Carrying the Lost Heir's Child

by Jules Bennett

  Lily sat straight up. “First of all, that’s a little hurtful that you think I wouldn’t want to. Second, if you’re not comfortable with me around your new family, just say so. I know you’re wanting to get to know them and I’m still an outsider.”

  Nash slid his hands up her legs to her thighs as he gripped her and leaned forward. “I want you there. Never doubt that I want you with me. I didn’t want you to feel like I was dragging you through my family drama right now.”

  “Fair enough.” The fact he wanted her there spoke volumes for the direction their relationship was headed. “Are you going to tell them about the baby?”

  Nash’s thumbs slid back and forth over her bare thighs, making this conversation hard to focus on. But she realized he wasn’t even paying attention to the gesture when he sighed and shook his head.

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “I want to leave that up to you since we’re not ready for the media to get wind of it.”

  “Well, Ian knows, so Cassie may, too. Although he did promise to keep the information to himself.”

  Lily thought about the Barringtons, about how dynamic this family was and how the media tended to hound them, too. They would understand the need for privacy, especially when an innocent baby was involved. A close-knit family like that knew all about loyalty and protecting those around them.

  “I don’t mind if we tell them,” she said, pleased when his mouth split into a wide grin.

  “Seriously?”

  “Sure. That will give everyone something positive to discuss, something that takes the edge off the intensity of you shocking them with your identity.”

  The smile on his face faded, the muscle in his jaw clenched. Something she couldn’t identify passed over his eyes.

  “You all right?” she asked, wondering what she’d said that had him so worried.

  He blinked, and an instant transformation had his smile returning. “I’m good. Just thinking about how I’ll fit into Damon’s life now, I guess.”

  Framing his face in her hands, Lily held his gaze. “You’ll fit in perfectly. You all already have a love of horses, it’s in the blood. Things will all work out, you’ll see.”

  His dark brows drew down as if some worry still plagued him. “I pray you’re right.”

  * * *

  “That was wonderful,” Lily declared as she sat her napkin on the table. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure,” Damon replied with a smile.

  Nash hadn’t known what to expect when coming for lunch today, but so far he was pleasantly surprised at how easily he and Lily had slid into the family role...as if they were a real couple coming to his parents’ for a gathering.

  With Ian, Cassie and Cassie’s little girl on one side of the long table and Tessa and her husband, Grant, on the side with Nash and Lily, Damon sat at the head like the grand patriarch he was.

  The confident man had no clue he’d just hosted his rival.

  Nash wished more than anything he and Damon weren’t at odds in the business world. Nash hated lying, hated being someone he wasn’t just to get the prizewinning horses to complete his breeding program. He hadn’t worried about this when he’d first come onto the scene.

  He had Lily to thank for that bout of conscience. When he’d set out to get the inside scoop on Damon’s plan after the racing season, Nash had been ready to steal, lie and cheat to get what he wanted. But Lily made him want to be a better man.

  Nash had also gotten to know Damon on a more personal level and the elderly man wasn’t too different from Nash. They both knew what they wanted, and both went after it full force...how could Nash fault that? Damon wasn’t the man Nash had originally thought.

  Damon had a passion for the sport, just like Nash. The man cared for his family, would do anything to protect them. Nash hadn’t seen that side of him years ago in the circuit. All Nash had known was how ruthless Damon could be. And, honestly, Nash had actually recognized how alike he and his father were.

  Trouble now was, Nash was already wrapped so tightly in his own lies. He still wanted those horses, still needed desperately to breed them with his own back on his estate. He’d not had the best seasons lately and he had to do something.

  Lily’s hand slid over his leg under the table. “You okay?” she whispered.

  Pushing away thoughts of business, Nash patted her hand. “Yeah.”

  “Nash, I’d like to talk with you a moment if you don’t mind taking a walk down to the stables with me,” Damon said, not really asking. A man like Damon Barrington didn’t ask.

  “Of course,” Nash replied, wondering what the man would want to discuss in private. Had he found out the rest of the truth? Doubtful, but the possibility was always there.

  “You’re not seriously going to talk work are you?” Tessa asked.

  “Not at all.” Damon came to his feet and handed his plate to Linda who had just come into the dining room. “Ah, thank you. But I would’ve taken my own plate in.”

  Linda, the house cook and all around amazing lady to the family, laughed. “Of course you would’ve. I trained you years ago.”

  “Go on,” Lily gestured to Damon and Nash. “I’ll help clean up.”

  Both Tessa and Cassie both chimed in their refusal for Lily’s help, but Lily stood and started gathering dishes anyway.

  “I think we should pitch in, too, Ian,” Grant spoke up as he scooted his chair back. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to face the wrath of my wife if I let Lily do all of this.”

  Reaching into the high chair, Ian pulled Emily out and tucked her firmly against his hip. “Actually, there’s a smell coming from our section over here and I’m pretty sure I’m on diaper patrol. You enjoy wrapping up the leftovers, though.”

  Lily couldn’t help but get a bit choked up at the easy way this dynamic family all meshed together so beautifully. What would it be like to live here, to have that connection every day? She had her mother and they were extremely close, but Lily wondered how raising a child in LA and bouncing him or her around from film set to film set would affect the outcome of her child’s life.

  “Lily?”

  Nash’s soft tone, his easy grip on her elbow had her turning. “I’m sorry, what?”

  She realized the entire room was now staring at her. Great. She’d thought they’d all scurried out, apparently not.

  She’d given off the image of a professional actress when she’d been filming on set here for months, but now they were all looking at her as if she’d sprouted another head.

  “I asked if you were okay.” Ian stared across the table at her and seeing him holding his stepdaughter had Lily smiling and nodding.

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.

  Nash laughed. “Way to break the news, sweetheart.”

  Inwardly cringing, she turned to him. “Sorry. I’m botching things up here.”

  He took the stack of plates from her hands and kissed her cheek. “You’re fine.”

  Lily glanced around the room to the stunned faces. Only Ian was smiling and threw her a wink and a nod of encouragement.

  “It’s okay,” she told them with a smile as she blinked back the tears. “Nash and I are both excited about this. While we certainly weren’t planning on a baby, we are thrilled.”

  “A son and a new grandbaby on the way all in one week?” Damon asked as he puffed out his chest and grinned. “This calls for a major celebration.”

  “How about Wednesday?” Cassie suggested with clasped hands and a wide smile. “That’s the fourth. We could have fireworks, grill out and make a big night of it.”

  Lily’s head was spinning as the Barrington sisters started planning, then Linda came in, heard the news and chimed right in on everything she could make, too. As she babbled on, she bustled around the table, took the p
lates from Nash’s hand and kept right on planning without missing a beat.

  The moment went from her instant onslaught of tears to a chaotic meshing of voices chattering over each other.

  “I think they’re excited,” Nash leaned over and whispered in her ear.

  Damon came around the table and settled his hand on her shoulder. “Congratulations, Lily. I’m really happy for you guys.”

  Lily couldn’t help the lump of emotion that settled in her throat. Nash’s newly minted father was already welcoming her and the baby into the family. This was everything she’d ever wanted to give her children...a sense of belonging.

  “Thank you.”

  Nash’s hand slid over the small of her back. “We want to keep this private for now,” he informed his father. “Lily is taking some time off and staying with me until we figure out the best course of action. If the media gets hold of this news before we’re ready...”

  “I understand completely,” Damon nodded. “If you need anything, let us know. Privacy is something we value here. I promise to only keep Nash a few moments in the stables and then we’ll be back and we can continue this celebration.”

  Nash leaned down, placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he murmured before following Damon and the other men from the room.

  Lily looked up to see, Tessa, Cassie and Linda all smiling at her. Damn it. She wished she could label her relationship with Nash because she didn’t want to bond and fall in love even more with these amazing women if it wasn’t going to be long-term.

  Now that Nash had come clean with his family, would he want to get closer to them? Surely he wouldn’t want to just pack up and follow her back to LA. But, she had a job, a life there that she couldn’t ignore.

  She loved her job, not so much the lack of privacy, but digging into roles and bringing emotion to the screen. She still hadn’t decided whether to take the film Ian had sent her way and she had to discuss things with Nash, too.

  Lily needed to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling before she fell any deeper in love with this family.

  But she was afraid it was too late for that.

  Thirteen

  Nash entered the stables, like he had many times before, but this time Damon walked silently at his side. The fresh, familiar smell of hay and leather greeted them, while a couple of the horses peeked their heads out to see who their new visitors were.

  A tug on Nash’s heart irritated him. He couldn’t think of this estate as home or as a place where he would be welcome once Damon found out the truth. But he truly loved these grounds, these horses.

  “Man-to-man,” Damon started as he moved easily down the center aisle, his cowboy boots scuffing against the concrete. “How nervous are you about this pregnancy?”

  Nash laughed. “That’s not at all what I thought you’d say once we got down here. But, between us, pretty nervous. Not about the baby, and I know Lily will be an amazing mother. The worry more centers around the fact I want her to have a healthy pregnancy.”

  Damon stopped in front of the stall that housed Don Pedro, Tessa’s prizewinning horse that had helped her secure the coveted Triple Crown and put the Barrington sisters in the history books as the first females to accomplish such a feat.

  “It’s rough being the man in this situation.” Damon rested his hand on the top of the half door. “You’re used to fixing things, being in control of everything in your life. I know when Rose was pregnant with our girls, I was a nervous wreck until she delivered. But once I held that baby in my arms, I knew for certain I’d never let anyone or anything hurt them if I could prevent it at all. I’d sell my soul to the devil himself to keep my girls happy.”

  Be careful what you wish for.

  “Lily has had a few dizzy spells and she was told to relax and take it easy to keep her blood pressure down, so right now that’s all I can concentrate on.” Nash reached out, sliding his hand up the stallion’s velvety nose. “So, I’m sure you didn’t bring me down here to talk babies.”

  Damon took a step back, crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “I want to make you an offer.”

  Intrigued, Nash continued his slow caress of Don Pedro’s soft hair. This was where that power and control came into play. No matter what Damon said, Nash had to remember that he held the upper hand, not his father. And it was how Nash chose to play his hand that would determine both of their futures and any relationship Nash hoped to have.

  “Tessa and Cassie retired, as you know. Cassie has plans to open a school for physically challenged children here and Tessa will help when she’s available. She and Grant have discussed moving.” Damon’s gaze shot straight to Nash’s, held there and demanded full attention. “I’ve been offered an excessive amount of money for several of my horses and I’ve yet to take an offer.”

  It took every bit of willpower Nash had not to laugh. He knew all about those offers...and the fact they’d been turned down.

  “I know we just discovered each other,” Damon went on. “But I’d like to offer Don Pedro to you. I’ve thought about this since you were here the other night and I know a gift hardly makes up for missing your entire life, but you’re the best groom I’ve ever had and this is the best horse we’ve ever had. I’d like you to have him.”

  Nash barely caught himself before his jaw dropped. Control. He had to remain in that mindset. Damon Barrington was handing over such a remarkable horse? A horse that could pull in more money than any other at this point in time?

  “I never expected that,” he said honestly.

  Here all this time Nash had been dishing out offer after offer only to be rejected and now Damon was hand delivering the horse right to his rival. Had he admitted the paternity months ago, would Damon still have given Nash the horse once the season was over? Or had Damon just come to know Nash well enough to know he would take care of the animal like the royalty Don Pedro was?

  The fact that Nash had deceived a man he’d actually come to care about weighed heavily on his heart and his conscience. This would not end well...for anybody.

  “What did Tessa say?” Nash asked.

  Damon waved a hand, then reached out to stroke the Thoroughbred’s neck. “She was well aware we’d be selling him after the race and she’s on board. I’m selling a couple, actually, if Cassie can part with them. We all get attached, but that girl is so emotionally invested it rips her heart out to let them go after she’s trained them.”

  Nash glanced at the horse in question, one of his main motivations for coming here. The end goal was in sight, but that last shred of truth still remained wedged between Nash and all he wanted. His goals had changed somewhat, but he still wanted Don Pedro. He just didn’t know that he was comfortable using deceit to achieve that end anymore.

  “I’m sure you could get a great deal of money for him from other owners who want to breed him,” Nash said after a moment. “Are you sure you just want to give him away?”

  “I could sell him, sure, but racing was never about money to me.” Damon stepped away from the stall and crossed the aisle to show some affection to a horse named Oliver. “I had a passion for riding when I was a young boy. My mother was single and couldn’t afford to give me a horse, so I would take lessons at a local horse farm in exchange for working in the barns. It was hard work, but I learned the love of the sport and saved every single penny I ever received because I was going to buy my very own horse.”

  A slice of guilt slashed right through Nash’s heart. Hearing Damon talk of his childhood, wondering how much more their lives mirrored each other, Nash turned to face his father.

  “I know hard work,” Damon continued, resting his elbow on the edge of the door. “I know it pays off and I want to reward you for all you’ve done here in a short time. I realize you came here to technically spy on us, but I have to admit, I would’ve d
one the same had I been in your shoes.”

  That damn lump of remorse settled in his throat, making it nearly impossible to swallow. Nash had never expected to have a bonding moment with Damon and he sure as hell hadn’t thought he’d nearly get choked up over it. But here Damon was sharing a part of his past, proving why Nash should take the free gesture of love.

  Damn it.

  Nash glanced back to the coveted stallion in question. Could he seriously go through with this? Just take the prizewinning horse and move on? Everything he’d wanted was right within his reach; all he had to do was grab hold.

  What would Damon say once he learned the truth? Deceiving the man was initially the plan, but, now that Nash had actually spent time here and gotten to know this family, he cared for them in a way he never would’ve imagined.

  Turning down this gesture, however, would require an explanation Nash wasn’t quite ready to disclose yet. So he tightened the web he’d woven around himself and turned back to Damon.

  “I’ll take good care of him,” Nash said with a smile that didn’t quite come from his heart.

  Damon’s shoulders relaxed as his lips curved into a grin. “Anything for my only son.”

  The guilt knife twisted deeper, leaving Nash more vulnerable than he’d ever thought possible. He’d officially become the man he never wanted to be. Because in the end, he would tear apart the relationships he’d just started to build, relationships he realized he wanted more than anything.

  He hadn’t even known how much he longed for a family until he came here. Then when he’d discovered the baby another layer of need was added. So here he was, his heart overflowing with family bonds and relationships and in one second that all could be wiped right back out of his life.

  Right now, he had to figure out a way to reveal the truth in the least damning way because that tight fist he’d had gripping all he wanted was slowly coming apart and he could feel the control slipping from his grasp.

  * * *

  Lily didn’t remember laughing so hard in such a long time. Having an impromptu girls’ day was beyond fun and quite a departure from the cattiness of the women in LA. Lily really didn’t have good girlfriends back home and being here with Cassie, Tessa and Linda almost felt as good as being with her own mother.