The Billionaire's Family Secret (Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Book 15)

by Danni Lee Nicholls

  Her fingers brushed against his cheek once more and Trev leaned into her touch before grabbing her hand and kissing her upturned palm. His action shocked him. What must she think? How could he take such liberties after confessing his terrible part in Desiree’s death? Was he so needy that he would take more than Leah offered? “I’m so sorry. I-I--.”

  Leah took his fingers into her own. Her hands infused warmth into his cool skin.

  “No,” she whispered gently. “I’m glad for it.”

  Trev grasped her hands like a man coming out of a dank cave. He searched her face. No trace of conviction showed in her expression. Instead, she stood with him, her eyes filled with honest grace and gentle empathy. He stepped back. Even though his fingers stayed entwined with hers, he wouldn’t move toward her again.

  Leah cocked her head. “What gives you the idea that Desiree took her own life?”

  Trev looked away from her, the facts pounding him with their unrelenting judgment. “I found the ring on the dresser. She took it off before going to the boat.”

  Leah took in a silent breath. “Yes, I see.” She squeezed Trev’s hand. “Could it be that something else happened?”

  Trev removed his hands from Leah’s, rubbing his eyes free of tears. “Like what?”

  “Did Desiree take off the ring for other activities?”

  Where was Leah going with this? He stopped questioning. It didn’t matter. Trev would follow Leah through the labyrinth of his confession for as long as it took. “Sometimes. She didn’t like to hike with the ring. She worried it would slip off her finger in the woods.”

  “Was Desiree sure-footed on the boat?”

  Trev let out a puff of a laugh. “Are you kidding? She’d climb in and sit down and let me do all the work. That’s why it’s all so strange. The idea of her wanting to go on the boat by herself isn’t like her. And the fact that she didn’t use a life jacket is beyond comprehension. It’s why I think …”

  Leah remained still. He hoped she would finish his sentence, but she didn’t.

  He needed to say the words, to lessen their power. “It’s why I think she committed suicide.” He turned away from Leah, facing the lake. The sun hung low in the sky, changing the hue from a bright yellow to a muted gold reflecting off the water.

  Leah turned with him, her gaze steady and full of kindness.

  Trev shivered in spite of the warm afternoon. He longed for Leah’s warm touch. Everything about her tender presence kept him secure. He reached for her hand, his mouth going dry with anxious uncertainty. Did she mean it when she told him she was glad for his lips against her palm? Would she take his hand now or find a way to keep distant after everything he’d told her?

  Leah entwined her fingers with his. “What you’re saying is possible, but maybe there are other scenarios.”

  Trev’s anxiety dropped. Leah didn’t pull away. She was helping him figure this out. “Like what?”

  “Well …” Leah took her time. “Desiree was obviously thinking about her future if she wanted to keep the ring. Maybe she left the ring because she was going to manage the boat alone.” She furrowed her brow. “She forgot a life jacket because she was distressed and preoccupied. If she was leaving for Seattle, she’d have a lot on her mind. Maybe she wasn’t paying attention, and she slipped.”

  “The police came to that conclusion, as did the private investigator her parents hired in order to sue me. All of them concluded there was no foul play or suicide.”

  “Tell me about the private investigator.”

  Bitterness rose in Trev’s throat, sour and biting, stripping him of every good feeling and making the sweet affection between him and Leah withdraw. He pulled away from her. “I hardly remember him. But her parents were awful,” he spit out. “They sued me for wrongful death. Her parents said I was getting away with murder because of my money. They called the press. Elton didn’t have to let them in, but he did have to give access to the private investigator. Allison had a fit. The guy was here for a couple of days with his trusty measuring tape and camera. He didn’t find any negligence, but I still ended up settling with her parents for a couple million dollars. I didn’t want this thing dragged through the courts. We’d all been through enough.” He shook his head. “I know the conclusion the PI and police came to, and it made me breathe easier, but …”

  “You don’t believe them?”

  Trev ran his hand through his hair. Leah was making him search the darkest corners of his confession, but he was no longer afraid. Leah was safe. “They don’t know.”

  “About the breakup, you mean.”

  Trev nodded. The reality of his and Desiree’s breakup didn’t hold quite the same punch as it had just five minutes ago. He breathed relief into the small space where pain didn’t reside.

  “But they do know the difference in evidence between a suicide and an accident.” Leah turned to face him. “We may not ever really know, either. But can you make room in your heart for the possibility that there’s a chance it was just a careless accident?”

  Respite eased Trev’s gripping tension. “Maybe. With you here, it’s easier.”

  Leah reached for Trev’s hand, drawing close. “I’m here,” she whispered.

  Trev gazed at Leah, the scent of the lake water mingling with her soft rose. Lightly, she touched his shirt, her gray eyes were steady and full of tender mercy bringing him gentle peace. Gently, he caressed her jaw with his thumb, delicately cupping her face in his hands. He focused on her slightly parted lips, soft and inviting. Carefully, Trev lowered himself to Leah, tentatively placing his mouth on hers, hoping she’d accept his affectionate desire.

  As her soft and yielding mouth opened to his, Trev forgot to breathe. She placed her hands on his chest, moving slowly up his shoulders and around his neck. Could she feel his heart beating within inches of her touch? A new unfamiliar euphoria made him light headed. The thread that had bound them together knotted tight, binding Trev to her through their shared secrets and this kiss. The scent of roses drifted close. He tasted it on her breath, and it clung to her skin and hair, rousing Trev and filling him with a desire he’d considered long dry.

  Pulling gently from Leah, he took in a breath and pushed his hand into his pocket, coming out with Desiree’s ring. The diamonds and sapphires sparkled clear in the waning sun, throwing prisms within the confines of the stones’ reach. “I want you to have this.” Trev placed the ring in Leah’s hand and curled her fingers around it. Optimism mingled with hope and fragile cheer in giving this token. This was supposed to happen. Everything about this moment was right. The lessening of his agony told him so. By giving the ring to Leah, he was inviting the memory of his and Desiree’s life together to create a different inheritance.

  Leah’s eyes grew large as she shook her head. “No! I can’t—”

  “Yes. You can.” Trev held Leah’s gray eyes with his own, searching their depths and finding nothing but goodness. Once again, his gaze traveled to her lips, now plump and enticing from their kiss. He wanted to taste her again, but she needed to understand this one thing. “I can’t have this ring in the house. I’d like you to take it and pawn it or sell it. You should get enough out of it to pay for at least for a couple years of med school.”

  Leah shook her head. “It’s too much—”

  Trev pressed Leah’s hands between his own. “By taking the ring, some good will come from all of this,” he whispered as he squeezed her hands within his. “Please,” he begged.

  Leah took in a deep breath. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll keep it for a while, and if you change your mind, all you have to do is ask for it, and I’ll give it back.”

  Trev kept one hand tight around Leah’s balled fists while placing his free arm around her waist, pulling her close. She surrendered to his gentle draw. Trev looked into her upturned face; her soft full lips stirred the blood in his veins, and his heart pulsed with purpose. The warmth of the ebbing sun and the heat of Leah’s body was all the invitation he ne
eded to step out of the prison that had held him bound since Desiree died.

  With firm intention, he bent over Leah once again, and placed his mouth on hers. Leah’s ready acceptance of his kiss almost brought him to his knees, but it also made him brave. In her presence, Trev’s courage strengthened, and he never wanted to let her go.

  Chapter 13

  Arriving home, Leah flopped down on the couch and let out a long sigh. Exhaustion had filtered into her body during the drive home, but now she was too keyed up to even think about trying to settle. What had just happened? Had she and Trev kissed? Oh yes, they’d kissed. And it wasn’t just any kiss. Trev’s lips on hers lifted her to a place where nothing interfered. In Trev’s arms, she didn’t concern herself with Justin, her clothes, her family, or anything else. In those precious moments, it was just the two of them existing in that lovely heavenly space.

  She smiled with cheerful satisfaction at the memory that floated like delicate gossamer. Trev’s masculine sandalwood clung to her skin like a dream. If she concentrated, she could still feel the touch of Trev’s tentative kiss growing in desire and surety as she willingly received him. Reaching up, she touched her lips as if feeling them for the first time. Oh, she loved the taste of him, like refreshing sweet tea on a hot day.

  She wished to live in that memory for the rest of the evening. Maybe even for the rest of her life. But the ring, refusing to be ignored, dug into her leg from the pocket of her jeans.

  Carefully, she pulled out the piece of jewelry. Leah had never seen a diamond so big. The brilliant round cut looked as clear as water. More diamonds and sapphires surrounded the center stone making it shine all the brighter.

  She studied it. Two years’ worth of medical school wrapped up in a rock. She pushed the ring back into her pocket as the recollection of her time with Trev overrode everything else.

  She took in a long, slow inhalation, the memory coming alive as she pulled in breath. Their time together wasn’t exactly happy. How could it be when the stories they shared were about such emotional devastation? But something intimate and optimistic came from all of that emotional destruction. In moments of complete exposure, they both had risked everything, surprising Leah with the depth of what they created together. Trev had even seen her red crying face, and he still looked at her with tenderness. The astonishment of it almost took Leah’s breath away. Oh yes. This was the beginning of love—and not that giddy infatuated love, but something meaningful, full of purpose, and cherished.

  Her thoughts crept to the woman who’d worn the ring she now carried. Desiree. What was she like? When Trev talked about her, it was as if he spoke of a different lifetime, separate from the life he now led, except for his family, including Allison.

  Leah considered Allison. His sister held on to Desiree’s patched memory with ferocity. Well, Leah wouldn’t interfere with any of that.

  Her thoughts roamed over other subjects. How would her schooling be affected by her relationship with Trev? What would she tell her parents?

  Leah bit her bottom lip in worry, marring her earlier optimism. Her parents. Even if they knew about the ring, they wouldn’t like Trev, and they certainly wouldn’t trust him or his gift.

  Leah rose from the couch and moved to the window. Her father would see Trev as a distraction from her bigger goal of becoming a doctor. Nothing more. He’d insist that she return the ring to Trev and quit seeing him.

  Slithering anger wound through her, like heat in her veins. Who were her parents to tell her how to run her life? Her father was a mechanic, smelling of grease and gasoline, and her mother smelled of bleach and cleaning products. Her father had blown his chance at the university. But she was different. Trev was different. It wasn’t her job to make up for her father’s mistakes.

  She brushed the anxious anger aside. She didn’t want to think about her parents when thoughts of Trev had the power of crowding out every unpleasant concern.

  Her phone chirped, and Leah glanced at the number. Her sister, Paige. A small thrill rode through her. She had so much to tell her sister! She answered. “Hey, sis. How are you?”

  A child wailed in the background. “Well, I was fine until two seconds ago. I don’t know why the twins always decide they’re going to whine the minute I pick up the phone, but they do.”

  Leah laughed. “That sounds like more than a whine. Who’s unhappy now?”

  “Hudson, but don’t worry, Hunter won’t be too far behind.”

  Leah laughed. Today, even the sound of her nephew’s screaming made her happy.

  “You sound cheerful,” Paige said. “What gives?”

  Hudson’s scream rose in pitch. “Let me call you back,” Paige said. The phone clicked off.

  Leah waited for several minutes before her phone rang again. She picked up.

  “Whew! Both boys went down for a nap,” Paige whispered. “I’m holding a glass of sparkling water and toasting myself. Here’s hoping for an hour of peace.”

  Leah laughed. “Those boys are lucky to have you for a mom.”

  “And just as lucky to have their aunt Leah. They miss you.”

  Leah wanted to giggle. Everything made her lighthearted. “They’re two, Paige. I doubt I cross their minds.”

  “Don’t be so sure. Besides, we’d all love to see you. I know you’re working a lot, but do you think you can come for dinner one of these days?”

  “Yeah. I’d love that.” Leah brightened.

  Together, they arranged for an evening in two weeks. Leah considered asking if she could bring Trev, but she stopped short even though she was bursting to share the news. She wasn’t ready to split his attention with others just yet.

  “Tell me about your new job,” Paige said. “Well, I guess it’s not new anymore. You’ve been there for about what? A month?”

  “More like five weeks, but who’s counting?”

  “It sounds as if you’re counting. What gives? How do you like it?” She paused. “Is this why you’re so cheerful?”

  Leah bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. “Maybe. I certainly like it a lot.”

  “Tell me about Trev. Do you like him?”

  Leah abandoned all pretense of keeping her story or her enthusiasm a secret. Her older sister would be able to help her figure out how to navigate this new landscape. “I like him a lot, Paige.” Joy overrode every worry.

  Leah held her breath as silence hung on the line.

  Paige spoke slowly. “You mean you like him as a boss, or you like him as a man?”

  “Like a man. He kissed me today, and …”

  Paige gasped. “And … what?” Paige breathed out.

  Leah’s heart beat with wild abandonment. “I kissed him back, and I loved it. Oh, Paige, I didn’t know it could be like this.”

  “I’m happy for you, Leah. You deserve someone nice.”

  Leah squeaked out an excited peep. “There’s more.”

  “More what?” Paige asked.

  Leah exhaled. “He gave me a diamond ring.” Wait. She needed to explain this. She hurried on. “It’s not—”

  “What? You’ve only known him a month, and he’s already asking you to marry him?”

  “Five weeks, and it’s not what it you think.” Regret dampened her enthusiasm. Maybe she should’ve kept the ring to herself. “He didn’t ask me to marry him.” She scrambled for a way to explain without betraying Trev’s secret. “It’s complicated. He gave it to me so I can sell it. It’s going to help me pay for school.”

  Paige was silent.

  Leah’s regret turned into budding irritation. Couldn’t her sister just be happy for her? “What?”

  Paige’s question came out slowly. “What does he want in return?”

  Leah pursed her lips. “You sound like Mom. It’s not like that,” she said. “There’s a story around all of this. I can’t share it, but there aren’t any requirements attached.”

  “I hope you’re right about that,” Paige warned. “But
you’ll need to bring him to dinner. I need to lay eyes on this guy.”

  Leah’s heart ticked up with alarm at the thought of Trev meeting her sister. Jonathan made a good wage, but the residue of her family’s poverty hung in the air in the way her sister bought second-hand clothes for the boys and clipped coupons. Shame ate at her. She hated the embarrassment that filled her when she considered Trev meeting her sister. She changed direction to wiggle out from underneath the humiliation. “You sound suspicious.”

  “Maybe I am. I mean, I wasn’t expecting him to give you a gift of a diamond ring to help you pay for school.” Her voice lowered. “Look, Leah. We both know what it’s like to be dirt poor. Promise me you won’t be bowled over by his money or the gifts he gives. You don’t really know him. Not yet.”

  Leah tried not to resent the shadow Paige threw over her flurry of happiness. Her sister was only looking out for her. Still, Paige’s warning didn’t matter much. The choice to fall in love was already made. Leah was powerless to stop her growing feelings for Trev, and she didn’t even want to try. “Just promise me you won’t tell Mom and Dad, and I’ll promise to be careful. Do we have a deal?”

  “I won’t tell our parents,” Paige replied. “I didn’t tell them about Justin, did I?”