodded. It was evident the school was well maintained. There were several separate classroom buildings on the property, as well as what appeared to be a gymnasium.
“We used to depend on donations,” Ms. Pinckney was saying. “But even that sometimes was a struggle. We would have closed our doors for sure last year if it hadn’t been for Mr. Foster.”
Danielle almost missed her step and was thankful that Tristan had been holding her hand. “Mr. Foster?”
“Yes, Marc Foster. He was a huge supporter of the school before his untimely death.”
Tristan and Danielle looked at each other before he said, “So you know that he’s dead?”
The woman turned around and a sad smile touched her lips. “Yes. When he didn’t show up at a very important function we knew something had to have happened to him, so we had Jules, one of our deaf students search the Internet. There was an announcement that he had passed away.”
Ms. Pinckney’s eyes widened just a little. “Did you know him?”
It was Danielle who responded. “Yes, we knew him.”
Catherine Hodges was not at all what Danielle expected. An attractive woman, she couldn’t have been more than twenty-six or twenty-seven. A friendly smile lit her face the moment she heard them enter her office.
Danielle glanced around the room and thought the setup was appropriate. Everything was within reach and all the books were in braille. When introductions were made, Ms. Pinckney mentioned that they’d known Marc.
Danielle watched how Catherine’s face lit up. “Truly? He was a very special man who touched the lives of many of the students here.”
“How so?” Danielle couldn’t help but ask.
“In a number of ways. He’s the one who got the computers for our classrooms and had the gymnasium built.”
The woman paused. “You said your name was Danielle. Were you once Danielle Foster?”
Danielle’s stomach tightened and she glanced quickly at Tristan. “Yes, I was at one time.”
The woman’s smile brightened. “Then I’m very happy to meet you. I’m sure Marc probably never mentioned me. He was always the secretive type when it came to his personal life.”
Danielle forced a smile to her lips. “Yes, he was.”
“He did tell me about all of you. He was proud of his sisters.”
Danielle blinked. “His sisters?”
“Yes, you, Renée and Alexandra. He thought the world of you. He also thought a lot of his brother, Chris. I’m well aware that Marc and his siblings didn’t share a close relationship. He talked about it sometimes and even admitted he had done some things to cause the rift. But now, with him gone, I hope all of you have forgiven whatever it was that kept the four of you from having a relationship with him. Believe me when I say that Marc was a remarkable man who gave me more than I could ever have given him. When it came to giving, he was one of the most unselfish men I know.”
Danielle had to shake her head to make sure she was hearing right. All it took was the look on Tristan’s face to know that she was. It was hard to believe that they were talking about the same Marc Foster.
“Are you here about the insurance money?” Catherine asked.
“The insurance money?” Danielle and Tristan said simultaneously.
“Yes. Marc had a number of insurance policies willed to the school, the total sum of which is enough to keep this school open and running for decades. When we learned of Marc’s death, we had our attorney contact the insurance firm to collect the funds. Marc had given explicit instructions for us to handle things that way if anything were ever to happen to him.”
“The two of you were engaged,” Tristan said when he saw how speechless Danielle had become.
The woman glanced in his direction. “Yes, for a short while. He fancied himself in love with me and I loved him, too. In fact, I cared for him too much to let him sacrifice his life for me. We got engaged, but after a few weeks I came to my senses and broke off the engagement. That was about six months ago. I returned his ring, but he sold it and used the money to pay off the balance we had owing on the gym and to purchase some additional land the school needed.”
When neither Tristan nor Danielle said anything, Catherine’s smile brightened. “I’ve probably bored you to tears and you’ve yet to tell me why you’re here.”
There was a brief moment of silence, then it was Danielle who spoke in a soft voice. “Chris was going through Marc’s things and found a receipt for the ring and traced it to here. I wanted to come and meet you, to finally get a chance to meet the one woman Marc undoubtedly loved.”
Alex dabbed at her eyes. “I think you did the right thing, Danielle, by not telling Catherine Hodges everything there was to know about Marc. It really wouldn’t have served any purpose.”
“I agree,” Renée said, her eyes misty, as well. “I can’t believe what Marc did for that school. For once in his life he was thinking about someone other than himself.”
Danielle nodded. As soon as she and Tristan had set foot on the Marc III, she’d gotten Alex and Renée together for a short meeting, while Tristan told the guys what they’d discovered.
Renée reached out and took Danielle’s hand. “Did handling things the way you did bring you closure, Danielle? Alex and I worry that you’re still not going to move on with your life.”
Danielle nodded. “Yes, it brought me closure. I am happy for Catherine Hodges, and I hate to say this, but I’m grateful that she met Marc and he was able to do so much for her and the school. I don’t know what kind of relationship they had, but from the way she spoke about him, it was easy to see she cared a lot for him. She even admitted to being the one to break off the engagement because she felt Marc would make too much of a sacrifice to marry her.”
After a brief pause it was Alex who asked, “So now that you’ve found closure, what will you do with your life?”
“Continue to love Tristan.” At the looks of surprise on Alex’s and Renée’s faces, she smiled. “Yes, I’ve finally realized just how much I love him, and he has admitted to being in love with me. I hate to say it, but the two of you were right. There was more than friendship between me and Tristan, but I just couldn’t see it. It took us spending time together, him being there for me when I needed him most, for me to realize just what a special man he is.”
She glanced around before leaning in closer to them. “And I haven’t told Tristan yet, since I just found out last night, but…I’m pregnant.”
Both Alex and Renée let out whoops of joy. “Oh, Danielle, we are so happy for you!” Alex and Renée said simultaneously as they rushed from their seats to hug her.
“When will you tell Tristan?” Alex asked.
A huge smile covered Danielle’s face. “Tonight. So don’t either of you be surprised if we don’t join you guys on deck for breakfast in the morning.”
Later that night, after they’d taken a shower together and made love, Danielle was wrapped in the warmth of Tristan’s arms. The night was perfect.
“What did Alex and Renée think about the way you handled things with Catherine Hodges?” Tristan asked her.
Danielle looked at him. “They agreed it was for the best. There was no need to tell Catherine our thoughts on the type of man Marc was, or to fill her in on all his bad deeds. The Marc Foster she knew and loved was a totally different man from the one we knew. He was unselfish and giving. I truly believe he loved her.”
“So now have you found closure, Danielle?”
She shifted positions in the cabin bed and smiled at him. “Yes, but from all this I found so much more. I found a man who loves me and I love back.”
She paused a moment and then said, “From the first, you were there with
me, Tris, to hold my hand, wipe my tears and be by side. You let me know that no matter what I had to go through, I was never alone. I appreciate that. You have been so free in your giving, so unselfish in your love.”
“I’ll give you anything that’s in my power to give, Dani,” Tristan said softly, reaching out and touching her cheeks and noticing the wetness there. He cupped her face and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Why are you crying, sweetheart?”
She reached out and touched the hand he held to her face. “I’m crying because you, the man I love, my very best friend, will be wearing another title in about nine months. You will be the father of our baby.”
Tristan went still. He stared deep into her eyes and then a smile touched his lips. “Are you saying that you’re pregnant?”
Danielle laughed. “Yes, father-to-be. That’s exactly what I’m saying. You made my dream come true, Tris. You gave me the one thing that I wanted in life. I love you.”
“And I love you,” he said, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. “And now I’m asking you to give me yet another title, one that I will wear just as proudly as the others. Your husband.”
He pulled back and gazed into her face. “Will you marry me, Danielle? Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”
Danielle smiled as tears glistened in her eyes. “Yes! I would be honored to be the one you call wife.”
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, putting everything she felt and more into that kiss, knowing this was the start of the rest of their lives together.
Epilogue
Alex and Renée shared tears of happiness as they watched Danielle and Tristan exchange their wedding vows. It was a beautiful September day in Port St. Lucie, and it seemed the entire town was present at the Forest Grove Baptist Church for the occasion.
“I just knew it would end this way for all three of us,” Alex said happily. “I just knew it.”
Renée glanced over at her. “And how did you know?”
“Because I felt it. Marc’s dying was not in vain. I may have lost a husband—or someone I thought was my husband—but I gained a lot more in return. I got you and Danielle for life.”
Renée laughed. “Yes, for life.”
Their attention was pulled back to the wedding when a cheer went up. The pastor had just pronounced Tristan and Danielle husband and wife.
A few minutes later, after Tristan picked up his bride to carry her out of the church, Alex and Renée were joined by their husbands.
“We tried to tell Danielle that Tristan was in love with her,” Alex said matter-of-factly. “But she refused to believe us.”
Renée smiled. “It just wasn’t time for her to believe us, Alex.” She glanced at her husband. “A woman will eventually know when she is in love and is loved.”
Alex smiled and looked at Hunter, feeling the very essence of Renée’s words when she looked into her husband’s eyes.
“Now that the three of you are married,” Chris said, “what’s next?”
Both Alex and Renée leaned up and whispered to their husbands at the same time. “Babies.”
It took Hunter and Chris a minute to realize that announcements had just been made. Overjoyed, they swept the women they loved into their arms.
Later that night as they spent their honeymoon on the cruise ship they had boarded a few hours after their wedding, Tristan pulled his wife, the mother of his child, into his arms. Come spring, he and Danielle would have a little one to love. They had decided if it was a boy, they would name him Paul, and if it was a girl, she would be called Paulette.
“I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered to her.
“And I love you back.”
She did and she would make sure that for the rest of his life he would know it.
She thought about how beautiful their day had been, how wonderfully everything had gone, and knew she wouldn’t have done anything differently. Alex had offered the use of the Marc III for the wedding, but Danielle knew there was no way she would cheat all the good people of Port St. Lucie of being witness to an Adams and Timmons match-up.
Besides, a lot of her modeling friends had come, and she’d been elevated to celebrity status all over again.
“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?” Tristan asked.
“About how happy I am.” She looked at him. “And are you happy?”
He chuckled. “If I was any happier I’d probably burst at the seams.”
“Well, I guess now is a good time to tell you, since I’m sure Hunter and Chris know by now.”
Tristan lifted a brow. “Know what?”
“Come spring, they will become fathers, too.”
The smile that covered Tristan’s face was priceless. “No kidding?”
“No kidding. So I’m sure the three of you will have a lot of stories to swap this time next year.”
“Yeah, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I, Mr. Adams. So am I.”
And then she pulled his mouth down to hers for another kiss. Just one of many they would share over their lifetime.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1926-1
JUST DESERTS
Copyright © 2008 by Brenda Streater Jackson
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* Westmoreland family titles
** The Garrisons
Just Deserts (Kimani Romance) Page 12