by Noelle Adams
Bryce’s gaze zeroed in on Kaya. She was among a group of four women who were sitting on the cushioned steps leading up to the fireplace. Alyssa was straddled across her lap, nibbling on a piece of chocolate cake. There was no doubt in Bryce’s mind that Kaya was the most beautiful woman in the house. She looked poised and sophisticated in a lovely black and white silk dress, and she didn’t seem to mind that Alyssa was smearing cake all over the front of her dress. She was the perfect picture of a devoted mother who would put the needs of her children ahead of hers. Bryce liked that about her. A lot.
Libby was at her side, he noted with relief. Bryce had overheard a few hushed conversations among the young women as he moved through the groups, so he’d commissioned Libby to shadow Kaya to deter the town gossipers from filling her head with rumors about him and the other members of the Billionaire Club—a club that comprised of himself, Erik LaCrosse, who was also the children’s pediatrician, and the Italian cousins Adam Andreas and Massimo Andretti, all of whom were presently out of the country on personal and business affairs.
Except for Erik, who had recently remarried, all of the members of the Billionaire Club had notorious reputations with women. It was a small town, and for some undetermined reason, Bryce did not want Kaya’s opinion of him influenced by embellished tales of his sexual dalliances.
“Hey, did you hear me? I asked you to get Kaya for me.”
Bryce started. He’d totally forgotten about Jack. “Kaya is busy,” he said in a clipped tone.
“Busy doing what?”
Bryce stifled a grunt. “We just returned from a funeral, Jack. Perhaps you should call back after our guests leave. Goodbye.”
“Hey, wait a second. That’s why I’m calling. To see how the funeral went.”
“It went as funerals go.” If you’re so concerned about Kaya, why aren’t you here with her?
“Is this Bryce? Bryce Fontaine?” Pause. “Of course. Who else would be answering the phone but the man of the house? Hey, brother, I’m sorry about your friends, and those poor little kids… your godchildren, right? I can’t wait to meet you.”
“You seem to know a great deal about me, Jack, when Kaya hasn’t even mentioned you.” If he hadn’t overheard that conversation the other night, he probably still wouldn’t have known of Jack’s existence.
He was beginning to understand why Kaya had kept him a secret. Nothing to boast about. Thirty seconds on the phone and Bryce was ready to swat Jack like the annoying little bug he was. One look at the scrawny, squinty-eyed man from the pictures the private detective had faxed him yesterday, and Bryce knew he was a loser. He still hadn’t read the report on Kaya’s past he’d also received. He wanted Michael and Lauren buried before he and Kaya began their next round of attack, whatever it was.
“Well, you know how it is,” the bug spoke again.
“No, I don’t know how it is. But I know this much,” Bryce stated, his eyes drinking in the delicate softness of Kaya’s heart-shaped face, his heart racing with the memory of her comforting arms when his own grief had overwhelmed him, “if Kaya were my fiancée, I would be with her at a time like this.”
“She’s fine, isn’t she? Just remember, she’s mine. Don’t you forget that while you guys are up there playing house,” he added with a snicker.
The tone of his voice and the implication of his threat sent a cold chill up Bryce’s spine. “Is there a specific message you would like me to relay to Kaya, Jack?”
“Yeah, brother, tell her I’m flying up tomorrow. I mean, since we’re getting married, the children should meet their new daddy, don’t you think?”
Bryce’s fist curled so tightly around the ivory railing, it hurt. “Kaya is free to marry you if that’s her wish. As for my godchildren, you’ll be their daddy over my dead body. Don’t you forget that, Jack. And one last thing, don’t call me, brother. As a matter of fact, don’t ever call here again.” Bryce marched to the table and slammed the receiver into the cradle.
He stood in the center of the room shaking, having no idea what infuriated him more: Jack’s assumption that he would become the children’s new daddy or his claim that Kaya was his.
He tried to curb his anger as he strode toward Jason’s bedroom. The door was closed, but he could hear voices coming from inside. He’d noticed Jason and Ethan heading into Jason’s room a while ago. Over time, a handful of other children from Jason’s school and church had sneaked up the stairs to join them. At least, for a time, the boy could think about something other than the fact that he’d just lost his parents.
The support of his trusted friends was the best medicine for Jason, Bryce thought as he continued downstairs.
Michael and Lauren weren’t here to fix the problems their deaths had caused. They had no idea what was best for their children. He didn’t give a damn what their will stated, or what their last wishes were. It was time Kaya made a decision.
Negotiations were off the table—not that they were ever on it, anyway.
From the bottom of the stairs, Bryce took a derisive glance at the crowd scattered around his house. Having no desire to rejoin them, he took a left turn under the stairwell and stole away to the library. Once inside the sound proof room, he lit a fire in the fireplace then removed an original van Gogh painting from a wall to reveal a hidden safe. He deftly punched in the security code and retrieved a large envelope.
Comfortably seated in a chair near the fire, Bryce ripped the envelope open.
***
With a glass of scotch in one hand, Bryce stared out the Palladian window into the cold gloomy night hovering above the lake. It was hours since the last guest had left and the children had been put to bed. The house was quiet. Quiet enough for him to hear the ghosts lurking in the shadows.
His eyes scanned the room, decorated with an array of original fine art and collections of sentimental ornaments that had once adorned the hillside villa he’d shared with Pilar. This was the only room in the house that was off limits to the children—all but Jason, who was old enough to appreciate and respect the value of the contents within it.
Bryce downed the last mouthful of scotch and grimaced as the rich, spicy liquor scorched the back of his throat.
Soon after his friends left, he’d checked on Jason, only to find him weeping on his closet floor, a picture of his parents clutched to his chest. Bryce had picked him up and carried him to his bed. He’d said nothing to Jason, because there was nothing he could say to mend the boy’s heart. He couldn’t tell him that he understood, because he didn’t understand a nine-year-old boy’s pain of losing both parents in a tragic accident. Bryce had simply lain next to Jason and held him until his sobs ceased and he’d drifted off to sleep.
Bryce could sure use the support of his friends and family right about now. But his parents were on a charitable mission in Asia, the Italian cousins, Massimo and Adam were in Africa, and Erik and Michelle, who’d grown close to the Rogers family since they became neighbors last year, were in the Seychelles Islands. Bryce saw no sense in overshadowing their honeymoon with such sad news.
They would all have the chance to say their goodbyes to Michael and Lauren during the private ceremony Bryce had arranged to take place in late spring when they would be laid to rest. The service today was strictly for the children’s sake, and his and Kaya’s, too. They needed closure before they could begin to rebuild their lives, either together or separately. Whether they chose the latter was up to Kaya.
Bryce walked to the minibar and poured himself another scotch. According to the report he’d received from the private investigator, little Kaya Brehna had lived in foster homes most of her teenage life, and she’d spent time in juvenile detention. She wasn’t as sweet and innocent as she pretended to be. The records were sealed because of her age at the time of the crime, so he didn’t have all the facts yet.
Tonight he would give her the chance to choose between staying in Granite Falls permanently or signing the kids over to him and returning to Palm Beac
h alone. He didn’t relish the idea of digging into her past; he really didn’t care to know what she’d done. It wasn’t his business, but he wasn’t above resorting to blackmailing her, either.
Before he fell asleep, Jason had begged him not to let his aunt Kaya take them to Florida.
Bryce was not about to break that promise.
“Bryce?”
Bryce’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name. He set his half-empty glass on the bar and looked up at Kaya standing at the door. She was wearing a pair of white sweats, and her damp hair fell in curly tendrils down both sides of her face and disappeared behind her shoulders like a thick dark, drape. She was a delicate woman, with a childlike innocence about her. But Bryce knew she was no child, nor was she innocent.
She’d been in trouble with the law, and she was old enough to have a lover. Jack may be an ass, but of all the men in Florida, Kaya had chosen to spend the rest of her life with him. Jack knew the pleasure of touching her in the most intimate way a man could touch a woman.
If he were in Jack’s shoes, Bryce knew he’d be possessive of Kaya, too. He’d put tabs on her. Every second she was not in his line of vision, he’d know where she was, what she was doing, and with whom.
If he’d kept tabs on Pilar, he would have known that Victoria had befriended her. He would have been able to protect her. She would be alive today. “Come on in, Kaya,” he said.
She advanced into the room, a frown of confusion on her flawless brow. She had no idea why he’d asked her to meet with him. Bryce indicated a chair near the fireplace where the flames danced with enthusiasm in the marble hearth.
She stifled a yawn and drew her bare feet up under her. “What’s so important that we have to discuss tonight? Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I’m really tired.”
Bryce felt awful for dragging her back downstairs at such a late hour. He’d intended to delay this discussion for a day or two, give her time to recuperate after the stress of facilitating the funeral and entertaining today, but his conversation with Jack this afternoon had forced his hand. What was an intelligent woman like her doing with a character like Jack? She could do so much better, despite the fact that she had a blemished past.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Samantha about Alyssa wetting her bed and clinging to us since we told her about her parents?” he asked, easing into the conversation.
She nodded. “She said it’s normal behavior for a child in this situation. She said Alyssa’s afraid that you and I will disappear from her life, but that her fears will gradually cease with a lot of patience and attention from both us. We both have to be there for her,” she added as if it were a death sentence to be in cahoots with him.
God, please let her choose to stay. Alyssa was so in love with her already. He couldn’t bear breaking the little girl’s heart again, or Kaya’s. He knew she was already attached to the kids—even Jason who still kept her at arm’s length.
She tucked a handful of hair behind one ear and offered him a bland smile. “That was a nice eulogy. Everyone was talking about it.”
“It was the least I could do. Lauren gave the eulogy for…”
“Pilar?” she finished when his voice trailed off.
Eight
Bryce braced himself against her sympathetic eyes. Being in that church had evoked memories of saying goodbye to Pilar. One tragedy had kept him away and another had taken him back. It was Kaya who had kept him grounded during the funeral service. Each time he glanced at her, her smile had eased the stagnant pain in his chest.
“Um, could we not talk about Pilar?” Her curiosity about his deceased wife was understandable. Perhaps one day, if she stuck around, he would fill her in, but not tonight.
“I understand,” she said.
How could she understand? What love of her life had she lost?
“I want to thank you for hiring a baby nurse to take care of Anastasia tonight.”
“You deserve a good night’s sleep after the way you’ve been running around all week.” Bryce kept telling himself that his concern for Kaya was a result of his concern for the children since she needed to be physically and emotionally fit to take care of them. But a couple major organs of his anatomy kept trying to prove him wrong. Kaya was forging her way inside his head and his heart—the two sacred places women weren’t allowed.
“How’s Jason?” she asked. “I haven’t seen him since earlier today.” Her hands twisted nervously on her lap. “Then after everyone left, I was busy with Alyssa.”
Bryce eased into the chair next to her, his chest tightening significantly. “Jason isn’t well. He has regressed since this afternoon.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“After his friends left, he locked himself in his bedroom. I had to use the master key to get in. I found him on his closet floor, crying.”
She wiped her hands down her face. “The poor kid. He was in such a good mood when last I saw him with his friends. I should have known it wouldn’t last.”
“We can expect this emotional ebb and flow to continue for a while,” Bryce said from experience. He leaned forward and covered her hands with his. She tensed, relaxed, and tensed again, before settling down and allowing him to hold her.
“You have to make a choice tonight, Kaya. I don’t want the uncertainty of your indecision hanging over our heads any longer.”
She pulled her hands from under his and stiffened her back in defiance. “We decided to discuss my plans after the funeral.”
“The funeral is over, Kaya. What are your plans concerning the children? I need to know so I can begin making some of my own. It doesn’t matter whether you stay or leave. I still have to make decisions about their future.”
“What’s the rush, Bryce?” She passed her hands down her face again. “I’m tired, and clearly not capable of making any decisions tonight. Can’t we talk tomorrow?”
He studied her face. Shower gels, bath salts, and water couldn’t wash away the dark circles beneath her eyes. Only sleep would cure her fatigue. But neither one of them was leaving this room until she made a choice.
“Your fiancé is coming to Granite Falls tomorrow, Kaya. Just know, the children aren’t going to Florida with you, so if you decide to return to your life there, you’ll have to sign their custody over to me,” Bryce said in a cold, exact tone. There was no need to be subtle about the situation.
Her forehead furrowed in deep confusion. “My fiancé?”
“Yes, Jack. The man you promised to marry. Remember him?”
A shaky hand crept to the golden hollow of her throat. “Where did you get such a crazy idea?”
“Straight from the horse’s mouth.” He wanted to say from the jackass’ mouth, but he restrained himself. He didn’t want to insult her. It was her prerogative to marry the jackass if that was her desire.
“You— you talked with Jack?”
“He called this afternoon while you were entertaining. He asked me to let you know that he’s flying up tomorrow to meet the children since he’ll be their new daddy. I told him that would happen over my dead body.”
She shook her head back and forth, her eyes darting around the room as if she expected Jack to float down from the ceiling.
“Are you afraid of this man, Kaya?”
“No, not really. He has become a bit possessive after I agreed to marry him. But we’re not getting married.”
“You’re not?”
“He broke off the engagement.”
His heart danced a jig. “He did?”
“We weren’t really engaged to begin with.”
“You weren’t?” He felt like an idiot asking a string of stupid two-word questions. “I’ve wondered why you aren’t wearing an engagement ring.”
Leaving her chair, she took a few unsteady steps toward the fireplace and stared into the flames. “Jack asked me to marry him, and I kind of said okay,” she began in an unemotional tone. “He never gave me a ring, so I never really thought of him as a fian
cé, just a boyfriend who I may one day marry.”
He scolded his heart for flipping a somersault. There was absolutely no reason for her to return to Florida.
“When I told him that I’d inherited the children,” she continued, folding her arms about her, “he took back his proposal.” She braced a tired smile. “That was the night you picked up the extension. You didn’t stay on long enough to hear him dump me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before? I would have handled him differently this afternoon.”
“I was too embarrassed. And I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was banking on Jack helping me with the kids.” She shrugged. “It’s for the best, anyway. I’ve known him since we were kids, but I’ve never loved him, and marrying him would have been a mistake.”
Was he the one who’d led her astray, gotten her into trouble with the law? Jack struck him as the type of jerk who’d use a young girl for personal gains. How could she be with someone like that? She seemed intelligent enough to know better, to make better choices.
Bryce balled his hands into fists. “Then why is he coming to Granite Falls?”
“I don’t know. The other day when he called, he said he was sorry about the way he reacted to the news of a readymade family. He said I caught him at a bad time and that he still wanted to get married and help me raise the kids.”
“Did you tell him anything about me? That I am their godfather?”
She shook her head, causing her soft curls, now dry and springy, to bounce off her delicate shoulders. “He brought up your name. Apparently he’d heard about your relationship to them. He knew stuff about your history with them and their parents that I didn’t even know. He offered to move up here if it would be easier on me.”
Bryce pushed to his feet, shaking his fists in the air. “Opportunistic little parasite! He dumped you when he thought he’d have to dig deep into his measly pockets to support the children. Then when he learned of my relationship to them, he saw a meal ticket to an easy life.” Bryce closed the distance between them. “You are their legal guardian. If he married you, he’d benefit from any financial support I give you.”