Runaway Heir

by Cardello, Ruth

  Time to lighten the mood. “You know what else feels amazing?” His eyes lit with desire.

  “I do need to be able to walk tomorrow,” she said with a laugh.

  “Such a shame. I bet they’re missing us.” He motioned toward the wall behind the bed.

  At the top of her lungs, she yelled, “Oh yes. Do me like the stallion you are. Don’t stop. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  They laughed, kissed. Waited. Didn’t hear a knock of protest. Laughed more.

  Just as Bryant was about to yell something out, there was a thud against the wall, then another. It took on a rhythm any couple would recognize.

  Nicolette’s eyes widened with comical wonder; then she whispered, “They’re so quiet.”

  He picked up a condom and twirled the packet between his fingers. “Want to show them how it’s done?”

  She took the packet from him and tore it open with her teeth. He chuckled, but his cock was twitching in anticipation. There was no trace of defensive, withdrawn Nicolette. She was all humor, trust, and confidence. No matter what the future held for either of them, he would do everything in his power to keep that look in her eyes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The sun had already come up by the time Nicolette woke to a text message beeping on Bryant’s phone. She slid out of bed, retrieved it, and read the message.

  Dad: Are you up?

  Nicolette considered waking Bryant, but she thought about what he’d done for her with her family as well as the game they’d played with their phones. Technically, she still had a pass to answer one of his messages. She’d never taken her turn.

  She typed: Yes.

  Dad: First you stand me up. Now you’re not answering my messages?

  Okay, so answering him again might be considered sending a second message, but Bryant had met with her grandmother in person. This was just a text: Busy. I’m out of town.

  Dad: Don’t tell me you’re with that Westerly woman.

  Nicolette: I am.

  Dad: That family is pure evil. They’ll act like they like you, then do everything they can to ruin you. If you need proof, I have it in spades.

  Nicolette brought a hand to her mouth. I don’t want to know what that means.

  Nicolette: That’s not who they are today.

  Dad: You’re a fool if you believe that.

  What would Bryant do if our situations were reversed? What would I do if I refused to be afraid? Nicolette: I’m in MacAuley, Iowa, with the Westerlys. I know our family’s history with them, but it’s time to put the past behind us.

  Dad: Sorry, unlike you, I live in reality. I’d come if I were in a position to destroy them. Sadly, I’m not. I’m too busy still trying to rebuild what they stole from us.

  Nicolette took a deep breath and followed her heart.

  Nicolette: Then come for me. I want you in my life even if I’m living one you don’t agree with.

  He didn’t respond.

  Nicolette tucked Bryant’s phone back into his jacket pocket. She could have deleted the messages, but that wasn’t how she wanted things to be with Bryant. She was going to make mistakes. So was he. If they didn’t hide them from each other, maybe, just maybe, they’d work through them—together.

  Her phone buzzed next. She scrambled for it.

  Delinda: Your father and I have had a wonderful breakfast with Jordan, Paisley, and Lon. Can you guess who was missing?

  Her past response to that text would have been to instantly jump to defend herself because she would have felt she needed to. Delinda loves me. My father loves me. I can be myself and not feel bad for it.

  Nicolette: I’m with Bryant.

  Delinda: Will you be returning before or after your father has a stroke?

  Nicolette actually laughed at that. Something amazing happened when she didn’t instantly become defensive . . . she actually got her grandmother’s sense of humor. Nicolette was beginning to see that although nothing had actually changed, everything had, simply because her perspective was different. She texted, We’ll be back in a few hours. Could you help Dad handle seeing Bryant again? They had a rough first meeting.

  Delinda: I’d rather not know the details.

  Nicolette: Perfect, because I’d rather not share them. All you need to know is that Bryant and I are together, and he’s important to me.

  Her grandmother’s response was instantaneous: Then he’s important to us as well. I’ll talk to your father.

  Wow.

  She almost decided not to push her luck, but living fearlessly and honestly meant not avoiding uncomfortable topics. If Bryant was willing to stay at the bed-and-breakfast regardless of how her father handled it, she could be just as strong for him.

  Nicolette: Grandmother, I have a favor to ask of you.

  Delinda: Anything.

  Gulp. Nicolette: If Bryant’s father comes to MacAuley—or if you ever see him anywhere—could you be kind to him?

  Delinda: Is he coming here?

  Nicolette: I don’t know, but if he does . . .

  Her grandmother didn’t text for several minutes. Long enough for Nicolette to have a mini panic attack.

  Delinda: I’m proud of the woman you’ve become. It is time to put the past to rest. I’ll speak to your father about that as well.

  Nicolette wiped a tear from her cheek and texted, Thank you. And I’m proud of the woman you’ve become as well.

  Delinda: Yes. Yes. Well, do us all a favor and shower before you come back. The less you look like you spent the night doing what we all know you did, the easier it will be on your father.

  Nicolette smiled. She decided to test this new grandmother she was getting to know.

  Nicolette: How are you enjoying your room selection?

  Delinda: As quietly as possible.

  Nicolette’s burst of laughter woke Bryant. He rolled over, felt around the bed, then sat up with a frown. “Everything okay?”

  Naked, sitting cross-legged on the floor of a hotel room with Bryant, laughing over something her grandmother had said, Nicolette nodded. “It has never been better.”

  Nicolette: I love you.

  Delinda: I love you, too.

  She quickly texted that she had to go but that they’d be back soon. Before returning to the bed, Nicolette dug through Bryant’s jacket. With both phones in hand, she sat beside him and said, “I did something this morning that I hope you’ll see in the light of what we’ve been discussing.”

  She handed him his phone first and instructed him to read his messages. As he did, his expression tightened. Then she handed him her phone, and an expression entered his eyes that warmed every inch of her. He said, “You are truly the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

  She laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you think he’ll come?”

  Bryant put the two phones aside. “No, but we don’t have any control over that. Come here.”

  She fell back into his arms.

  His kiss tasted like—forever. She choked back a sob, then a laugh.

  He raised his head. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

  A few hours later, Bryant and Nicolette, along with her father, grandmother, King Tadeas, a blushing Paisley, a smitten Jordan, and Lon were following Shelby and Jackson Nelson around Friendship Cemetery. It was much more enjoyable than sitting in the living room of the bed-and-breakfast beneath the sustained stare of Dereck Westerly.

  Everyone, including His Royal Highness, seemed as enthralled by the history of the cemetery as they were with Shelby and Jackson. It was a good sign. Nicolette snapped countless photos as they went along.

  When the group moved forward to read a specific headstone, Dereck hung back and said, “Bryant.”

  Bryant stopped and turned, then reassured Nicolette that he would be fine if she went on. There was no warmth in Dereck’s expression, but considering it hadn’t yet been forty-eight hours since he’d been given a good look at Bryant’s balls, it was understandable. Time to show him I have attributes he will actually approve
of. “Yes, sir?”

  “I’ve been asking around about you.”

  “And?”

  “You have a reputation for putting compassion above profit.”

  Bryant nodded.

  “However, everyone seems to know someone you’ve slept with.”

  Ouch.

  Several off-the-cuff responses came to him, but he kept them to himself. What he did or with whom he did it before he met Nicolette was frankly none of her father’s business. He could have said that as well, but he wasn’t looking for a fight. He let the directness of his gaze be his answer.

  Dereck continued, “I would do anything for my daughter. Die for her. Kill for her.”

  That’s as clear as it gets. “I’d explore other options before settling on either of those extremes, but I feel the same.”

  “You think this is fucking funny?” Nicolette’s father growled.

  “No, sir.” Awkward. Deserved. Not funny.

  Dereck said, “What are your intentions? Are you serious about Nicolette?”

  Bryant pocketed his hands and rocked back on his heels. Unlike with Nicolette, it was not too soon to tell her father how he felt. “If she’ll have me, I see myself married to that woman.”

  The man’s eyebrows rose, then met in a line of irritation. “You’d better not be bullshitting me.”

  In a world where many people danced around what they were trying to say, Bryant had an appreciation for directness. He also liked what this conversation said about Dereck. He was finally becoming the father Nicolette yearned for. He looked forward to being able to tell her about his death threat. It was heartwarming, really.

  He kept that thought to himself as well, though.

  Dereck added, “What is between you and Jordan? First you’re in competition over Nicolette, then over an abandoned factory?”

  “We’d both like to do something to bring jobs to this area, and we’re both in the position to do it. Nicolette was never a concern.”

  “You broke Jordan’s nose over her.”

  “A misunderstanding that was quickly resolved.”

  Dereck cleared his throat. “My mother told me you were the one who sought her out and recommended I come to Iowa.”

  He held Dereck’s gaze. “Your daughter told me she needed her family but didn’t know how to reach them. On the outside she’s all fire and fight, but beneath that she loves deeply and hurts easily. How could I not try to help?”

  “Alessandro said he sent you to her.”

  “I would have come to her anyway. Not while she was on the run, perhaps, but eventually. All he did was give me a nudge.”

  “He also told me about your mother. I was sorry to hear that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve had a few tangles with your father.”

  There was nothing Bryant could or would say to that.

  Dereck rubbed his forehead. “Be good to my daughter.” He held out his hand.

  Bryant forgave him for crushing his hand bones together. He would have done the same. “That’s all I want to be.”

  Just before releasing his hand, Dereck leaned in and growled, “And keep your fucking clothes on.”

  He flexed his hand and smiled, “Yes, sir.” At least in public.

  Lon strolled over, sized up the mood, and said, “I don’t say this often, so I don’t want either of you to think you’ll ever hear me say it again, but I was wrong, Bryant. Now that I’ve seen you and Nicolette together, I don’t think you’re crazy anymore.” He winked at Dereck. “I don’t think you’re crazy any less, but the two of you do make a nice couple.”

  Dereck smiled. Wait. They get along?

  He must have said it aloud, because Lon laughed. “Dereck and I are tight now. We’ve bonded. Mostly because I wasn’t the one who stayed out with his daughter last night.”

  Dereck shot a glare at Bryant seemingly out of reflex.

  Lon grinned.

  Payback would come one day. No one could hide in threesomes forever.

  A police vehicle pulled up beside the cemetery. Sheriff Todd sauntered across the grass toward them. “Which one of you is a king?”

  Tadeas stepped forward. “King Tadeas of Vandorra.”

  The sheriff tucked his thumbs into his gun belt. “Lily said you liked her ice cream.”

  “That I did,” Tadeas responded graciously.

  “What do you think of our town?”

  The king looked around before answering. “It reminds me of one in my country. Magnus spent a good portion of his young years in a small town because I wanted him to experience what it means to be part of a close-knit community. Titles don’t matter there—character does. I have the sense the same is true here.”

  “You got that right,” Sheriff Todd said with a satisfied smile. He greeted Bryant with a handshake. Bryant introduced him to the rest of the group.

  Delinda expressed an admiration for his service to the town, which also seemed to please the man.

  Before he left, Nicolette asked the sheriff to take a photo of their group. Their first pose was a serious one, formal enough for even a royal gallery. Then Delinda said, “Let’s move this tour along, shall we? At my age, there’s always a risk that if I spend too much time in a cemetery, they may not let me back out.” The group broke out in laughter as the sheriff continued to snap another photo.

  Bryant imagined one day he’d show the photos to his children and say, “And this is the day I fell in love with your mother’s family.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two months later, Nicolette sat at a table in Lily’s Breakfast Nook sipping a coffee with Paisley. “It’s so good to have you back,” Paisley said.

  “It’s good to be back.”

  “What did you think of New York?”

  “Busy. Invigorating. Chaotic. I spent a good amount of time at Bryant’s office, and it was exciting to see him in that world, but coming here feels like—coming . . .”

  “Home?”

  It felt strange to say it to someone whose family had lived there for generations, but, “Yes. That’s exactly how it feels.”

  Paisley’s face lit up. “When I contacted you, I never imagined how much you’d become part of my life. Imagine, if I hadn’t sent that one email . . . none of this would have happened.”

  Nicolette didn’t want to imagine that at all. “I prefer to think we would have all ended up together anyway. This was meant to be. Now that the factory is a done deal, I’m ready to be here full-time. Did I tell you I took an entry-level position in the visual department at the factory?”

  “Jordan told me. That’s great. He said he would have given you department head, but you insisted you wanted to earn your way up. I like that. Oh, I have bad news.”

  Time slowed. “What is it?” No, please don’t let it be her health or anything on that level.

  Instantly apologetic, Paisley must have seen where her thoughts had taken her, because she leaned forward and said, “I shouldn’t have said bad . . . it’s actually good. Jordan is moving in full-time with me, which means I’m closing the bed-and-breakfast to make it into a home for us.”

  Nicolette reached across the table and grabbed one of her hands while letting out a happy squeal. “That is fantastic.”

  “It is. I think this is it, Nicolette.” She brought her left hand around and held it up. “In fact, I know it is. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.” A red stone shone from the middle of a circle of diamonds.

  “Gorgeous,” Nicolette said with a smile. “Is that a ruby?”

  “A red diamond.” Paisley tipped her hand back to admire the ring herself. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”

  “How did he ask you?”

  Paisley’s eyes widened. “He installed the strangest high-tech closet in my house.”

  “One of WorkChat’s simulator rooms.”

  “That’s it. Glad you know what it is, because I didn’t know what to think when he took me insid
e. It was incredible, Nicolette. We traveled the world together . . . I mean, I felt like I was really in each place he took me to. Then we were on the main street in MacAuley while still in my closet. So realistic it blew my mind. Then he asked me marry him and said he could be anywhere, but the only place he wanted to be was wherever I am.” She lowered her voice and dipped her head down. “If you’ve never had sex while feeling like you’re flying, you have to try it.” She bit her bottom lip. “You’ll need to get your own closet, though. Ours is booked for the foreseeable future.”

  Nicolette laughed. “I love it. I love everything about this. Congratulations! Why didn’t you tell me as soon as it happened?”

  “It happened the week you went to Vandorra to celebrate the birth of your new nephew, and it’s more fun to tell you in person. A royal birth must have been something.”

  “It sure was. Rachelle asked me to be there in the room during the delivery. I held one of her hands while her husband held the other. I am so glad I went. All our petty arguments fell away, and it was exactly the way it should have been—just me and my big sister.” Nicolette wiped at her eyes with a napkin. “When I think about how close I came to missing that . . .”

  “But you didn’t.”

  Nicolette sniffed and nodded. “No, I didn’t. Bryant flew over with me but stayed with the rest of the family in a private waiting room. You should have seen how calm he was through the whole thing. He’s good for my family. Good for me. My father actually said that—can you believe that?”

  “I can. Your father’s right.”

  “My father.” Nicolette still loved the sound of it. “I finally did the blood test.”

  Paisley’s mouth rounded. “And?”

  “And the truth didn’t change anything.” Nicolette smiled as she remembered how supportive Bryant had been through the entire process. “Family is a choice.”

  “So is he . . . are you . . . Tell me if it’s none of my business, but . . .”

  “What do you think the result was?”

  Drumming her fingers on the table before answering, Paisley finally said, “You have your grandmother’s eyes.”

  “I do. She says I also have her spirit. I didn’t see it until I started spending more time with her. Now that I know more about her life, I don’t see her as strict and judgmental. She’s the person she had to be to survive—strong, resilient, and loving in the only way she knew how to be. She calls herself a work in progress, and that’s how I see myself, too. There’s always more to learn, always room to grow. I’m not afraid of either anymore.”