“What’s wrong?”
“Senior’s plane landed in Miami an hour ago,” Trey said. “I have no doubt he’s on his way here right now.”
“Why would he come here?”
“I’m not sure.” He shook his head. “Please believe me that I wouldn’t have asked you over if I’d known. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Yeah, we didn’t get along too well last time, did we?”
Trey released her hand and sat back. “You should go. Before he arrives.”
Suddenly knowing she shouldn’t leave Trey alone with his father, she shook her head. “I just got here.”
“My father could be in a rage.”
She nodded. “Maybe. He wants to have it out with you.”
His jaw set, Trey glanced toward the pool where Jason splashed. “Whatever his purpose, it won’t be pleasant.”
She leaned forward. “Do you think I can’t handle unpleasant, Trey?”
He swung his gaze back to hers.
“Do you know what a cop does on the job most of the time?”
A faint smile softened his expression. “Arrest bad guys?”
“I wish. Mostly we calm people down.”
“Senior can be cruel,” Trey said, looking away again.
“I am not afraid of your father, Trey.”
Trey returned his speculative gaze to hers. “Maybe you should be.”
She issued a harsh laugh. “I’ve seen far worse.” When Trey didn’t reply, she said, “But I’ll go if you want me to. Do you want me to go?”
He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he stared across the pool again and said, “Actually, I don’t want you to ever leave.”
Kelly sucked in a breath, her heart thudding so loudly she could hardly hear herself think. Trey was now talking about more than a confrontation with his father.
Focusing on her again, he raised a hand and stroked her cheek. “Don’t you know that, Kelly?”
Their gazes held, and she swallowed, unsure what to say other than, no, she didn’t know that.
“And please don’t ever think that you are harming Jason,” Trey said. “My son adores you.”
At a shout behind her, Trey broke their connection and looked toward the house. He narrowed his eyes.
When another yell sounded, closer this time, he leaped to his feet so abruptly the chair almost toppled over.
“Well, isn’t this just nice and cozy.”
“Father,” Trey said.
Kelly whirled to find Senior standing on the patio, legs planted wide, hands on his hips, a sneer on his face.
Damn, but the man had lousy timing.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Wentworth,” Olga said, her face flushed, hurrying up behind Senior. “I couldn’t stop him.”
“That’s all right, Olga,” Trey said. “You can go.”
With a final glare at Senior, Olga moved away muttering to herself.
“What is she doing here?” Senior demanded, jabbing an accusing finger at Kelly.
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you it’s not polite to point?” Kelly came to her feet and faced Trey’s father. Had he been drinking?
Senior’s lips curled back from his teeth. She almost laughed. Was the man actually snarling at her?
“I think a better question is what are you doing here, Father,” Trey said.
Breathing hard, Senior whirled back to Trey. “Son, you and I need to have a conversation.”
“The time for that has long passed,” Trey said. “You should have taken my advice a year ago. You should have returned my calls this week.”
Trey’s father raised his chin. “Well, I’m here now.”
Aware the splashing in the pool had ceased, Kelly focused on Jason. The child stared at his grandfather with a horrified expression. The bodyguard had come to his feet, alert and watching for the need to intervene. Good man.
“Jason shouldn’t see or hear this,” Kelly told Trey. “Either move inside or let me take Jason.”
“Is this slut calling the shots now?” Senior demanded, pointing at her again.
Raising his arm as if to strike his father, Trey lunged forward. But Kelly was closer and moved faster. She batted away Trey’s arm. If Trey and his father came to blows, there’d be no going back for them.
“Watch the name-calling, pal,” she said with deadly menace, jabbing Senior in the chest. “In case you didn’t know it, I’m armed.”
The slack-jawed shock on the old man’s face almost made Kelly relent. Almost.
“And not only that,” she continued. “I’ve been known to break a man’s wrist with one swift kick. Do you want me to prove it?”
She shot a glance to Trey. Her words had had their desired effect, and he’d backed off his white-hot rage. He stared at her, mouth open, obviously suffering from a bit of his own shock.
Well, that was fun.
Quite the day for the Wentworth billionaires.
She grabbed a towel, moved to the pool and called Jason over to her. He came quickly, and she scooped him in the towel and made her way into the house without looking back at Trey and his father.
She buried her face in the towel to hide her smile. Nothing had ever made her feel so cherished as when Trey had raised his hand against his father to defend her. Of course she couldn’t allow that to happen, but still.
Trey and Senior might need to have a conversation.
But so did she and Trey.
* * *
TREY WATCHED THE love of his life move away carrying his—no, their—precious son in her arms. She’d remembered Jason before he had. Right now Jase was as much hers as his.
Wrapped in a bright yellow towel, Jason hugged her neck tightly, holding on for dear life. Trey had a crazy notion to go after her, get down on one knee and propose this very minute. In front of his son and his father.
Hell, in front of the whole world.
He glanced to his father, who appeared deflated, as if Kelly’s words had sucked the air out of him. He looked old and very tired. Confused.
Why had he ever worried that the Wentworth dynasty would defeat Officer Kelly Jenkins? His warrior princess could stand up to anyone and was more likely to cause hiccups in his family’s creaky empire. She’d help him instigate the much-needed changes.
“Sit down, Dad,” Trey said.
Senior nodded and collapsed into Kelly’s chair. “Were you celebrating my betrayal?” he asked, focusing on the champagne bucket.
“We were celebrating the arrest of Jason’s kidnapper,” Trey said, pouring champagne into a fresh glass for his father.
“She’s a pistol, that one,” Senior said, his gaze fixed on the door where Kelly had taken Jason.
Surprised at the begrudging respect in his father’s tone, Trey slid the glass toward him.
“Yes, she is. You need to get used to having her around if you want to be part of my life.”
“Apparently you don’t want me in your life.” His father focused on him then, his eyes distant. “They wouldn’t let me in to see your mother.”
“And you know why.” Trey settled back, hoping for a long, civil conversation. “Let me explain the way things are going to be now, Dad.”
* * *
AFTER A WARM BATH, Kelly helped Jason change into dry clothing and settled him in bed for a nap. She selected one of his favorite stories and pulled up a chair beside his bed.
“Why is Grandpa Mean Bull here?” Jason asked before she could start reading.
Kelly lowered the book. Jason deserved some sort of an explanation, but what? She suspected Trey and Senior would be in conference for a while.
“He and your daddy need to talk about some stuff.”
“Is he going to stay?”
; “I don’t know, but if he does, it probably won’t be for long.”
Jason gazed at her with wide innocent eyes. “Why is he so mean?”
Feeling like someone had taken hold of her heart and squeezed hard, Kelly shook her head. Mothering a child was a far more difficult job than she’d realized. She’d had training to be a cop. Where did a woman find instructions to nurture a child into a healthy adult?
“I think,” Kelly said slowly, “that maybe he’s unhappy and takes it out on other people.”
“Why is he unhappy?”
Kelly nodded. This one she could answer. “Today he’s mad because he didn’t get his way. You know how you get when your daddy or I tell you no?”
Jason nodded.
“It’s not very nice to watch Grandpa get mad, is it?”
He grinned at her sheepishly. “No.”
“Any more questions?”
He shook his head.
“Okay then.” Kelly raised the book and read out loud, not at all surprised when Jase fell asleep after four pages. He must have swum the length of the pool fifty times.
She closed the book and watched his steady breathing, wishing she could read him to sleep every nap. No, every night. She loved this little boy.
She loved his father.
And maybe, just maybe, his father loved her, too.
Now that she had the luxury of being alone with her thoughts, her mind wandered back to what Trey had said, to the raw emotion in his eyes just before Senior had shown up, and her heart began to pound again.
They were different people. They came from different worlds. Was there any possible way love could last between them? Even under ideal circumstances—and hers and Trey’s were far from ideal—for a relationship to endure two people had to work at it, compromise, make adjustments.
Love was hard. No question about it.
But life itself was damned hard, too.
And didn’t everyone deserve a chance at happiness?
Kelly quietly left Jason and moved into Trey’s bedroom. She’d made her decision, and she would wait for him there. They needed to talk. For the first time in her life she’d be totally honest with a man and take that giant leap into the unknown.
* * *
TREY DIDN’T KNOW HOW, but he knew he would find Kelly in his bedroom. What he didn’t expect was to find her asleep on his bed.
She looked beautiful, of course, with her long blond hair spread out on the pillow, one hand resting on her abdomen, the other flung over her head. Peaceful.
Totally unlike the angry warrior princess who had threatened to shoot his father.
He moved to the bed, slipped off his shoes and lay down beside her. Her eyes flew open. She smiled and reached for him.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.” He gathered her close, feeling the strength of her body, her heat merging with his. She snuggled in closer.
“Where’s Senior?” she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
“In his room.”
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“It will be.”
Trey pulled back, brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her. His warrior woman opened completely to him, held nothing back.
When she pulled away, her startlingly blue eyes appeared unfocused. Trey cupped her cheek. “I’m in love with you, Officer Jenkins.”
“And I’m in love with you, Mr. Billionaire.”
Trey exhaled his relief. He’d been wanting to hear her say that for so long. “I should never have let you leave.”
“I kind of insisted on going.”
He propped his head on a bent elbow so he could see her better. “Why?”
She exhaled, rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “I was afraid.”
“You? Afraid? Not possible.”
“I was afraid of not being good enough, of not fitting in, of losing myself to you.” She sighed and swiveled her head toward him again. “In case you don’t know it, you’re a bit, you know, overwhelming. I didn’t think you could ever love me.”
He lowered his head and kissed her.
“Mmm,” she said, opening her eyes.
“You’re pretty special yourself, Kelly,” he said, his voice husky.
“Thanks for thinking so.”
“How did I get so lucky?”
She hesitated and then said, “So why did you let me go?”
He knew that he owed her the truth. It was time to get everything out in the open. “The same reason. Fear.”
His answer appeared to confuse her. “Of what?”
“That you would be killed on your job. I worried what it would do to Jason to lose another mother.”
Her mouth tightened. “That’s a legitimate concern, but I’m careful.”
“I know you are,” he said. “And I realized I was being very stupid to throw away our chance at happiness, and decided not to let that particular fear rule my life. I intend to cherish you for whatever time we have.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. “Oh, I like that,” she breathed.
“You’ve already made me a better person.”
She turned on her side then, her eyes glistening. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“But I thought a life with me and my horrible family would destroy you, as it destroyed my mother.”
“Oh, Trey.”
“I know now that you’re strong enough to stand up to anyone—kidnappers, overbearing patriarchs, pushy bodyguards.”
“Damn right,” she muttered.
“I just couldn’t stand the idea of spoiling perfection.”
“What?” She quirked a brow. “You think I’m perfect?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” he said. “Although there is the one thing.”
She laughed. “Just one thing? What is it?”
“Were you really going to break my father’s wrist?”
Color crept into her cheeks. “The man is a bigger baby than Jason. He needs to behave.”
Trey grinned. “But other than that,” he said. “Yeah, perfect.”
“Well, you’re in for quite the shock.”
Trey cupped her cheek. “I’m willing to take that chance.”
She smiled, but didn’t reply.
“Are you?” he asked.
“Am I what?”
“Willing to take a chance. On life with me, on happiness.” When she didn’t answer, he said, “I’m asking you to marry me, Kelly.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Trey held his breath, searching her face. Did she really have to think about her answer?
“I just wanted to soak up this moment a little longer so I could always remember what sheer joy felt like,” she said.
“Are you done soaking?”
She nodded. “I will marry you, Trey Wentworth. Life with you will make me better, too, because, believe me, I am a long, long way from perfect.”
He gathered her close and kissed her, sealing their promise to each other, to the start of their new life. To their new family. He’d reached a truce with his father. Maybe he’d take Kelly’s advice and move his mother to Collins Island. Because of Kelly’s job, he and Jason would live here full-time. He’d never ask her to leave a career she loved.
Warmth spread through him as he thought about telling Jason, who would be beyond ecstatic at the news Kelly would be his new mother.
“I can see the tabloid headlines now,” Trey said, as Kelly laid her head on his chest.
She groaned. “As if Wentworth Heir Picks New Mother wasn’t bad enough.”
“We’ll get through it,” he said.
“I know.”
“My son
certainly has good taste,” Trey said. “I must remember to thank him.”
“How? Another toy?”
Trey laughed softly. “Jason will have what every child in the world needs.”
Kelly remained quiet, still reveling in the joy of this moment, thinking about Trey’s words.
“He’ll be surrounded by people who love him,” she said softly. Maybe it wouldn’t be a traditional family, but it was the love that mattered.
“And that’s all any of us truly need.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from DATING BY NUMBERS by Jennifer Lohmann.
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Superromance.
You want romance plus a bigger story! Harlequin Superromance stories are filled with powerful relationships that deliver a strong emotional punch and a guaranteed happily ever after.
Enjoy four Harlequin Superromance stories every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice
OR
EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.
Click here to join for FREE
Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.
Dating by Numbers
by Jennifer Lohmann
CHAPTER ONE
MARSIE PENNY GLANCED out her office door one last time before turning to her computer and entering her password into the dating website. She didn’t want to be filling out the profile now—especially at work—but one of her New Year’s resolutions was finishing the stupid thing. She’d promised herself that she’d have it done by today and, with the way things were looking at work, she wasn’t going to get home until after midnight. She was already behind schedule at work. Being behind schedule in her personal life as well would be beyond the pale.
The Billionaire's Son Page 27
