With clumsy fingers, Olivia tried to do as she was asked. But her coordination was shot. Annalise took over, dealing with zippers and buttons. She stripped Olivia all the way down to her bare skin and then bundled her up quickly in dry underwear, a fleecy sweatshirt and jeans.
When they returned to the front of the house, the men were huddled together, their clothing still dripping onto the marble floor. Gareth turned his eyes to the ceiling, his body rigid with concentration.
Suddenly he swung around and pinned Annalise with a laserlike gaze. “Did you take Cammie to the secret tunnel?”
Annalise nodded. “I showed her where it was, but we didn’t go in. The whole thing is probably full of spiders and mice. Ick. No child would want to get in there.”
Kieran’s expression was bleak. “I did. When I was just her age.”
For a moment, the silence was stunned and uncomfortable. Olivia knew he was telling them that the secret tunnel was where he used to hide to grieve his mother.
En masse, they started up the stairs. Second floor, third floor, attic.
Olivia was confused. “But we’ve searched all this,” she cried. “Several times.”
“Over here,” Kieran said, already crossing the attic to a portion of the wall where a frieze of carved flowers decorated a protruding section that looked like it was concealing ductwork. But it suddenly dawned on Olivia that the vents for the heat and air system were on the opposite side of the room.
Kieran pressed on a rose. Nothing happened. He glanced over his shoulder at Annalise. “Do you remember which one?”
She shrugged unhappily. “I never actually got it to open. All I did was tell Cammie how it worked in theory. I didn’t think she paid attention to what I was saying.”
Kieran pressed and punched until his knuckles were raw.
Annalise shoved him aside. “For Pete’s sake. Move, you big lug.”
Delicately, skimming her fingertips over the rough surface as if she were reading Braille, she searched for the mechanism. With a little click and a whir, the wheels engaged and the door swung open. It was only four feet high.
The seven adults gasped in unison. Annalise had not been wrong. The corners of the gaping opening were laced with spiderwebs. And the interior of the space was pitch-black, the single lightbulb long since burned out.
But lying curled up on the floor was Cammie, fast asleep. Her dirty face was streaked where tears had run through layers of dust. Her little fingernails were caked with grime from scratching at the inside of the door.
Kieran crouched and scooped her into his arms. “Wake up, baby. I’m here. Your daddy is here.”
Olivia touched her daughter’s soft cheek. “Wake up, Cammie. Please.”
The child’s lashes fluttered and lifted, causing her to blink against the sudden advent of bright light into her dark prison. “I got locked in,” she complained, her arms around Kieran’s neck. “Annalise never explained how to get out.”
The indignant glare she shot Kieran’s cousin might have made them all laugh had not each one been choking back emotion.
Olivia smoothed her daughter’s rumpled hair, hoping it was spider free. “Why did you hide, sweetheart? We thought you were coming down for dinner, but when you went to get Bun-Bun you never came back.”
Cammie’s lower lip trembled. “When I woke up and went down to the dining room, I heard you say that when they catch the bad man you’re gonna take me back to California. I want to stay here, Mommy. With Kieran. And you, too. I like it here.”
“But, honey…”
Victor touched her arm in warning, silently pointing her attention to Kieran’s face. Olivia’s once incognito lover had nothing to hide now. His love and his pride were laid bare for all to see. He looked down at Cammie in his arms like a man who had finally found the treasure he’d spent a lifetime looking for.
Before Olivia could say another word, Kieran pulled her close, drawing the three of them into a tight hug. Saying a litany of thank-you prayers, she put her head on his shoulder and wept tears of gratitude.
When Cammie finally struggled to get down, demanding food, Olivia realized that the others had crept silently away, leaving this odd family of three to a reunion. Cammie faced off against her parents, arms akimbo. “You said you’re my daddy,” she accused, pointing at Kieran with an imperious finger. “I heard you.”
Olivia saw him struggle for words. She knew he hadn’t meant to betray her trust without her consent. The declaration had tumbled out, straight from his heart in the heat of the moment.
“Cammie, I…” He ran his hands through his hair, glancing in desperation at Olivia.
She stepped forward, squatting to look her daughter in the face. “He is your daddy, my sweet little jelly bean.”
Cammie’s eyes rounded. “Why didn’t you tell me when we got here?”
It was a fair question. Cammie’s hurt and confusion were exactly what Olivia had been hoping to avoid. Speaking slowly, choosing her words carefully, Olivia explained, “Kieran didn’t know he was your daddy until I told him. When you were born, I didn’t know where he was, because he works on the other side of the world.”
“Did you look for him?”
Another zinger.
“I was busy taking care of you. I loved you very much and I was very happy to be your mommy.”
Cammie stared at Kieran, Bun-Bun dangling from one fist, dragging the floor. “Do you want to be my daddy?”
Her innocence and vulnerability would have shredded a heart far more hardened than Kieran’s. He blinked once. “I am your daddy,” he said forcefully, crouching beside her. “But even if I weren’t, I would want to be. Because I think you are the most special little girl in the whole wide world…and I love you.”
Olivia knew the words were torn from his throat. He was not a man to say them lightly. When Cammie threw herself against his chest and his arms closed around her, Kieran’s expression was painfully open, his raw and bleeding heart on display.
She had to look away, feeling anew the guilt of her decision to keep father and daughter apart.
The past couldn’t be undone. Now all the three of them could do was move forward.
Kieran scooped Cammie up and stood with her, gazing at Olivia with an inscrutable expression. “Let’s get our little chick some food,” he said quietly.
Without ceremony, they made their way downstairs to Olivia’s suite of rooms. One call to the kitchen netted them a child’s feast of chicken fingers, peanut butter crackers, cooked apples and chocolate cake for dessert.
Olivia and Kieran sat side by side, not touching, as they watched their daughter devour an astounding amount of food given her small size. When she was satisfied, she wiped her mouth with her hand, yawning.
Suddenly her face brightened. “If our other house is gone, this can be my new bedroom. Forever.”
Olivia felt Kieran tense. She gnawed her lip. “Kieran and I are going to talk about that,” she said, wishing this conversation had been preceded by some kind of well-thought-out plan.
He had no such qualms. “It’s your bedroom forever. Definitely. No matter what happens.”
“You can stay here for the rest of the summer,” Olivia conceded, knowing she had little choice at this point. “But Lolo and Jojo live in California…and you’ll be starting kindergarten soon. We have lots to think about.”
Kieran shot her a sharp glance, but didn’t interrupt.
Puzzlement etched the features that already bore the stamp of the Wolff clan, emphasizing Cammie’s resemblance to Annalise. “What does that mean?”
Kieran stood. “Grown-up stuff, poppet. Let’s get you in a bath. You smell like a skunk.”
With Cammie giggling in delight, the two of them disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Olivia to sit alone with her troubled thoughts.
Sixteen
Kieran brooded out on the terrace, reluctant to go back inside and face the inquisition from his family about why he’d had a daughter for five
years and had never told them about her.
Cammie. His daughter. Even now the words sounded unfamiliar, and yet somehow right.
The storm had passed, and the summer sky was lit with scores of stars. The night was peaceful and serene in the aftermath of the tempest.
His own situation was not so calm. For his entire adult life, he’d had no one to worry about but himself. That thought drew him up short. It wasn’t exactly true. He’d worried about his father plenty, especially after the heart attack that had brought Kieran home from university and caused him to leave Olivia behind.
Kieran had spent many a night praying for his father’s recovery…wondering bleakly if Olivia had found some cocky English chap to pick up where Kieran had left off.
But as the months passed, once Kieran had made the choice to set out on the open road, he’d been remarkably self-centered. Okay, maybe not selfish exactly. He was kind, and his work was important to the people it benefited. But all in all, nothing had mattered to him but the next dot on the map and how soon he’d be on his way there.
Now, he stood at a new crossroads…one that a GPS couldn’t locate on any grid. He had a daughter…and a lover…and a mountain that was calling him home. Normally he’d be chomping at the bit to pack his duffel bag and head out for parts unknown. Usually his passport was in his back pocket, ready for the next stamp.
But now, inexplicably, the thought of leaving at the end of the summer was unbearable.
He strode back into the house, eager to see Olivia, ready to make plans, to map out a course of action.
His father met him in the hallway. “There’s a fellow at the front gate by the name of Jeremy Vargas. The guard wants to know whether to send him up or not.”
Kieran frowned, wishing he could say no. “Let him in,” he said.
Victor put a hand on his arm. “When you’re ready, we’d all like to hear about you and Olivia and Cammie.” He winced. “Olivia is the one you wanted to tell the truth to…back in Oxford.”
It was a statement, not a question. “Yes.”
“But I had a heart attack and you left her.” His face twisted. “God, I’m sorry, son.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Why did she never let you know you had a daughter?”
“Because she thought my name was Kevin Wade, and when she found out I’d been lying to her…when she learned my true identity, she didn’t think I deserved or needed to know.”
Victor’s head bowed. “Son of a bitch…” The expletive held little heat. The old man was defeated, worn down.
“Don’t sweat it, Dad. It’s all water under the bridge. We’ll get through this.”
The front door opened, and in walked Jeremy Vargas. Kieran introduced his father, then Victor excused himself. The two men faced off in the foyer.
“Why are you here?” Kieran asked bluntly, in no mood to play the welcoming host.
A lazy smile lifted the corners of a mouth that had kissed a variety of big name actresses. “Olivia called me after the fire. I’m to escort her home.”
“The hell you say.” Fury ignited deep in Kieran’s belly. Caveman instincts kicked in. No one was leaving this house without his consent.
Olivia descended the stairs at that moment, wearing dark jeans and an emerald-green tank top. Her feet were bare. The smile she sent Jeremy’s way was sweet, uncomplicated. Kieran had never received such a smile from her, and that pissed him off.
God, she was beautiful. Already it seemed like years since he had made love to her. He wanted to scoop her up and kiss her senseless. Or maybe kiss some sense into her.
He glared. “You never said anything about Vargas coming.”
Her gaze was cool. “I wasn’t sure how quickly he could get here. I didn’t really expect him until tomorrow.”
Jeremy stood in silence, allowing the two of them to duel with words and unspoken innuendo.
“I thought we agreed that you weren’t leaving…not until your mother’s stalker is in custody.”
“Cammie will stay here. The two of you will have the time you asked for to get to know each other better. I’ll be able to deal with all the details about the fire and not have to worry about her.”
Kieran ground his teeth. “May I speak with you in private?”
She shook her head. “We’ve said enough, I think. Once I’ve had some time to figure out my plans about what to do next, we can talk about custody arrangements.”
She was shutting him out. Drawing a line in the sand. To hell with that. If she thought Kieran would agree to let her run the show, she was in for a big surprise.
“And when are you planning to leave?” He folded his arms across his chest.
“In the morning when I’m sure Cammie is okay.” She turned to Jeremy. “I’ll go check with Kieran’s father and see if it’s okay for you to spend the night. Thanks for coming, Jeremy.”
In the wake of her departure, the silence lengthened. Jeremy stood, hands in his pockets, with an enigmatic smile on his handsome face.
Kieran wanted to punch him hard enough to rearrange those perfect features. He stared at the unwelcome intruder. “What’s the deal with you and Olivia?”
Jeremy shrugged. “No comment.”
“I don’t like you, Vargas. Not one damn bit.”
The smile deepened.
“You’re in love with her.”
Jeremy shrugged. “I love her. And I’ve known her long enough to realize you were the one who screwed over her life. I don’t plan to let you do it again.”
“Sanctimonious bastard.” Kieran simmered, his fists itching for a brawl. But it had been years since he and his brothers had settled their differences with a fight. And Victor would frown on bloodshed in his foyer. “You have no say in what goes on between Olivia and me.”
“We’ll see. But I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Wolff. So watch your step.”
The next morning, Olivia hugged Cammie so tightly the child finally wiggled free with a protest. Olivia brushed her daughter’s wispy bangs with a fingertip. “You’re sure you want to stay? You don’t have to.”
Cammie made a face. “I’ll miss you, Mommy. Tell Lolo and Jojo I love them.” Before Olivia could snag another kiss, Cammie was gone, running off to play with Gareth’s dog.
Kieran stared at her, face impassive. She’d heard him knock on her door last night. But she had locked it. She was pretty sure he was going to propose marriage again, and that would have shattered her brittle heart. Everything was out in the open now. Cammie was Kieran’s daughter…a Wolff who had been welcomed into the pack with open arms. His family loved her and had a lot of years to make up for.
This would be the longest time Olivia had ever been separated from her daughter. Leaving her this way was agony. But not even for Cammie’s sake could Olivia linger. If Kieran continued to press for marriage as a practical solution, she might eventually cave to his persuasions. And that would be disastrous.
Olivia couldn’t bear to play the dutiful wife, tucked away on Wolff Mountain like Rapunzel in her tower, waiting for her prince to come home. Not without love.
She handed her carry-on to Jeremy who was loading their belongings into his rental car. Turning back one last time, she went up on tiptoe and kissed Kieran’s cheek. “Goodbye,” she said quietly. “Look after our girl. I’ll be in touch.”
As Jeremy headed the car down the mountain, tears trickled down Olivia’s cheeks. He handed her a tissue. “Why don’t you put him out of his misery? You love him.”
“He doesn’t love me. He’s attracted to me, and he loves the fact that we share a daughter, but I can’t live with that.”
“So it’s better to live without him?”
“Infinitely. I did it for five years and it wasn’t so bad.”
“But now you’ve been in his bed. You’ve shared things with him you’ve never shared with anyone else.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know you,” he said simply, shooting he
r a sideways glance. “You’ve had maybe ten dates in the last five years, and a couple of those were premieres with me, which doesn’t really count.”
“It’s hard being a single mom. A lot of men aren’t interested in raising another man’s child.”
“That’s not it. Most guys I know would fall all over themselves to be with you, even if you had a dozen rug rats. You’re smart and funny and sweet and flat-out gorgeous.”
She sniffled, wiping her nose and sighing loudly. “You’re good for my ego, sweet Jeremy.”
He waited for the massive front gate to slide open before steering the car through and aiming for the airport. “I call ’em as I see ’em, and I think you should decide what or who you want, and then fight for your future.”
“That’s funny. Victor Wolff gave me a variation of the same advice.”
“Maybe you should take your head out of the sand and listen.”
Olivia spent three weeks in California. The first seven days were filled with meetings and planning and insurance questions. Not only that, but she had to finish up her illustrations and overnight them to her publisher, a task that made her feel lighter once it was done. Fortunately she always carried her originals with her in a sturdy folio. Much had been destroyed in the fire, but not her latest work.
Week two brought the arrest of Lolita’s stalker, a sad, lonely man with definite mental issues. After that came the really difficult decisions, such as Olivia giving the go-ahead to raze the remnants of her property in order to sell the lot.
Jeremy stood with her the day the bulldozers came. He held her hand, and she cried as the last of her “normal” life was lifted and dumped into rubbish bins.
She stared at the destruction, remembering Cammie’s first Christmas…the marks on the kitchen wall that measured her height. The big, fuzzy leopard-print throw that they snuggled beneath together to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.
“All I ever wanted was to have a regular family.”
Jeremy’s childhood and adolescence were as tumultuous as hers. He understood exactly what her dreams were and why. Which made the shock all the bigger when he turned on her.
A Touch of Persuasion Page 15
