Natasha worked from her suite while he spent most of his day with the hotel management team.
He didn’t see Natasha until he knocked on her door at six-thirty that evening.
Joshua selected a movie for them to watch while Ari ordered dinner for them. Monica had planned to retreat to her room, but they refused to let her.
“C’mon,” Ari told her. “We can all watch a movie together. Let’s have some fun before we head back to California tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, if you insist,” she said finally.
“We insist, don’t we, Mr. Ari?”
“We sure do.”
“The Incredibles is my favorest movie,” Joshua announced.
“Favorite,” Natasha and Monica said in unison.
Ari laughed. It had been a long time since he felt this content. He was with a woman he loved and a little boy he desperately wanted as a part of his family. He hadn’t realized just how much he wanted to be a father until now.
They enjoyed dinner together and afterward watched The Incredibles. This was Ari’s first time ever seeing the movie.
Monica retreated to her room as soon as the movie ended, while Joshua pleaded to see another one. When Natasha refused to give in, he tried another tactic. “Can I please watch a little bit of Chicken Run?”
“Just a little bit,” she repeated.
Pleased, Joshua climbed in Ari’s lap. Natasha sat beside him.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all fast asleep.
Ari woke up and eased off the couch. He laid Joshua down beside his mother. He watched them a moment before grabbing one of the cushions off another chair and lay down on the floor. He considered going to his own suite, but he didn’t want to leave Natasha and Joshua.
Chapter 19
The weekend after their trip, Ari took Natasha and Joshua to Pacific Palisades. They were going out there to discuss the upcoming barbecue.
As soon as they arrived, Barbara called them into the living room. “Is there something you two wish to tell us?” she asked.
Malcolm walked up to his wife and placed an arm around her. “Sugar, I think we already know what’s going on.”
Ari took Natasha’s hand. “We’re in love.”
“Me, too,” Joshua said, taking Ari’s other hand.
They all laughed.
Sage strolled into the room. “Well, it’s certainly about time you two got together.”
“Or not,” another young woman uttered.
Natasha glanced over at Ari, who said, “I didn’t know you were in town, Zaire.”
“Honey, don’t be rude to our guests,” Barbara said.
She walked up to Natasha, her gaze direct.
Joshua walked over to where his mother was standing. “My name is Joshua. Who are you?”
“This is my baby sister,” Ari stated. “Her name is Zaire.”
“Zaa-ere,” Joshua repeated. “I’ve never heard that name before. I kinda like it.”
Fascinated, Zaire watched Joshua for a moment and then looked back at Natasha. “He’s your son?”
Natasha responded, “Yes, he is.”
“Do you think…” She paused. “Can he have some ice cream?”
Ari put an arm around his sister. Zaire was outspoken and quick-tempered, but when it came to a child, she was putty. She was trying to compose herself in front of Joshua.
He took her by the hand. “I like your name, Zaa-ere, but I want to call you something else. Can I call you Zaa?”
She nodded. “You are absolutely adorable.”
“Is that why you’re about to cry?”
“Yes,” she managed.
“I like you, Zaa. Can we be friends?”
Zaire glanced over at Natasha and smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Zaire.”
“Joshua and I will be in the kitchen eating ice cream. After that, where we are will depend on what he wants to do.”
Ari and Natasha laughed.
Zaire took Joshua to the kitchen.
“She didn’t know about Joshua?” Natasha asked Ari.
“No, I didn’t say anything.”
“She has never let anyone of us call her by a nickname, ever,” Sage said in disbelief. “Wow. Joshua has her wrapped around his fingers.”
Malcolm and Barbara agreed.
There were only two members of the Alexander family missing: Drayden and Kellen. Everyone else was present at the house.
They spotted Franklin in the backyard talking to the landscaper. “Ari, I’ll be back,” Natasha told him. “I want to speak to Franklin.”
She left the room.
“She’s charming,” Barbara said. “I can tell she makes you happy, Ari.”
“Mom, I love her with my heart and soul.” He walked over to the window. “I never thought I’d say that about anyone other than April, but it’s true.”
“Franklin, how are you?” Natasha asked.
He smiled. “I’m fine. From the looks of things, you and Ari are getting along quite well.”
“We are,” she confirmed with a grin.
“I am happy for you both,” he said.
“How are things between you and Tammie?”
“She is still very angry with me, and I can’t say I blame her. I walked out on her and my wife.”
“Why haven’t you told them what happened to you?”
He held his head down. “Because I am ashamed.”
Natasha touched his arm. “You are a good man, Franklin. Tell your daughter the truth. Tell your wife. She never divorced you—maybe there’s a reason why.”
“You are a hopeless romantic.”
Natasha laughed.
“How is Joshua?” Franklin asked.
“He’s doing great,” she responded. “In fact, you will probably see him at some point. He’s in the kitchen eating ice cream with Zaire.”
Franklin raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”
“Yes, she has a heart for children, and when she saw Joshua she was overcome with so much emotion. But then she just took him under her wing.”
“She is fiercely protective of her family.”
“I can tell. She wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that Ari and I were involved until she met Joshua. I’m not real sure how she feels about me, but she is wonderful to my son. That’s all I care about.”
“It has been nice talking to you,” Franklin said. “I don’t want to keep you away from the family.”
Natasha gave him a hug.
Ari was standing on the patio when she turned around. He waved and smiled.
She waved back.
“Franklin is a good man,” he said when Natasha reached him. “I’m glad he’s a part of our family now.”
“This is the one fundamental difference between Robert and your family. You all treat employees as if they are members of your family. Robert was a good man, but employees were just that—employees.”
“This is who we are, Natasha. We believe that if we respect and treat our employees like family and they are happy and secure, they will be more productive.”
She agreed. “I love that you care about people.”
He wrapped an arm around her. “In the mood for a swim?”
“You just want to see me in a bikini.”
Ari grinned. “You brought a bikini to change into?”
Natasha shook her head. “Sorry to disappoint you, sweetie.”
He covered her mouth with his own.
They heard giggling and stepped away from one another.
“Zaa, did you see that?” Joshua asked. “Mr. Ari was kissing my mommy.”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
Natasha looked at Zaire, who smiled and said, “You make him happy. Ari deserves that.”
“He makes me happy, as well.”
“Joshua and I are going to change into swimsuits. Oh, you don’t have to worry. I am a certified lifeguard. We are just going to hang out in the shallow end.”
“Thank you for s
pending time with my baby.”
She glanced down at Joshua and said, “He’s adorable.”
Blaze walked out on the patio. “So are we going to get in the pool or what?”
Ari was truly happy. He hadn’t felt this alive in a long time, and it was because of the beautiful woman beside him, and her son.
Robert DePaul had been dead for three months to the day. This was also the day that the Alexander family hosted a barbecue to celebrate their arrival in Los Angeles. Natasha arrived, dressed in a silk sundress and heels.
She halted her steps when Ari came out of the house dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he responded. “It’s a barbecue.”
“I know, but I thought…” Natasha shook her head. “I didn’t think you would be dressed so casually.”
“Where we’re from, we don’t dress up for a barbecue.”
Natasha chewed on her bottom lip. There was going to be media coverage, the VIP guests…
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Ari whispered in her ear. “Everyone will have a good time.”
Natasha was worried, however.
His mother had on a denim skirt while Sage had on a cute halter dress and sandals.
“Wow, you look great, Natasha,” Sage said. “You do know that this is a barbecue, don’t you?”
She smiled. “I know. I just thought it was more of a dressy event.”
“Do you want to change into a pair of shorts or something?”
“I have a pair of silver sandals in the car,” Natasha told her. “I’ll just slip them on.”
The guests arrived dressed similarly to Natasha.
“Don’t these people know how to dress for a barbecue?” Barbara asked her husband.
“I guess not,” he responded.
Malcolm welcomed everyone, and then said, “We want you all to have a good time. Take off your fancy shoes and kick back and relax. We’re simple people, but we like to have a good time.”
On the menu were hamburgers, veggie burgers, barbecue chicken, shrimp and ribs. For sides, guests could choose potato salad, cucumber salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, macaroni salad and coleslaw.
“The food is delicious and everyone seems to be having a great time, including the reporters covering the event,” Natasha whispered. She and Ari walked around, pausing here and there to talk to some of the guests.
Ari’s eyes traveled the yard. “Everybody looks happy.”
“I have to admit that you were right again, Ari. Having everyone see you and your family like this—it’s good publicity.”
When the party ended, Natasha announced, “I want you to know that you are all the sweethearts of the hospitality industry. Your sincerity and Southern charm worked in your favor. I actually overheard one reporter refer to you as a more sophisticated version of the Beverly Hillbillies.” When she saw the expressions on their faces, she quickly added, “But I don’t think he meant it as insulting.”
After a moment, they all burst into laughter.
Natasha glanced over at Ari, who explained, “It was one of our favorite TV shows.”
She sighed in relief. “Oh, I thought maybe you were offended.”
“We don’t offend that easily,” Malcolm told her.
They settled down in empty chairs around the patio.
“I love being around your family,” Natasha said. “I admire your strength as a family.”
Ari finished off his water. “A family is at its strongest when they stick together. Our parents taught us to be individuals, but as a family, we function as a unit.”
Natasha couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“What is it?” Ari asked. “Do I have food on my face or something?”
“No,” she responded. “I was just thinking about how much I love you. Sometimes, I feel like I’m dreaming. I can’t believe that I have such a wonderful man in my life.”
He kissed her. “It’s not a dream, sweetheart. We are together, and there isn’t a thing in the world that can tear us apart.”
An image of Harold DePaul entered Natasha’s mind, sending a wave of apprehension through her.
Chapter 20
“Harold, what are you doing here?” Natasha demanded. She didn’t bother to hide the irritation in her voice. “I would appreciate it if you would call first before just showing up at my door.”
“Why? Are you expecting someone?”
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped. “Now, what do you want, Harold?”
“Oh, but I’m afraid it is,” he said as he held out a large manila envelope to her. “Perhaps you’d better take a look at these.”
Natasha couldn’t hide her surprised reaction. Harold had photographs of her and Ari in San Francisco, in Seattle, at the barbecue and other times, including their date last night. “Where did you get this?” she demanded. “Do you have someone watching me?”
“I’m merely protecting my interests.”
“You have no right to invade my privacy like this.” Natasha glowered at him and turned away. “I can’t believe you would do something like this to me.”
“Natasha, I wanted to make sure I was right in trusting you,” Harold told her.
She threw the pictures down on the coffee table. “You are the one who can’t be trusted.”
“Oh, really? Tell me something, Natasha. How long have you been sleeping with the enemy?”
She slapped him as hard as she could. “Get out of my house now.”
“Or what?” Harold questioned. “You are really in no position to make threats against me. If you don’t want lover boy to know whose camp you are really in, you’d better make sure the DePaul Group goes public. I have everything in place. We are just waiting to hear from you.”
“I didn’t understand until now why your uncle didn’t leave everything to you. It’s because he knew what you were about.”
Harold dismissed her words with a slight wave of his hand. “My uncle has always been an emotional fool.”
“You’d better hope that none of your skeletons start coming out of the closet,” Natasha warned.
He laughed. “I’m so much smarter than that, Natasha. You of all people should know this.”
“Get out of my house.” Natasha was careful to keep her voice down. “I don’t know what happened to you, Harold. You disgust me.”
“You’re much too good for Ari.”
“He’s a better man than you are, Harold,” she shot back.
He glared at her for a moment before slamming the door shut.
The nurse came rushing out of Joshua’s room. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s fine,” she lied. “Harold DePaul was just here and he slammed the door on the way out by accident.”
Monica accepted her response without question. She turned and went back upstairs.
Natasha rubbed her arms up and down. She didn’t need Harold as an enemy. A negative word from him could ruin her business. Although she didn’t want to work with Harold any longer, she didn’t want to anger him, either.
Ari had just arrived when Harold walked out of Natasha’s building. “What is he doing here?” he whispered.
He stayed in his car, watching Harold. The man looked furious over something, leading Ari to wonder if something just happened between him and Natasha. What is going on?
Ari got out of his car just as Harold drove away.
He took the elevator to her floor and got out. He stood outside her door, silently debating whether or not to question her about Harold.
Natasha opened the door and was surprised to see him. “Hey, you…I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“Obviously,” he responded.
Natasha’s smile disappeared and she quickly surveyed his face. “Honey, are you okay?”
She stepped back to let him enter the condo.
“So what have you been doing all day?”
&nbs
p; “Nothing much,” she responded. “Monica is here with Joshua, so I was about to run some errands. Are you interested in riding along with me?”
“Why don’t I drive,” Ari suggested. “It’ll help me with learning the city.”
He couldn’t decide whether or not to bring up Harold’s name. Although she was trying hard to hide it, Ari could tell that Natasha was upset.
“You don’t look like yourself,” he told her. “Do you need to talk about anything?”
Natasha shook her head no.
“There’s nothing you need to tell me?”
She glanced over at him. “Why would you ask me that?”
“You just look like you’re upset about something. I thought maybe you needed to talk.”
It was apparent that Natasha wasn’t going to open up, which left Ari suspicious. He couldn’t help but wonder if something was going on between her and Harold.
Until he found the truth, he would not be able to trust Natasha with his whole heart.
Harold called her, but she let the call go to voice mail.
Natasha wanted to tell Ari everything, but she feared losing him. The way Ari was acting earlier still weighed heavily on her mind.
He suspects something.
I have to be honest with Ari, she decided. I can’t hurt the man I love or his family, but I need him to understand that I couldn’t risk losing my son to leukemia, either.
She walked down to his office, but Ari wasn’t there. When she checked with his assistant, Natasha was told that he was out of the office but was expected back at any moment.
Natasha checked her watch. She had a staff meeting and needed to get back to her own office. “Tell Ari that I need to speak with him. I have an appointment right now, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Harold called her cell phone once more. She ignored that call, as well. She was not in the mood for another argument.
Ari was returning just as she drove out of the parking lot.
Natasha tried to get his attention, but he wasn’t looking in her direction. She decided that she was going to have a conversation with him as soon as she returned. It was time for her to tell Ari everything. If she expected to have any type of future with him, she had to be honest.
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