Secret Bet (The House of Morgan)

by Victoria Pinder

  He checked his tie and continued to the entry way. Caro stopped him near the door. "Your staff decided to chip in and buy you a Christmas present, sir."

  Caro's light red Christmas uniform was the standard house uniform almost everyone wore to blend into the background. He narrowed his gaze.

  "Did everyone receive the bonuses I left?"

  She curtsied and lowered her gaze. Then she held open a small box. "Of course. This is for you, sir."

  He paid his staff well as long as they kept the house spotless and didn't interfere with his life. The house worked like a well-oiled machine, and the less people who left the easier his life was.

  He swallowed, and didn't want to anger his maid. Then he gazed at the box and opened it. He held out a ribbon that was personalized with the year and a portrait of the three Morgan siblings from his childhood.

  Caro smiled. "It's a Christmas ornament."

  “You were always the artist, Caro. Thank you.”

  She wouldn't have known them when they were that young. Caro was two years younger than Victoria, and though she went to school with his sister, she was still the daughter of the maid.

  She then said, "We're hoping next year you get a tree and have a family to celebrate the holidays with."

  He placed the present in her hands. "Thank you. Let's hope Belle forgives me. Please put this in my room. I have to go now."

  "We're all cheering for you." She nodded her head. "The captain has said nothing but glowing things about your Belle, sir. We're all happy you love her."

  "You heard everything?" His face heated. It seemed his fate that he could keep no secrets when it came to Belle. His expectations were up. "She doesn't know that so wish me luck."

  He tugged his ear and tried to figure out how he'd apologize. He thought about stopping for flowers. He walked toward his limo and didn't wait for the driver.

  He let himself in the door. "Take me to the Biltmore."

  He gazed out the window, and they began to roll past his palm trees.

  Belle might like flowers, but he needed a better plan of attack.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Belle woke up to banging. Her head throbbed from too many drinks at the bar. The door rattled downstairs. She closed her eyes and tried to shut out the sound, but she wondered if Peter was at the door. She tugged up her covers over her head. They were from two different worlds, and hers didn't include him. Then she sighed, unknotted the sheets, and stood. If Peter was here, she had to see him.

  She grabbed a robe and hoped her hair wasn't standing on their roots as she trudged to the door. Then she swung it open and gazed at the perfectly clean, muscular, Peter who smiled at her. His lips could cause a girl to fall into a frenzy, but she crossed her arms. Then he brushed his hand against her cheek.

  "I had to see you, Belle."

  His gentleness brought tears swelling in her ducts. She sniffled and refused to cry. She swallowed and lifted her chin.

  "Nothing hurts me. You didn't have to come."

  He whispered so only she could hear him. "Belle, I am sorry."

  Embarrassment didn't matter. She stepped away from him and shook her head. "For what? For betting that I'd be your girlfriend? You should be at your mother's side and with your family."

  “I should be right here, with you.” He massaged his chin and ignored the silence that surrounded them. "May I come in?"

  She took a deep breath, inhaling his woodsy scent. She pressed her lips together. She'd not be swayed to go back to him. She turned away from him.

  "We need to talk. Jennifer was at my place, and she helped me realize something important."

  "What did she have to say now?" She had never had a chance with Colt and wouldn't with Peter either. Jennifer had been in his life for too long. "She clearly wanted you."

  “Jennifer is not important to me.” He reached out to brush his hands on hers, but she pulled away as he said, "I didn't know anyone like you. Belle, you stole my breath away."

  She stiffened. If she relaxed, he could steal her heart and make her forget. It was time to end this one-on-one. She refused to stare into his sexy brown eyes because she knew she'd lose her nerve. "Well, you had your chance to explain everything, but you chose silence. And thank you."

  He stepped closer. "For what?"

  She glanced up into his eyes, and her arms itched to wrap herself around him. Her lips tingled to kiss him, but she couldn't. She backed away.

  "For getting me to believe that I could date and be happy, even if it's with someone else."

  "Let me finish?"

  "No."

  He inched closer and adrenaline rushed through her. She wanted to give herself to him and forget everything else. She picked up an empty glass from the side table near the couch and brought it to the kitchen to get away from him.

  He followed her and asked, "Can we just sit and talk? I won't take long."

  Hold me and never let me go. She'd never say that. She couldn't. Her life was never going to be here with him. She'd get back to work and tell her heart to stop aching. Love wasn't part of her life. It was better for both of them. He deserved a full life too and that couldn't be her.

  "Fine, but then I should ask you to leave. I need to pack."

  They returned near the couch. Then he ran his hand down her arm. Every morsel of her skin that he touched grew goose bumps. "Belle, there is something I want to say."

  The fluttering in her stomach had to be ignored. She clenched her jaw and tilted her body away from him. "Peter, if it's about us, then it's better we don't say anything else. There is no ‘us.’"

  He didn't move. He didn't even blink. He swallowed, though, and then he said, "Belle, I can't do that. The thing is that I love you."

  Her knees felt weak. It had to be the exhaustion. She shook her head no. That wasn't possible.

  "This is what you discovered with Jennifer? It wasn't that you wanted her in your life."

  "Absolutely not." He stood taller but otherwise didn't move. "Belle, I love you more than I love anyone else in the world."

  No, no, no. The rest of the world seemed to fade away as she stared at him. She held her body in place despite how she ached to hold him. Then she stepped into the entryway.

  "Then you'll want me to be free and happy, so you'll go now."

  He placed his hands in his pockets and nodded his head. "If that's what you want."

  "For now." She opened the door to the hallway. "It is."

  He placed his hands on hers as she held the door.

  She couldn't handle this, so she said, "Goodbye."

  "I won't shake your hand."

  He leaned in as he passed her and gave her cheek a light kiss. Her lips begged for his kiss on her lips, but she couldn't let herself. Tears threatened to fall again.

  He then said, "There" as he kissed her cheek.

  No words came out of her mouth.

  He stepped into the hallway, but as she was closing it, he placed his hand on the door. "If you change your mind, I'll be waiting for you."

  There was no way he'd wait for her. That was silly. She shook her head. "It can't work." Then she closed the door in his face.

  They were done. She'd be miserable now, but it was the right thing to do.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Snowflakes brushed against her nose as she walked to her office on her first day back to work. Her apartment was now clean as a whistle as sleeping wasn’t possible for her. Now it was time to go, but everything about her life felt empty.

  In Miami, the sunshine had been warm and inviting. She closed her eyes and imagined Peter again.

  Someone threw snow at her feet, and she opened her eyes to see the city cleaners hard at work trying to keep the roads clear. She hugged herself. This was hard.

  She threw the door to work open, and no one greeted her. She proceeded to the elevator and hit the button to her office floor.

  The secretary at the front desk nodded, but she spoke to someone on the phone.


  Belle went to her office and saw the huge bouquet of flowers. She grabbed the card and read Peter's note, Thinking of you, always yours. Peter Morgan.

  She picked up her phone to call him, but then froze. She stared at the clock. It was New Year's Eve. He was at his party. The flutters inside her grew, outweighing the emptiness as she thought she'd tell him she loved him too.

  She had a chance with him.

  This job offered a big office with no one in her life. This wasn't the best choice. She turned on her heels, flung open her door, and almost ran into the senior partner.

  He said, "We're so happy to have you back."

  Peter loved her. Leaving him for this cold place was the stupidest thing she had ever done. She needed to throw her arms around him and be willing to change.

  "I'm not staying. I have a plane to catch."

  Her boss nodded, but then asked, "Why? Are you needed for a deposition or something?"

  She'd not lose out on love a second time because she had to work. Her shoulders felt surprisingly light as she said, "No. Consider this my verbal two weeks notice. I quit."

  She had clearly surprised him. Her boss's voice had a higher pitch as he said, "You quit? Why? We can offer you a substantial pay increase."

  She threw her arms around him and hugged him. This was the last time she'd walk in this office. "Thank you, but I can't accept. I have to take a chance on love and see where this leads."

  She flung open the door. Her boss's voice behind her said, "I don't understand."

  She grabbed her pocketbook and raised one of her shoulders. "Goodbye. Take care of yourself."

  She flew out the door and raced home to get the picture of her mother and then to the airport. If Peter loved her, then it had to be enough. She'd move. She'd change. There was no other option.

  The taxi had to call the house for permission to drive past the street. As she rounded the corner, her heart hammered. She had to see his face the moment she arrived. If he loved her, she wanted to see it for herself.

  She shook her head no. "Let me out."

  The driver waited for her to pay him and then took off. She straightened her knee-length dress. The evening sky in Miami was warm. She wore her white and red work dress as she hadn't wanted to stop to buy a gown. As she stepped onto the lawn, she squirmed in her shoes. Elegantly dressed people in ball gowns lingered on the lawn. Her slightly scuffed work shoes weren't up to snuff.

  She kept her head level and marched to the front door. There was no time for fear, not now. She'd tell him that she loved him. She had to. This was it.

  She went to knock on the door, but the maid threw it open and said, "Ms. Jordan, you're here."

  "Caro, right?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Mr. Morgan has been miserable without you."

  This was a better welcome than she'd expected. She hadn't really spoken to his staff. She went inside the front door and asked, "Where is Peter?"

  The maid swung her hips as she walked. "With his mother near the bay. Come with me. I'll bring you to him."

  She saw how her work dress made her seem like the hired help as she followed the maid. No one stopped her until they crossed the threshold to the outside, and Jennifer left Rafe's arm.

  The maid tapped her foot as Jennifer brushed against Belle's arm. Then Jennifer said, "I wanted to say I am sorry."

  With a nod, Belle checked out of the conversation for a moment. She tried to find Peter in the throngs of people. She pressed her lips together and then glanced at Jennifer. "For what?"

  Jennifer looked at Rafe and nodded her head. "For trying to sabotage you. I've promised I'll try to be nicer to people from now on."

  Belle pulled her arm out of reach and took a step toward the bay. "Good luck with that."

  The maid continued to lead her closer to the yacht. “For the record, I like you better.”

  “Thanks.” Belle's heart beat in her chest fast and goose bumps grew on her arm. Peter was closer. She licked her lips and searched the crowd for him.

  Then her gaze saw Peter, and euphoria was the best word to describe how she felt. The moment he turned and saw her, he left who he was with and met her halfway. The maid excused herself as Peter leaned forward.

  Her lips tingled for that kiss again, but she placed her hands on his shoulders and said, "I love you. I quit my job because I want to see where we stand."

  He wrapped his arms around her waist. She was home as he said, "Then you'll marry me and stay by my side always. I love you and need you in my life."

  Her lips parted. The world seemed to snap into place as she asked, "What? You want to marry me?"

  He nodded his head like he would agree with anything. "Yes, if you'll have me."

  She was hyperaware only of their hearts and how she felt with him. This was it. She gave him her heart.

  "Of course I will. I love you."

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  His mother tapped him on the shoulder. He reluctantly let go of Belle's waist and then turned to his mother who said, "Peter, sorry to interrupt."

  His heart was light. She had said yes. He then nodded and said, "Mom, I'd like for you to meet Belle Jordan. We're getting married."

  "Nice to see you again, and we're all happy you came back." She immediately hugged both of them. Peter couldn't let Belle go yet. "I'm so happy for you."

  Belle patted his mother's back and then added, "Thank you. I can't wait to tell my dad when he gets back in town."

  His mother pulled away, and her face was solemn and serious as she said, "Peter, I need to tell you something."

  If she didn't want him to marry Belle, then he had no idea what to say. His shoulders tensed. "What mom?"

  She glanced around the party and stared at some blue-eyed very pregnant woman he didn't know, but reminded him of his sister, Victoria. He widened his stance as she said, "We have to get your brother and sister and go somewhere. This is something I should have said right away."

  Belle took his hand and squeezed it as she picked up her phone to check her home screen.

  Peter nodded and said, "Of course."

  Belle peaked at her messages and then glanced at him. "I texted John and Colt. They are getting their wives and will meet us in your study, Peter."

  He offered his mother his other arm to guide them through the party as he said, "My future wife is efficient. This way, Mom."

  She rocked on her feet. He held her to steady as she asked, "You use your father's study?"

  Peter didn't want his mother to worry. He nodded his head. "It's mine now. I had it redecorated, and I'm hoping Belle will help me make it more personable."

  Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Okay."

  His mother passed the young mother-to-be and squeezed her hand as they passed. Once they were away from the woman, Peter asked, "Who was that?"

  His mother turned white. "Who was who, dear?"

  Peter pointed with his head as he had both women on each arm. "The woman in the hall. You just squeezed her hand."

  She lowered her head and didn't look at him. "This is part of what I need to explain."

  His mother didn't say anything. Once they entered the study, Belle took a seat and waited with his mother. Peter stood as his brother, his wife Alice, and Victoria and her new husband, Colt, all came into the room. The two couples both found seats. The same seats they once chose as teenagers, only this time his siblings all had spouses.

  He sat with Belle and then leaned closer to his mother. "Mom, we're all here. What's so important?"

  She flicked her gray hair behind her head and stared at the ceiling. "I was pregnant when your father kidnapped me."

  The young woman must be his sister. "What?"

  "It was one of the reasons I wanted a divorce."

  "So that woman in the hall?" Peter's gaze flew to the floor.

  Vicki sat closer at the edge of her seat and asked, "What else did our father do?"

  His mom then looked into his eyes, like she was afraid of his reaction, as she
said, "I was grieving for the loss of my children, but then I had three more, all at once. I don't think your father knew how to explain everything away."

  Peter raised his eyebrow and stared at his mother. Clearly the woman outside was one of three. "What? Just say everything, and let us sort out the details."

  Her face squished together as if he had physically touched her. Peter's skin crawled as if he had hurt his mom as she said, "Your father and I had the triplets. I raised them until they were six, and then your father sent them away too."

  Belle squeezed Peter's hand. "What? There are more Morgans?"

  Peter shook his head. "Dad's lawyer said various people would receive inheritances. I thought he meant illegitimate, though the numbers add up to be perhaps the triplets and a few more."

  Vicki then wiped her face. "Peter, this isn't about the money."

  "This isn't about that, sis." He’d sat through enough sales pitches to know there was something else. He leaned closer in his seat to not scare her again. "I am trying to calculate how many siblings we might have out in the world."

  She closed her eyes as if she didn't want to see him. Peter's heart ached like it was a rejection, though he held Belle's warm hand as his mother said, "Out of the triplets, Luke is the oldest. He's a doctor. He took care of me in the hospital, but couldn’t come tonight. With luck he’ll get a job in Miami and I’ll see him more. Then there are Elizabeth and Matthew."

  "The woman outside the door?"

  "Yes, that's Elizabeth. She's having a hard time adjusting to being a Morgan."

  "She doesn't have to adjust to anything."

  "She and her brothers thought I was sick, and that's why they were sent away, but they don't want anything from any of you. I wanted to let you know that you have more family."

  Victoria massaged her mother's back. "Elizabeth looks like John and me."

  She opened her eyes and pools of tears threatened to emerge. Peter didn't have the heart to hurt her ever again. His other half deserved better as she said, "Elizabeth?"