Natalie sighed deeply. Her brother Nicholas moved behind her, gently massaging her shoulders. “Don’t sweat it. Noah’s the only one who was able to come back on a regular basis. Nathaniel and I are both based in Los Angeles now.”
“And I’m in Arizona,” Naomi added.
“I just feel horrible,” Natalie said, her voice dropping. “I should have made more of an effort to come back.”
“Yes, you should have,” Noah said, a hint of attitude in his tone.
Natalie bristled, meeting the look her brother was giving her. Noah was the eldest, the son who’d taken it upon himself to be the father figure none of them had known. He’d protected them, supported them and ensured they’d known right from wrong. He’d been there to take care of them when their mother had been working three jobs or was too tired from working so hard to take them to the playground or show up at their school activities. Noah had been the one to see they had what they needed when he himself had nothing at all. He had pushed them and admonished them to do well. And, growing up, not one of them had wanted to disappoint Noah.
Her big brother had also supported her decision to leave Utah and pursue her modeling career. He’d given her permission to go and she had. Now he was making her feel bad about doing so.
Noah dropped into the seat beside her. He leaned forward, dropping his elbows atop his thighs as he reached for her hands. He pulled her fingers between his own as he met her stare.
“We missed you, Natalie. I missed you. You were our baby and our baby ran away from us. I understand why you left and I was the first one to want you to go and do well, but it hurt when you wouldn’t let us be a part of your life and celebrate your successes. It hurt us more than it ever bothered Norris-Jean, and when you remember how we were raised I would have thought that you would have known that. None of us would be where we are today if we hadn’t all been there to support one another. All we wanted was to be able to support you.
“So, yeah, damn it,” Noah concluded, “you should have made more of an effort, because we really missed you.”
Natalie leaned forward and pressed her lips to the back of her brother’s hands. “I’m sorry,” she said, their gazes locking one more time. “You’re right. I should have done a better job of staying connected but I promise I’ll do better going forward. And I missed you all, too,” she said, glancing around the room. “I did call Norris-Jean on the regular, though.”
Naomi laughed. “Yes, you did. And every time you called, Norris-Jean made sure we heard about it.”
“She also made sure we knew when you sent a check,” Nathaniel added.
Her siblings all laughed.
“I know that’s right,” Nicholas added. “If you sent one hundred dollars, she let us know she expected to see that much or more from the rest of us.”
“That was your mother,” Naomi said, walking over to the wooden bookshelves and taking down a collection of photo albums. She carried them back to the table. “She scrapbooked everything she could find about you. Every photo of you, every magazine spread that showcased you is here. She missed you. She missed us all, but she really didn’t want any of us to come back home.”
Noah chuckled. “No, she really didn’t.”
Natalie shook her head. None of them had ever called Norris-Jean Stallion mother. For years she’d wondered why. Norris-Jean had loved her children with everything in her, but the circumstances of her life had made being a mother a harder task than she’d been able to bear. Their father’s rejection had broken the matriarch’s heart and that hurt had been too difficult for her to bounce back from. She’d loved her children, but as they’d left home, going off in their own directions, loving them from afar had been easier for her to endure. They heaved a collective sigh.
“How come we never called her Mother or Mom or Mama?” Natalie suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had wavered through the room.
Noah laughed. “I think it was because we never heard anyone else call her that. I only ever heard her called by her given name so that’s what I called her. She never corrected me.”
“The rest of us just did what Noah did,” Nicholas concluded. “It was all we knew.”
“Hey, every family has some kind of dysfunction. That was ours but we were happy!” Nathaniel chimed in.
“Yeah, that we were,” Noah echoed.
Naomi giggled. “We weren’t that damn happy!” she crooned cheerily. Her siblings laughed with her.
“So what now?” Natalie asked.
Noah answered. “Well, all the arrangements for the service have been taken care of. We were just waiting for you to get here. Norris-Jean’s home-going is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and then we’ll have the repast at my house right after. Tonight, though, we’re having dinner with family from Dallas.”
Question lines creased Natalie’s brow. “What family from Dallas?”
“We have cousins who live in Dallas and they’re flying in for the service,” Naomi replied.
Confusion washed over Natalie’s expression. “What cousins? We never had any cousins!”
“Actually, we have a whole family we never knew about,” Nathaniel interjected.
Noah explained. “After Norris-Jean passed I was going through her personal papers and discovered that she had two brothers.”
“Two brothers?”
Noah nodded. “Yes. James and Joseph Stallion.”
“We have uncles?”
Naomi shook her head. “We did. Unfortunately they both died years ago. But our uncles had sons.”
Noah continued. “I was able to track down Uncle Joseph’s son. His name is Travis and he’s married with two kids. He put me in contact with Uncle James’s family. Uncle James had four sons and a daughter and all of our Stallion family is coming to meet us.”
Natalie stared at her brother. “This is crazy! Why didn’t Norris-Jean ever say anything?”
“I think she was embarrassed,” Naomi mused. “Five kids and no husband. Plus, I did a little snooping on Google and apparently the Dallas Stallions were the wealthier side of the family.”
“Even more reason she should have reached out to them,” Nicholas added. “Back in the day her brothers might have been willing to help us out when things got hard.”
“Well, maybe they’ll be able to tell us something,” Noah finished. “But we might have to accept the fact that we may never know what was going on in our mother’s head.”
Natalie hugged her arms around her body. She suddenly wished her new friend TJ were there to make her smile.
* * *
“So, how’s your love life? Are you dating anyone?” Tierra questioned. She gave her brother a curious stare, eyeing him as he rocked her daughter against his shoulder.
“Leave your brother alone, Tierra,” Travis said with a deep laugh. “These should be his ‘hit it and quit it’ years. Tinjin shouldn’t be thinking about love.”
Tinjin laughed as his sister rolled her eyes. “Actually, I’m not dating it, hitting it or quitting it,” he said. “Work has kept me too busy, Tea. Although I did meet someone I liked at the airport. She’s a model.”
“A model!” Travis said. “Bikini, I hope?”
Tinjin was still laughing. “She was a Victoria’s Secret angel,” he said nonchalantly.
Travis tossed up both hands. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Tierra’s head moved from side to side. “You’re impossible,” she said, directing her comment at her husband. “You should be encouraging him to settle down.”
Hit it and quit it, Travis mouthed behind his wife’s back.
“I see you, Travis Stallion,” Tierra said as she tossed him a quick look over her shoulder. “And you’re not funny.”
The two men laughed.
Tinjin shook his head. “
All in good time, little sister. Maybe I’ll think about settling down after I get the design house launched. But until then I won’t have time for anything else, not even a casual relationship.”
Tierra dipped her head slightly as she gave her brother a narrowed gaze. Before she could comment, little Tianna let out a loud wail, twisting against her uncle’s torso.
“I think she’s hungry,” Tinjin said. He passed the baby into her mother’s arms.
“We’ll finish this conversation when I come back,” Tierra said as she pulled her daughter to her chest.
Tinjin held his arms up as if he were surrendering.
“I mean it,” Tierra said as she moved to the door of the adjoining hotel room.
When she disappeared through the entrance and was out of earshot, Travis dropped into the seat she’d vacated.
“So tell me more about this model that you met at the airport and really like,” he said, eyeing his brother-in-law curiously. “She must be pretty special.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because if she wasn’t you wouldn’t have even mentioned meeting her. So, I’m thinking she’s a woman you’re really interested in getting to know better.”
Tinjin grinned broadly. “Yeah, I would,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “Her name’s Natalie.”
“I’m surprised your sister didn’t pick up on that. She’s usually a little sharper.”
Tinjin chuckled softly. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad one. I don’t know if I’m ready for Tierra to know anything yet.”
“This woman must be very special!” Travis crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat.
“I liked her. She had a lot of spirit. She lives in London, so hopefully our paths will cross sometime soon and I’ll get a chance to see her again.”
Travis nodded. “I hope that works out for you. I really do.”
“You hope what works out?” Tierra said, moving back into the room.
The two men exchanged a quick look.
“That my new business will do well,” Tinjin said as he broke the eye exchange with Travis.
Tierra nodded. “What all do you need?”
Tinjin paused for a quick second before answering. “Money. I’m dumping my entire life savings into the initial collection but it would be nice to have some seed money to fall back on to keep things rolling until the designs really take off. So I’m hoping to find an investor. Someone whose interests are also in the fashion field.”
“Well, you know Travis and I will help as much as we can. But you might want to talk to John and his brothers while you’re here. They’re always looking for investment opportunities.”
“I agree,” Travis added, “although Stallion Enterprises likes to have controlling interest in all of their business ventures. That might be problematic if you’re looking to have free rein.”
“I am, which is why I want someone who knows the industry and how it works. I just need a short-term investor with deep pockets who’ll buy in while I get off the ground and who won’t mind being pushed out when we’re rolling.”
“Well, good luck with that,” Travis said as he moved back onto his feet. He quickly glanced to the watch on his wrist. “We should start getting ready. We’ll need to be downstairs soon.”
Tierra nodded. “This is so exciting! Actually finding family you’ve never known about.”
Travis chuckled. “It is, but a part of me wishes it was your family and not mine.”
Tinjin laughed. “No thanks, brother. If we started unearthing siblings and cousins, both Tierra and Mama Dee would be even harder to deal with. The two of them are already difficult enough.”
“We are not!” Tierra exclaimed, pouting profusely. She swatted a heavy hand in her brother’s direction. “You wait until I tell her what you said.”
Travis laughed. “I understand, man. I understand completely!”
Chapter 5
John Stallion stood alone in the small conference room of the luxury hotel. Marah had gone to the banquet room to ensure everything was in place for the family meal. He was deep in thought when his brother Mark came through the door.
John nodded his head in greeting. “Are they here yet?”
“No. I don’t think so,” Mark answered. “Matthew is waiting in the lobby for them. Michelle and Katrina took the kids to the dining room.”
“Where’s Luke?”
“Late.”
John chuckled softly. “At least he’s consistent.”
“You know how Luke does. Besides, I think he’s feeling some kind of way about all this.”
John met Mark’s raised eyebrows. “Some kind of way how?”
Mark shrugged his broad shoulders. “First Phaedra showing up on our doorstep announcing she’s our father’s love child and now a dead aunt and cousins...” His voice trailed as he shrugged a second time.
John took a deep breath. “They are our family. We’re going to embrace and love them. It’s what Mom and Dad would have wanted from us.”
“I get it but still, it’s a lot to swallow. I’m starting to feel like we’re caught up in a scripted entertainment series and someone’s just waiting to drop another shoe to see if we’ll jump.”
John laughed. “That’s a little much, Mark. A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“Maybe, but it all used to make sense. We were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Stallion. We knew our lane and we stayed in it. It worked for us and with you at the helm we built an empire together. We have this legacy we’re going to be able to pass down to our children and now, suddenly, our inner Stallion circle isn’t just ours anymore. It’s just a lot to take.”
“Sounds like you’re the one who’s feeling some kind of way.”
Mark’s broad shoulders pushed up. “Maybe. Maybe I am.”
John nodded. He reflected on his brother briefly as Mark dropped into his own thoughts. When he finally spoke his tone was low and even. “You and Luke are both entitled to feel however you want. Just remember one thing. Noah and his family have to be feeling some kind of way, as well. So don’t make the mistake you made when we found out about Phaedra being our sister. You put a lot of distance between you and her and it took some time for you to give her a chance. You missed out on a lot of love but when you finally allowed yourself to open up, it turned out to be the best thing for you both.”
Before Mark could answer, the conference room door swung open. John turned just as his own likeness stepped through the entrance. A wide smile pulled at his full lips.
The Stallion bloodline ran deep. Noah Stallion stood tall, his build almost identical to Mark’s, his features a reflection of John’s. He had the same rugged good looks of all the brothers, their chiseled features and haunting eyes. His complexion was a warm caramel brown, not the more-cream-than-coffee skin tone of their cousin Travis, or the Hershey’s dark chocolate of John and his brothers.
Nathaniel and Nicholas Stallion and their two sisters, Naomi and Natalie, followed on his heels. Travis eased into the room behind them. There was no mistaking the Stallion family resemblance, all of them looking as if they belonged one to the other
Noah greeted him with a wide smile of his own, his hand extended. “You must be John,” he said.
John nodded. “I am. And this is my brother Mark.”
“Nice to meet you, Mark.”
There were handshakes and hugs exchanged as the two families introduced themselves. Luke, Phaedra and Matthew joined the commotion before everyone had made their way around the room. Then there was silence, nervous energy flowing through the space with a vengeance as they all stood staring at one another.
“Why don’t we sit down,” John said, breaking through the quiet that filled the air.
“Did you all come
alone?” Naomi questioned, looking across the table at the four brothers, the cousin named Travis and Phaedra, the only female in the group.
John shook his head. “No, our families are here. We arranged for banquet space for dinner and I thought it would be a lot less chaotic if we had a chance to talk first.”
“What about your families?” Phaedra questioned, looking from Naomi to Natalie.
“None of us are married,” Naomi answered. “Well, Nathaniel’s almost married.”
“Like hell I am!” Nathaniel exclaimed.
The men all laughed.
“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Mark teased.
“Someone’s going to write it one day,” Naomi commented. “And I plan to give them the low-down filthy dirt to make it a best seller.”
Nathaniel rolled his eyes skyward. “Forgive my sister. She actually thinks we all want her up in our business.”
Mark snapped his fingers. “We’ve got one of those!” he said, gesturing with his thumb toward Phaedra.
“Yes, you do,” Phaedra said, her tone unapologetic. “And you love it.”
Naomi nodded in agreement. Natalie giggled as silence drifted back between them.
John broke through the quiet as he changed the subject. “We were all very sorry to hear about your mother passing.”
Noah nodded. “We appreciate that. Our mother was...well...” He shrugged.
“I think what my brother is trying to say is that our being here, like this, now, speaks volumes about the woman our mother was,” Natalie interjected. “We grew up believing she didn’t have any family.”
Travis nodded. “We’re just as surprised as you guys are.”
“I don’t ever remember my father or Travis’s dad mentioning that they had a sister,” John added.
“From what I’ve been able to piece together,” Travis added, “your mother left when she was fifteen, maybe sixteen years old. She was very young. My dad would have been two so that meant Uncle James was three, maybe four. They may have been just too young to have any memories of her.”
“I wish we’d had an opportunity to meet them,” Natalie said.
My Stallion Heart (The Stallions Book 7) Page 5
