The Illegitimate Billionaire (Whiskey Bay Brides Book 4; Billionaire & Babies)

by Barbara Dunlop

  “I think I’ll call Hannah.”

  “Whatever you want.” Deacon gave her a quick kiss on the temple and helped himself to the leftover cheese. “Who wants to play soccer?” he called to the boys.

  Ethan jumped to his feet. “Soccer, soccer!”

  “I need my red runners,” James said.

  “Let’s gear up.” Deacon swung Ethan up on his shoulders, giving Callie a parting wink as they headed for the foyer.

  She returned the cold cuts to the refrigerator and wiped down the counter.

  After stacking the dishes in the dishwasher, she took the kitchen phone and wandered onto the sundeck, where she could see Deacon and the boys playing on the far side of the yard. The sunshine was warm, and she stretched out on a padded lounger in her shorts and T-shirt. She put on a pair of sunglasses against the glare and dialed the bakery.

  “Good afternoon, Downright Sweet Bakery.” It was Hannah’s voice.

  “Are you busy?” Callie asked.

  “Callie! Hi! How are you?”

  Callie could hear the familiar sounds of the lunch crowd in the background. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

  “It’s steady but not bad.”

  The sounds faded as Hannah obviously moved into the back, probably into the office.

  “I just wanted to check in,” Callie said.

  “It’s turning into a good summer. Tourist business has been steady. The city rose garden is under construction. There wasn’t another word about putting it at Fifth and Bay Street. I don’t know what you said to the Mayor.”

  “It was Deacon.”

  “Well, he’s magic.”

  Callie knew the magic was really Deacon’s check book. She didn’t like it, but she’d gotten over it. The important thing was that business was going well for Hannah.

  “Speaking of the Mayor,” Hannah said. “He has a serious challenger for re-election.”

  “I thought he was going for governor.”

  “Ha! That didn’t pan out. Rumor has it his opponent has the support of two Congress Members and some financial backers.”

  Callie was afraid to hear the details. One thing she’d learned was that she wanted no part of the backroom power and deception, or the deals and betrayals, which often came along with politics.

  “So long as he’s staying away from you,” she said to Hannah.

  “Far away. We started a new product line this week.”

  “Do tell.”

  “I found a steady source of haskap berries in Colorado. They’re supposed to be a superfood, all the rage and a wonderful color and flavor. We’ve done a muffin, a rainbow lemon loaf and syrup for the vanilla cheesecake.”

  “I can’t wait to try them.”

  “How are the boys?”

  “They’re good.” Callie focused on the soccer game. “They’re kicking a ball around in the backyard with Deacon.”

  “He’s super. You got yourself a great guy there, Callie.”

  “Yes,” she managed. There were so many things about Deacon that were great.

  If he hadn’t lied about who he was, what he wanted, and his feelings for her, things would be downright perfect. Her heart hollowed out as she watched him laughing with James, passing the ball to Ethan. It was heartbreaking that it all had to end.

  “Not yet,” she whispered.

  “What was that?” Hannah asked.

  “Nothing. He’s great.” Callie could ignore his flaws, at least for a little while.

  * * *

  In the early morning, before Tyrell and Beau arrived in the business wing of the castle, Deacon sought Aaron out in his office. Tyrell occupied the large CEO’s office in the corner, beside the boardroom. Tyrell’s assistant and three other staff members worked in a common area outside. Aaron, Beau and now Deacon had offices along the north wall, overlooking the harbor and the port in the distance.

  “I’ve fleshed out some more details,” Deacon told Aaron, setting a file folder on his deck.

  “The vertical integration?” Aaron asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you gave up on that.”

  “Why would I give up on it? It’s a solid solution.”

  “Because without either Beau or my father’s support, it’s a nonstarter.” But Aaron did open the folder.

  “Tyrell might come around,” Deacon said.

  “You don’t know him very well.”

  Deacon couldn’t argue with that. Aaron knew both Beau and Tyrell far better than Deacon did. Aaron was probably right. But Deacon had to try.

  Things were going so much better with Callie, that Deacon was beginning to see a future with her: a future with her, a future with the Clarksons and a future managing Hale Harbor Port—both for him and for James and Ethan.

  That meant he had to take a long view, to push for what was best. Even if the odds were stacked against him, he had to try.

  Aaron was his best bet. Aaron was smart. He was methodical. He wasn’t anything like his hotheaded brother, Beau.

  Aaron thumbed through the top sheets. “How optimistic are these numbers?”

  “They’re realistic. We’ve done a low, medium and high case scenario.”

  “It might be a range, but it’s still only speculative.”

  Deacon was prepared for the question. “The base data was derived from—”

  “Is this a private meeting?” Tyrell’s tone from the open doorway was clearly a rebuke.

  Deacon had learned Tyrell was an exacting man, a cantankerous man and also a paranoid man.

  Aaron closed the file. “Volumetric data and route statistics.”

  It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. Deacon appreciated Aaron’s discretion. It also told him Aaron wasn’t completely opposed to pursing the idea of vertical integration. That was encouraging.

  “I need to talk to you,” Tyrell said to Deacon.

  “Sure.” Deacon left the file with Aaron in the hopes that he’d read further.

  He followed Tyrell to his office, where Tyrell shut the door after them. Tyrell took his position behind the massive dark walnut desk. Beyond him were big recessed windows, the glass so old, it warped the city and mountains behind.

  Sounds echoed in the big room, because unlike most of the rest of the castle, Tyrell had not covered the stone walls with paneling. Instead, he’d covered them with vintage oil paintings and coats of arms. The stone floor was worn, and the guest chairs were red velvet and ornate wood, anything but comfortable.

  Tyrell sat down, and so did Deacon.

  “You’ve had time to settle in,” Tyrell said.

  “I have.”

  “And Callie? And the boys?”

  “Them, too.” Deacon couldn’t help but be curious about where this was going.

  It wasn’t like Tyrell to ask after anyone’s welfare.

  “It’s been nearly a month,” he said.

  “Not quite,” Deacon said. He was acutely aware of time passing, as he worried about Callie’s ultimate decision to stay or go.

  “Nevertheless,” Tyrell said.

  Deacon waited.

  “It’s time to make some changes.”

  Deacon’s senses went on alert. “Changes to what?”

  “To your circumstance. Margo and I have discussed it, and we want you to move into the castle.”

  The request gave Deacon a jolt. “That was never part of the deal.”

  And it wasn’t something Deacon would ever consider. For one thing, Callie would hate it. For another, Deacon valued his independence far too much. And most importantly, it wouldn’t be good for James and Ethan. Deacon planned to keep their exposure to Tyrell at an absolute minimum.

  “It’s not negotiable,” Tyrell said.

  “I wasn’t planning to negotiate with
you. The answer is no. We’re not moving into the castle. I don’t even know why you’d want us here. Margo can barely stand to look at me.”

  “That’s not her fault.”

  “No, it’s your fault.”

  “Nevertheless,” Tyrell said.

  “Nevertheless is not a rational argument for anything.”

  “You will move in.”

  “What part of no is getting past you?”

  “What part of will is getting past you?”

  “You can’t force the issue,” Deacon said. “You can’t undo the contract. The shares are mine.”

  Deacon’s lawyer had assured him that Tyrell could not renege on the contract.

  “That may be true.” Tyrell sat forward, bracing his hands on the desk. “But I have the power to change the class of your shares.”

  Deacon narrowed his eyes, focusing on Tyrell’s unyielding expression, trying to imagine where this threat was going.

  “With a two-thirds majority vote, I can change your shares from Class A to Class D. That means no voting rights, no position in the company, no dividends. Your interest in the company would be effectively worthless.”

  Deacon held his composure, refusing to let Tyrell see the news rattled him. Tyrell wouldn’t be bluffing. Somehow, in the hundreds of pages of the contract agreement, Tyrell’s lawyers had planted a loophole.

  “I could sell,” Deacon said.

  There was nothing Tyrell could do to make the shares completely worthless. And Deacon could throw a wrench in the works by threatening to sell to someone hostile.

  “You’re forgetting the buyback clause. Hale Harbor Port would be happy to reacquire the shares at the price you paid for them.”

  “I would sue.”

  Tyrell laughed at that. “My dear boy, you can try. But you will lose. It will take years and the legal fees would break you.”

  Deacon clenched his jaw. He racked his brain, but he didn’t immediately see another option. And deep down, he knew Tyrell’s army of lawyers would have thought through every strategy.

  Tyrell truly had no soul.

  “I gave you everything you wanted,” Deacon said. Though his effort was most certainly doomed, he had to try to reason with Tyrell.

  “I wanted my grandsons.”

  “And they’re here.”

  “No. They’re not here. They’re with you.”

  “They’re with their mother.”

  “And she can live here.”

  “She won’t agree to it.” Deacon was completely sure of that. She’d probably walk out the minute he asked her.

  “That’s your problem,” Tyrell said.

  He took a pen from the ornate holder in front of him, slipped on his reading glasses and pointedly picked up a report.

  “And if I can’t convince her to do it?” Deacon asked.

  Tyrell peered over the top of his glasses. “Then I convert your shares.”

  Deacon came to his feet. “You’re the real bastard in this family.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “It looks as though I have no choice.”

  A smirk twitched Tyrell’s mouth. “I’m glad you see things my way.”

  Eleven

  Callie’s heart sank as she stared at her brother Trevor in the doorway. Deacon had promised her Trevor wouldn’t be back. And she’d believed him.

  The boys were playing on the staircase behind her, building jumps for their little race cars.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Callie said to Trevor.

  She felt instantly alone and vulnerable. Deacon wouldn’t be home for hours.

  “You’re gonna want to hear what I have to say,” Trevor drawled.

  “No, I don’t.” She started to close the door.

  He blocked it with a stiff arm, and her heart thudded hard against her chest.

  “What do you want?” she asked, hating the fear in her voice.

  “I want to know your game.”

  “What game? There is no game. Just go, Trevor.”

  “He paid me off. He paid me good.”

  Callie hadn’t known Deacon had bribed Trevor. But it shouldn’t have surprised her. At the moment, she was even grateful.

  “So go away. You got what you came for.”

  Trevor gave a cold laugh. He unexpectedly shoved the door open and walked inside.

  James and Ethan both looked up.

  “Are these the little tykes?”

  “James, take Ethan to the family room. You can watch cartoons.”

  Trevor moved toward them. “No need for them to skedaddle.”

  Callie’s fear for her own safety evaporated, and she bolted between her brother and her sons. “James, honey, take Ethan. You can each have a cookie while you watch.”

  “Candy cookies,” Ethan sang.

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” She glared at Trevor and listened as the boys left the foyer behind her. “What do you want?” she demanded.

  “More of the same.”

  “Deacon’s not going to give you more money.”

  Trevor took a few steps across the foyer, his black boots glaring against the polished white tile. “I met a guy at the bar, a new drinking buddy of mine.”

  Callie kept herself between Trevor and the hallway that led to the family room.

  “He’s a gardener down there at that castle. Word is out on your scam, baby sister.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She wanted him out. She wasn’t exactly afraid anymore, but she wanted Trevor out of the house.

  “Oh, you know exactly what I’m talkin’ about. The two of you are taking that family for millions.”

  She’d had enough. She marched back to the door and pulled it wide. “Get out.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “There is no scam,” she said.

  Trevor moved closer. “Then why’s Deacon never been to the castle before? Why’d nobody even speak his name until he showed up with you? Now he’s got the run of the place. Because of your kids.” Trevor cast his gaze toward the family room.

  “They’re Tyrell’s grandchildren,” she said. “It’s not a scam.”

  “Then it’s a bribe,” Trevor said with conviction. “And I want in on the action.”

  “It’s not a—”

  The word bribe echoed ominously inside Callie’s head.

  Bribes were Deacon’s go-to tool. He did it all the time.

  “You bribed the old man,” Trevor said.

  Callie hadn’t bribed anyone. But had Deacon? Could Deacon have used the boys to worm his way into the Clarkson family?

  If he had, everything suddenly made sense.

  Deacon’s voice boomed through the room. “What are you doing here?” He grasped Trevor by the collar and hustled him onto the porch.

  Trevor only barely kept his footing. “Hey, man, I’m—”

  “You’re trespassing on private property.” Deacon slammed the door in Trevor’s face. He whirled to Callie. “Are you all right? Where are the kids?”

  “Am I a bribe?” she asked, her voice quavering.

  The enormity of what Trevor had just accused Deacon of, and the reality that he could be right, had shaken her to the core.

  “What?” Deacon looked dumfounded.

  “Trevor said—”

  “You’re listening to Trevor?”

  “He said you bribed your way into the Clarkson family, using me and the boys.”

  The expression on Deacon’s face told her it was true.

  She gasped and took two steps backward.

  He reached for her.

  “No! That explains it all. It explains everything. You finding me, pretending to like me, lying to me, manipulating me.”

&
nbsp; “You have to listen, Callie.”

  “I don’t. I really don’t.”

  James came running through the foyer with his arms outstretched, as he made airplane noises.

  Ethan followed in the same posture. “Hi, Daddy.”

  The two of them did a loop and left again.

  “What have you done?” Callie whispered through a throat closing with emotion.

  “Tyrell came to me with the offer. He promised me my birthright, and I was tempted. I admit, I was tempted. It was everything I ever wanted in my life. Everything.”

  “You took it,” she said. “You took it.”

  “No. I didn’t. I only agreed to meet you.”

  “You lied to me and married me, and brought us home like some prize.”

  “By then I thought you wanted to marry me. I thought you had your own agenda.”

  “Your money,” she said woodenly. “Yeah, I remember that lie, too.”

  “It all went horribly wrong,” he said.

  “Not for you. For you, it all went horribly right.”

  He turned from her and raked a hand through his hair. “Not anymore.”

  She didn’t need to listen to this. She needed to get her boys, pack her things, get out of Hale Harbor and never come back.

  Deacon was a liar, and she was never going to see him again. Ever.

  Her heart shouldn’t hurt this much.

  “He wants us to live at the castle,” Deacon said.

  Callie mutely shook her head. No way, no how. That was not going to happen.

  “He gave me an ultimatum today. I move you to the castle, or I lose it all.”

  “They want the boys,” she found herself whispering. “They’re trying to steal my sons.”

  “I told him yes.”

  “What?”

  “Only to buy us some time. I came home to tell you everything. And to tell you, you need to leave.”

  James and Ethan buzzed through, playing airplane again.

  “I am leaving,” she said as her sons trotted out of earshot.

  “Today. Right now,” Deacon said. “I was going to tell you everything that happened, and then tell you to take the boys, take them to Charleston and never come back. I made a deal with the devil, and I was wrong.”

  “Yes, you were wrong!”

  “Thing is...” he said, his tone turning reflective.