“I think it has something to do with Neil, but I don’t know anything. He ran with a tough crowd. Maybe he got mixed up in something, but he wouldn’t have told me about it.”
The man nodded and hugged his wife. “She’s telling you the truth. Her brother was a gambler, and when he owed money he didn’t care how he got it. Eventually that got him killed. It’s not something we like to talk about, but if he somehow hurt someone you knew, all we can offer you is our sympathy. You’ll never meet a more soft-hearted woman than my wife. If she knew anything, if she thought she could help you, she would.”
Disappointment swept through Grant. Her brother might have known something, but he was dead. She didn’t seem to know anything. This was another dead end.
Viviana saw Grant’s shoulders slump, but she wasn’t ready to give up yet. Pamela’s reaction was too strong, too scared. She had to know something so horrible she had never even told her husband—something she wanted to keep a secret from him even thirty years later. What would keep a thirty-year-old crime that fresh? “You know where he is, don’t you, Pamela? He’s not dead, is he? Kent Barrington is alive.”
Tears filled Pamela’s eyes.
“What is she talking about, Pam? I know everyone you know, and we don’t know any Barringtons.”
A tear slid down Pamela’s cheek. “Could I see those photos?” she asked.
Viviana handed her the phone.
Pamela swiped through the family album. “My brother never told me his name. He came to my house after the deed was done. There was nothing I could do. Neil said anyone who knew anything was in danger. He told me to hide, and if he didn’t meet me at the library the next morning he told me to run.” Pamela looked up at her husband and said, “I didn’t come here to escape an abusive ex-boyfriend. I came because if I stayed in Aruba whoever killed Neil was going to kill me, too.”
“Oh, my God,” her husband said. “Why did you lie?”
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do or if telling you the truth would get you killed, too. So I lied. You took me in. You made me feel safe. We were happy. I don’t know. I guess I started to believe my lie because the truth was terrifying.”
Her husband continued to hold her, but he was obviously struggling to accept that he didn’t know his wife as well as he’d thought. “Do you know where this Kent Barrington is? If you do, tell them. I don’t know what Neil did, but you need to help set it right.”
Pamela looked down at the phone again. “He has his sister’s eyes and his father’s smile.”
“What are you saying?” her husband demanded, shaking her.
Grant stood absolutely still, letting the scene play out. Viviana held her breath, afraid to do or say anything that would close the door to the truth.
Pamela walked over to a bureau and took an album out. She flipped it open, hugging it to her chest while running her hands over the photos in it. “Neil was paid to kill the baby, but he couldn’t do it, so he brought the baby to me. I wanted him to take it back. All I could think about was how frantic his parents must be. Neil said we couldn’t. He said there was a price on the child’s head. If he didn’t kill it, someone else would. I thought the baby belonged to a member of a gang or the Mafia. When I was on my way to the airport, the taxi driver told me there had been an accident and several people on the island had died. I knew I had to take the baby with me but I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I came to you, Dave. I took a chance that you might still have feelings for me and you did. If I had known he had a family who was looking for him, a family who could keep him safe, I would have said something. But I was so afraid that if I ever went looking for answers, whoever killed my brother would kill him too. And maybe me and even you, Dave. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Kade is the man they’re looking for?” Dave asked.
She handed the album to Viviana. “I think so. He looks like them.”
Viviana flipped through the album with Grant. She was about to ask him what he thought when she saw his eyes tear up. He wrapped an arm around Viv and hugged her tightly. “We found him, Viv.” Then he tensed and looked up. “Tell me he’s still alive.”
Pamela sank into a chair. Dave hovered around her, looking lost as far as what to do. “He’s very much alive. Dave legally adopted him when he was still an infant. He doesn’t know. Oh, my God, we’ll have to tell him.”
“Call him now,” Grant said in a cold tone. “We’re not leaving without him.”
Viviana saw horror fill Pamela’s eyes. “You can’t just throw this at him. He’s my son. I’m the only mother he’s ever known. I don’t know what this will do to him.”
Dave laid a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “He has a right to know.”
She looked up at him with fresh tears filling her eyes. “Do you hate me? Will he? I fell in love with you and him and the life we made together. I wouldn’t have lied to you if there was any other way.”
“I want to believe that,” Dave said with a sad smile.
With her heart breaking for everyone in the room, Viviana said, “Her version matches everything we know about what happened. Her brother was murdered. Anyone who had anything to do with taking Kent and switching him with another baby died within a short time.” Viviana went to kneel in front of the broken woman. “You were right to run, right to hide. They would have killed you and Kent. Everything supports your fears. No one will hate you once they understand. You more than loved Kent, you saved him. He’ll see that. Everyone will—even if they don’t at first.”
Dave remained still and silent.
Still holding the album, Grant crossed over and helped Viviana back to her feet. “I have to tell my family today. My mother has suffered too long over this. And as soon as my family knows Kent is here, they will come. You have a little over twenty-four hours to tell him or he’ll find out from us.” He met Dave’s eyes. “I don’t know how much of this story is true, but I do know how this will play out. If you run, I will find you. If you were anything but good to my brother or had anything to do with what happened to him, I will kill you. I assure you, whoever you thought might come for you would have given you a kinder, quicker death than I’ll dole out if I discover a reason you deserve it. And, no, in case you’re wondering, we’re not here alone.”
Viviana searched Grant’s face for a hint that he was bluffing, but his cold eyes sent a shiver down her spine. Knowing the story as she did, she wasn’t sure she could blame him, but she did send up a prayer that Pamela was not lying. She took his hand in hers and gave him a tug toward the door. “We’re going to go now, but we’ll be back tomorrow morning. Could you have Kent meet us here?”
Dave said, “His name is Kade. It’s the only name he’s ever known, but yes, we’ll have him here tomorrow morning.”
Pamela started to sob into her hands as Grant and Viviana exited the home. Grant looked calm but he was clutching the album so tightly his knuckles were white.
Viviana waited until they were in the car before she said, “You did it, Grant. You found Kent.”
As he lowered his guard, he let his shock show. “We did it, Viv. You and me. I don’t know if I will really believe it, though, until I see him. I wanted to demand to meet him right now, but if he has no idea he was adopted, maybe he needs to hear that part first from someone he trusts.”
There he was, the man she loved with all her heart. A man who could put the needs of another before his own even in a situation where it must be tearing him apart.
“Do we call him Kade or Kent?” Grant asked.
“I don’t know,” Viviana said, taking his hand in hers again. “Maybe we let him decide.”
“We have to tell the family. Holy shit, they’re going to lose their minds.”
“I have an idea,” Viviana said when she realized she was still in possession of his phone. “Do you trust me?”
“One hundred percent.”
She dialed Kenzi’s husband, Dax, first and asked him to stay on
hold while she merged the call. She scrolled through his contacts and one at a time added Emily, Willa, Helene, and Dale. Once they were all on the line Viviana said, “Grant and I need your help.”
“With what?” Dax demanded.
“Anything,” Emily said and the rest chimed in their agreement.
“We found Kent, and he’s alive,” Grant said.
“Oh, my God,” Dale said.
“Where?” Dax barked.
“Bright, Australia. We’re going to meet him for the first time tomorrow morning.”
“Are you sure it’s him?” Dale asked.
“He looks just like us, Dad. I’ll send you photos of him. Once you see them you won’t have any doubt.”
“What do you need us to do?” Willa asked.
Viviana and Grant exchanged a look. She didn’t need to tell him why she’d chosen who she had. He agreed. “This isn’t something I could tell Mom and my siblings over the phone. You have all brought love and sanity to our family. I hate to put this on you, but could you tell everyone for us. They’ll have questions that we can’t answer yet, but get them on a plane and get them here; we’ll figure this out together.” He laced his hand with Viviana’s. “Oh, and Viviana and I are engaged. Work that in however you feel is best.”
“Welcome to the family,” Dax said. “We need you.”
Helene asked, “Who should tell Ian?”
“I will,” Dale said. “I’ll tell him.”
“Okay,” Grant said. “Thank you. Viviana and I are here if you need to talk more about it tonight.”
Dale cleared his throat. “Grant.”
“Yes, Dad?”
“I knew the moment you agreed to find Stiles you would bring us the answers. I never dared dream that you’d find Kent alive, but I don’t doubt that you did. You have always been capable of doing the impossible when you set your mind to it. This time you achieved a miracle. Nothing short of a miracle. Thank you, Son.”
Grant’s eyes misted up, but he sounded composed. “You’re welcome, Dad. It’s not going to be easy, since Kent doesn’t know us or even that he was stolen from us.” He briefly outlined what Pamela had said had happened. “If she seems scared when you meet her, I did threaten her with a slow and painful death if I found out she was still lying.”
“Let’s hope she’s not,” Dax said. “Emily, do you want anyone to be there when you tell Asher?”
Emily sighed. “No. He’ll run around like a chicken with his head cut off, but I’ll hand him Joey, and that’ll calm him down.”
“And Andrew?” Dax asked.
“My parents are in town,” Helene answered. “He gets along really well with my dad. He’ll be fine.”
“And Mom?” Grant asked. “I would be there if I could be.”
“I’ll tell her when we’re alone,” Dale said, “but then she’ll want everyone there. How about a family meeting at our house first for dinner tonight?”
One by one they agreed then signed off.
Alone again in the car, Grant paused before starting the engine. “I might not have come here if you hadn’t pushed me to.”
She laid a hand on his chest and said, “Yes, you would have, because in here there is more than love, there is also a hero. My hero.”
Epilogue
‡
The next morning, Grant and Viviana stepped out of their car onto the sidewalk in front of the Thompson home. From a distance, the man standing on the porch could have been Andrew or Ian. He was tall, ruggedly built and dressed in khaki shorts and a white T-shirt.
“He doesn’t look happy to see us,” Viviana whispered.
“I’m sure it’s a shock,” Grant said, trying to sound calm even though he had no idea what to say to a brother he was meeting for the first time.
Kent met them on the step, blocking their way inside. “You must be Grant. I googled the Barringtons last night.”
“Hello, Kent.”
“Kade,” the man corrected. He came down another step. “Before this goes any further I need to set you straight on a few things. I am now fully informed about what happened in Aruba and why you’re here. You need to know I’ve had a wonderful life. The people you threatened yesterday will always be my mom and dad. They have been the most caring, supportive, loving parents anyone could ask for. I appreciate that you all want to meet me, but it won’t be done in a way that hurts them. Are we clear?”
Grant saw a little Asher in him as well, but in a good way. “I respect that, but you need to understand that while you didn’t know about us we mourned for you. We never forgot you. Your real mother sees this as you being brought back to life. Take her feelings into consideration as well. Your twin might also be a little clingy. She has always held out the belief that you were alive.”
In that moment, Grant glimpsed some of the confusion Kade was feeling. It was gone in a flash, replaced by the same stubborn look Kenzi often displayed. “Your mother birthed me. My mother saved me from killers. She sacrificed everything to protect me, and she never put that fear in me. She suffered silently and bravely. I don’t know what you expect of me, but my life and my family is here.”
Viviana stepped forward and said, “I lost my mother when I was eight. Now, you might not care about that because you don’t yet care about me, but I spent my life longing for one mother. You have two. Two women who love you unconditionally. Sophie is a generous, kind woman, also. Let her into your life, let the Barringtons into your life. No one is asking you to choose, just open your heart and let more family in.”
Grant nodded in approval. “What she said.”
Kade’s mouth twitched as if he almost smiled. “Do you sky dive?”
Grant shook his head. “No, but Andrew was a Marine. He’ll jump out of anything at any speed.”
“Do you surf?”
“No, but your twin Kenzi loves Jet Skis. She’s an amazing swimmer as well.”
“Hike?”
“I’m more of a treadmill warrior,” Grant said.
This time Kade did smile. “So you wouldn’t be interested in camping in the outback. There are places so vast you can see the curve of the earth, so open you’ll see more stars than from anywhere else on the planet.”
“That sounds like something you should get Lance to do, just don’t let him hear any wild animals or he might swim home,” Grant joked.
“That’s awful,” Viviana said with a smile. “Lance is a respected architect. Just because he is a little sweeter than the rest of you doesn’t mean he wouldn’t appreciate a good adventure. Not that he has time now that he has the twins. Oh, I hope he brings them and Willa. Kade, Pamela will love them. Those two little ones are adorable.”
Kade nodded and seemed to relax. “How many people are coming over?”
Grant started naming his siblings, spouses, and their children. With each name, Kade’s eyes widened more.
Viviana linked hands with Grant. “Technically, I will soon be family, too. We’re getting married. Maybe here since everyone will be here. Wouldn’t that be fun, Grant?”
“Fun,” Grant said, swallowing hard.
Viviana slapped her forehead. “I’ll start planning something. Oh, my God, I have to invite my dad and brothers. They are going to die when they hear where we are. My dad is excited that we’re engaged, but he wants the wedding to happen before the baby comes. This would be perfect.” She started to bounce with excitement. “Kade, my brothers would love to do everything you asked about. Do you mind if I call them now?”
Grant and Kade looked at each other, both at a loss for what to say in the face of her excitement.
For the next several minutes, Grant and Kade were a silent audience to a fast-paced feminine rundown of everything that had happened, along with an invitation to a wedding that had technically not yet been agreed to.
She put her phone on speakerphone. “Dad says they’ll come. You have to hear how excited Dylan and Connor are.”
“We’re fucking going to Au-stray-lia,” Dylan
said. “I’m going to catch a kangaroo and name it something cool. Do you think they have them everywhere? Like you’re walking down the street and bam one just walks by.”
“They hop,” Connor said. “Do you not know what a fucking kangaroo is? And I’m sure there are laws against catching them. Like the manatees in Florida. You can’t molest them.”
“I’m not going to kiss it. You’re disgusting, Connor.”
“That’s what they call it when you bother a wild animal. Tell him, Dad.”
“Maybe that’s what they call what you do with wild animals, Connor,” Dylan said.
“Shut the fuck up, Dylan.”
“No, you shut up. If I want a kangaroo, I’m going to get a kangaroo.”
Kade looked from Viviana to Grant and asked, “They’re really coming here?”
“Oh, they’re even better in person,” Grant said with a huge smile.
Thankfully, Viviana was too busy telling her family all about how they would probably fly over in a private plane. Grant hadn’t thought it was possible to love her more, but when he saw Kade smiling as he listened to her, he fell in love with her all over again.
He had a feeling that was something he was destined to experience over and over. He would marry Viviana in Australia, Boston, or on the moon if that’s what she wanted. No matter what the future brought, they would tackle it together—and she’d find a way to make him laugh while they conquered it.
THE END
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Billionaire Unbound
The Billionaire’s Obsession
Chloe
J.S. Scott
Billionaire Unbound
Copyright © 2015 by J.S. Scott
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission.
More Than Love Page 20
