His Brother's Son

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘I think we should continue this in my flat, don’t you?’

  He blinked and she saw him look around uncertainly before a slow smile curved his mouth. ‘Sí, querida. We are in danger of shocking your neighbours, I fear.’

  She laughed softly as she led the way into the flat and closed the door. Felipe reached for her again and kissed her hungrily, and she shuddered as she felt desire starting to burn inside her. It was an effort to speak when he raised his head.

  ‘It’s a good job we did move. We could have caused a riot out there on the stairs.’

  Felipe laughed, taking her hand and pulling her back into his arms for one last kiss before he reluctantly let her go. ‘We shall confine our love-making to the privacy of your home from now on, my darling. But first there are things we need to talk about. Sí?’

  ‘You mean Josh and Tara and everything?’ She sighed when he nodded. ‘You’re right, of course. It’s just that I’m—’

  ‘Afraid that I will not understand?’ He looked deep into her eyes and she saw the assurance his held. ‘I shall, Rebecca. Just tell me what happened, right from the beginning. We need to put this behind us once and for all.’

  She smiled because she knew that he meant it. ‘Let’s go into the sitting-room, or what passes for a sitting-room. I’m afraid it’s rather cramped.’

  She led the way, smiling ruefully when she saw the expression on his face. ‘Not the height of luxury but it’s served its purpose for the past few weeks.’

  ‘I hate to think of you and Josh having to live here.’ He cast an expressive glance around the dingy room then made an obvious effort to ignore it as he sat beside her on the lumpy sofa. Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss to her palm then closed her fingers over the tingling little spot as though he wanted her to feel the evidence of his love while she related her tale. And in an odd sort of way it helped.

  ‘You said to start from the beginning so I shall. I met Antonio by chance one day when we were both using the local launderette.’ She smiled. ‘He’d put all his washing in together and one of his shirts had been stained by dye from a T-shirt. I offered to take it home and see if I could get the stains out of it for him.’

  Felipe laughed. ‘Antonio must have found it difficult doing things for himself because Maria had always taken care of us.’

  ‘He did at first, but he soon learned,’ she assured him. ‘After that we started going out together. I think we were both rather lonely, to be honest. Antonio had recently split with Tara and my mother had died a few months earlier. My father died when I was a toddler so it was just Mum and me, and we were very close.’

  ‘I wish I could have been there for you,’ he said huskily and she smiled at him because it was such a lovely thought.

  ‘I wish you had, too. Anyway, Antonio told me about his relationship with Tara not long after we started going out together. He said that he regretted getting involved with her and I believed him.’ She sighed softly. ‘He never made any secret of the fact that he loved me.’

  ‘And you loved him, too, didn’t you, Rebecca?’

  She heard the pain in his voice and knew at once what had caused it. She framed his face between his hands and looked deep into his eyes. ‘Yes, I loved Antonio, but not the way I love you. He was the sweetest, gentlest man I’ve ever known.’

  Felipe turned his head so that he could brush her palm with a kiss, and she heard the tears that had thickened his voice. ‘Thank you for being there when he needed you, Rebecca. Thank you for caring about him enough to make him feel loved. It helps to know that he had you with him when he died.’

  Her own eyes filled with tears as she drew him into her arms and held him. ‘I only ever wanted to help him, Felipe. Everything I did was for him and for Josh.’

  ‘I know that. I really do.’ He kissed her quickly on the lips then wiped away her tears and smiled at her. ‘So, please, tell me what happened.’

  ‘Tara’s announcement that she was pregnant came like a bolt from the blue. Antonio knew what she was like, that she was only really interested in money and having a good time. Even though he regretted having got involved with her, he couldn’t bear the thought that she was going to abort his child, especially when he might never be able to have any children in the future.’

  ‘And that was when you came up with the idea of paying her to have the baby?’ he suggested gently.

  ‘Yes. It probably sounds crazy to you, but Antonio was so distraught I had to do something to help him. Finding out that he had cancer was such a devastating blow, especially when it turned out to be such an aggressive form.’

  ‘Fibrosarcoma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat, especially if it has spread throughout the body,’ he observed sadly.

  ‘Which was what had happened in Antonio’s case. I tried to give him all the support I could, but there was very little I could do.’

  ‘You were there for him, Rebecca. That was the most important thing of all.’

  She sighed when she heard the pain in his voice. ‘You’re wishing that he’d told you, aren’t you? He did think about it. We spoke about you a lot, in fact. Even though you two had argued, he loved you very much, Felipe. He just felt that he had to face what happened on his own and make his own decisions. He was afraid that you might not let him and that the time might come when he wouldn’t have the strength to fight you.’

  ‘And he was right. I would have tried to persuade him to carry on with the treatment, but now I can see that would have been the wrong thing to do.’

  His voice echoed with regret and she squeezed his hand. ‘You loved him and Antonio knew that. Never forget that.’ She carried on when he nodded, knowing that it would be easier if she stuck to the facts. ‘Paying Tara to have the baby seemed like the best thing to do.’

  ‘And she agreed? The promise of money was enough to make her decide whether her child should live or die?’

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid it was. All Tara was interested in was the money, and she made sure that she got as much as possible out of Antonio. She demanded fifty thousand pounds immediately with another five thousand each month for the duration of her pregnancy to cover her living expenses.’

  She heard him curse under his breath and sighed. ‘There were also credit-card bills and payments on a car she’d bought. Then there was the money she asked Antonio for to buy baby clothes, only she never spent it on Josh.’

  ‘And that’s why you had to buy everything second-hand?’ He stood up and paced the room, as though he couldn’t bear to remain still while he listened to what she had to say.

  ‘Yes. I had a little money left in my savings account so I used that. I’d given up my agency job to look after Antonio and I hadn’t been earning for a while so it wasn’t very much, I’m afraid.’

  ‘And what about the money Antonio left you in his will?’ he asked gently as he sat down again.

  ‘That was for Tara, her final payment for having Josh—another fifty thousand pounds.’ She shrugged. ‘He didn’t trust Tara not to get rid of the baby so the agreement was that I would pay her the money after the child was born. Of course, he hoped to leave enough money for me to take care of Josh, but Tara had drained his account almost dry. Antonio never fully realised how much of it he’d handed over to her, and I never told him because it would have upset him too much.’

  ‘Dios! I find it hard to believe that any woman could be so…so callous. Did she not change her mind after the child was born?’ he demanded.

  ‘On the contrary. She couldn’t wait to get rid of Josh and get her hands on the final payment due to her. She handed him over outside the hospital and I never saw her again until she turned up at my flat, demanding another twenty thousand pounds. I was so scared!’

  She started shaking and she heard Felipe bite out something harsh in Spanish as he drew her into his arms and held her tightly. ‘Shh, querida. There is no need to be afraid. Tara will never get her hands on our precious child. I swear on my life that I shall not allow
that to happen!’

  ‘You don’t know how wonderful it is to hear you say that.’ Becky lifted her face and kissed him lightly on the mouth, let the kiss deepen when he immediately responded. This time the tremor that passed through her owed itself to something other than fear, and she smiled shakily.

  ‘I love you so much, Felipe. Have I told you that?’

  ‘Yes, but I can stand hearing it as many times as you care to repeat it.’ His eyes were full of warmth and tenderness, his lips full of love, and every last tiny bit of fear melted away. Felipe would always take care of her and Josh.

  He let her go with marked reluctance. ‘I love you, Rebecca. I only wish that you hadn’t had to suffer the way you have. I only wish that Antonio had told me what was happening because I would have understood.’

  She sighed softly when she heard the regret in his voice. ‘I’m sure he knew that, but he didn’t want your life being disrupted by having to raise his child. You were busy with the opening of the clinic and he said something about you having had to give up such a lot for his sake already.’

  Felipe sighed. ‘He must have meant when I broke off my engagement to Teresa. He was always a sensitive child and he blamed himself, although there was no need. Teresa was having an affair with a friend of mine and that is why we ended our engagement. She wanted a man who would dance attendance on her and I wasn’t prepared to do that when I had my life mapped out.’

  ‘You mean setting up the Clinica Valdez?’ she guessed.

  ‘Yes. I gave up everything to achieve my dream. Now I realise that I missed out on so much by doing so.’

  ‘You mean Teresa?’ It was hard to keep the ache out of her voice and he laughed in delight.

  ‘No, I do not mean Teresa! My pride was hurt when I found out what had been going on, but my heart certainly wasn’t broken. I meant that I had missed out on enjoying things other than my work. Isn’t there a saying the Americans use about waking up and smelling the coffee? Well, that’s what I never did.’

  It was so ridiculous that she laughed. ‘I can easily make you some coffee, Felipe, if that’s what you want!’

  ‘Wretched woman! How dare you tease a man who has been in such torment?’

  ‘Have you? Been in torment, I mean?’ she said huskily.

  Felipe smiled at her, seeing the love in her eyes. His heart seemed to overflow because he knew it was all for him.

  ‘Yes, my darling. I have been in the worst kind of torment possible because I had lost the one thing that mattered most to me—you.’

  ‘You haven’t lost me. I’m here now and I intend to stay right by your side.’ She leant forward and there was a world of promise in the kiss she gave him. ‘I love you, Felipe.’

  ‘I love you, too.’ He chuckled wryly. ‘I was so jealous when I saw you with Montague at the clinic that day. I have never wanted to hit anyone, but I wanted to hit him!’

  ‘Poor Simon. He’s been a good friend and I hope that you two will try to get on.’

  He glowered at the idea then sighed when she gave him a stern look. ‘Very well, I shall try. But I am more concerned about what will happen to us—you, me and Josh.’

  ‘I am still afraid that Tara might do as she threatened and go to court out of spite,’ she admitted worriedly. ‘I’m sure she will try to demand more money at some point, and she won’t be pleased if we refuse to pay her.’

  ‘I do not believe that any judge would find in her favour once you had told them the truth, Rebecca. However, we need to bring this to a proper conclusion. I do not want you spending your life worrying what might happen.’

  He kissed her quickly, his tongue teasing so tantalisingly around her lips that she groaned. He knew his expression was more than a little smug when he drew back, but he couldn’t help it. Rebecca loved him. He felt ten feet tall and as though he could climb mountains. And nothing was going to spoil their happiness from now on.

  ‘I shall sort everything out. Trust me. And now do you think we can steal a few minutes for ourselves? I have come a long way to see you, Rebecca, and it seems a shame to waste this visit by talking all the time.’

  She laughed softly, her grey eyes sparkling as she looked at him. ‘I thought talking was good for the soul, Dr Valdez?’

  ‘Is it?’ He kissed her once on the lips, then a second time on the jaw, feeling the tremor that ran through her as his mouth moved to her throat and began its descent.

  ‘Oh, yes. Very good…’

  He heard her breath catch as his mouth slid over her collarbone and carried on with its journey. All she had on was a towelling robe and the V-neckline was the perfect spot to aim for.

  A shudder ran through him when he felt the soft swell of small breasts beneath his lips as they travelled towards their goal. Her skin was so warm and smooth, the scent of soap making his body hum with anticipation. He reached the base of the V and planted a kiss there, smiling when he felt her shiver.

  ‘So, do I take it that you still prefer to talk, Rebecca?’ he asked, his lips brushing against her skin.

  ‘I suppose it all depends what other choice there is,’ she said huskily, and he had to bite back a laugh of delight when he realised how much effort it had cost her to force out the sentence.

  ‘Then perhaps I should help you make up your mind by showing you what is on offer,’ he suggested with a wickedly sexy laugh.

  He drew the folds of her robe apart and turned so that he could kiss first one nipple and then the other, hearing the moan that came from her lips. It was such a heady experience that he did it all over again then realised that it was he who was moaning this time.

  He stood up and lifted her into his arms, smiling down at her with eyes full of love. ‘Talking might be good for the soul, Rebecca, but it does very little to ease the ache in one’s body, I fear.’

  ‘Then maybe it’s time we did something about that.’ She wound her arms around his neck, pulled his head down so that she could kiss him lightly on the mouth then smiled. ‘Do you think it might help if we made love? It’s only a suggestion, of course. Feel free to disagree if you wish.’

  ‘Oh, I think it might help quite a lot.’ He returned her kiss then drew back and looked at her. And he knew that he had never meant anything more in his whole life as he continued, ‘I love you, Rebecca. I shall spend my life making you happy if you will let me.’

  ‘Good. Although for a man who isn’t keen on words, you do seem to spend an awful lot of time talking,’ she said pertly, smiling at him.

  ‘Don’t worry, querida. I do not intend to say anything else for a long time to come!’

  He quickly carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Josh was fast asleep in his cot and didn’t stir. Felipe undid the belt of her robe and pushed it off her shoulders.

  Her body was smooth and firm in the glow from the night-light, her skin gleaming like mother-of-pearl. He was almost afraid to touch her because she looked so fragile, so delicate. But then she reached up to him and her arms were surprisingly strong as she pulled him down to her and held him tightly against her heart.

  ‘Love me, Felipe,’ she whispered. ‘Just love me.’

  ‘I shall. Always.’

  It was the easiest promise he had ever made, and one which he would never break. He would love Rebecca from now until eternity…

  Six months later…

  ‘Is that from the solicitor?’

  Felipe heard the anxiety in Rebecca’s voice as she came into the study where he’d been opening the day’s post. He turned and smiled at her, knowing that the past few months had been the happiest of his entire life.

  They had been married in a simple, civil service held at the local registrar’s office in London before she’d flown back to Mallorca with him. It was what they had both wanted so there had been no reason to wait. Now he pulled her into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss before handing her the letter that had arrived from London.

  They had made a formal application to adopt Josh before l
eaving England. He knew that Rebecca had been terrified that Tara might lodge an objection once their solicitor informed her of their plans, but it hadn’t happened. Now he smiled when he heard her gasp of relief as she read the letter.

  ‘See, it is official now. We are legally Josh’s parents.’

  ‘I kept wondering if something would go wrong at the last minute,’ she admitted with a catch in her voice.

  ‘I know. And it has almost broken my heart, watching you worrying yourself to death.’

  He kissed her again, feeling her relax against him as he held her close. ‘Everyone knew that it was the best thing for Josh and I had no doubts that it would be perfectly fine in the end. The fact that Tara never bothered to fly back from New York for the hearing proved that she isn’t interested in him.’

  ‘I believe she has a new man in her life—a millionaire, so rumour has it.’

  ‘Then she has got what she wanted at last—money,’ he said firmly. ‘Now we shall forget about her and start to make plans for our future.’

  ‘What have you got in mind?’ she asked curiously, tipping back her head to look at him.

  ‘What I have in mind at this minute will have to wait,’ he said drily. ‘I am needed at the clinic. My colleagues are already talking about the amount of time I have taken off recently.’

  ‘Let them talk,’ she murmured, kissing his jaw and smiling when she felt his body immediately quicken.

  ‘Mmm, you can be so very persuasive, Rebecca…’ He kissed her quickly then set her away from him and sighed. ‘No, I must not be tempted. There is something I want to ask you first.’

  ‘That sounds very serious,’ she teased, smiling up at him with her heart in her eyes.

  Felipe smiled back. ‘It is something I have been thinking about for some time, but I thought it might be better to wait until everything had been finalised. Now we shall be able to have a double celebration.’