by Ana E Ross
Kaya knew she may live to regret it, but Bryce was right. There was not another man out there who would care for them more than he did. Except for his brief and callous relationships with women—which he promised to abandon, and his egotistical personality—which she could curb, he was a decent man—kind, loving, thoughtful, and considerate. He had promised never to hurt her, or leave her. She didn’t know why, but she believed him.
She could do worse. Far worse. Damn, she’d agreed to marry Jack, and he wasn’t worth the spit-up on Anastasia’s bib.
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Yes. I’ll marry you, but if you think that—”
He cut her off by claiming her mouth. Only this time, he ended the kiss just as quickly as he’d started, but not before he’d sent her pulses spinning. “That’s all I want to hear. We’ll work out the details later. Go take care of Alyssa.” He nudged her off the love seat and slapped her playfully on her jean-clad ass.
He thinks I’m gorgeous, smart, and sexy, was the thought in Kaya’s head as she exited the library, walking slowly this time. The impact of his slap on her buttock cheek caused a sweet tingling that left her craving for more.
She bit her lips in deep thought. You’re sexy, too, Bryce…
* * *
“…And because your mom died before your dad, I now have custody of you and your sisters,” Bryce said, bringing Jason up to date on yet another change in his young life. He prayed it would be the last for a long, long while. If he the adult was tired of the rollercoaster ride they’d been on this past week, he could only imagine how confusing it was for Jason.
It was time for stability. That’s why he’d tricked Kaya into agreeing to marry him.
Yes, he could admit it now. He’d tricked her. He would never have prevented her from seeing the children, but the thought of Kaya with another man was something he wasn’t willing to risk, not after…
“What about Aunt Kaya?” Jason asked, cutting short Bryce’s reverie. “Is she mad?”
Bryce smiled inwardly at the trepidation in Jason’s eyes. Jason was beginning to like her. “She was when she heard the news. And she was very sad, too, at the thought of losing you guys,” he added. “Your aunt really loves you.”
“But is she going back to Florida? She said she was going to stay, but that was when she had custody of us. She doesn’t have to stay now.” He dropped his gaze to his hands clenching and unclenching on his lap.
Just like Lauren and Kaya when they were nervous, Bryce thought with a wry smile. “No, Jase. She isn’t going back to Florida. She’s keeping her promise to you.”
His head shot up, and a sliver of hope flashed across his face. “Are you moving in here with us?”
He hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t know yet. But there is something else I must tell you.”
“What?”
“Your aunt and I are getting married.”
Jason stared at him for a long while then asked. “Are you getting married because of us?”
Bryce sighed and leaned back into the love seat. He wasn’t going to lie to the boy. His parents always answered his inquiries truthfully, and he was determined to keep that tradition going. “Yes. Your aunt and I care about you and your sisters.”
“Do you love her?”
So this must be how suspects felt in the interrogations room. Bryce couldn’t remember being this uncomfortable. Damn, sweat was running down his armpits, and it wasn’t because of the fire in the fireplace. “No, Jason, I don’t love her, but I like her. I like her a lot.”
“Mommy said people should only get married for love.”
“We both love you.” Bryce deliberately twisted his words. “We want to provide a safe and happy home for you. We will be true to that promise.”
“Then it’s just a MOC.”
Bryce cocked his head. “An MOC? What is an MOC?”
“A marriage of convenience.”
“What do you know about marriages of convenience?”
“From TV. There’s no sex involved.”
“This conversation is over.” Bryce shot to his feet and marched to the other side of the room. For once, he wished Michael and Lauren had been more conservative in their conversations with their children. He knew Michael had already given Jason the sex talk, because Jason had asked. While the rest of the world believed that “What you don’t know can’t hurt you” Michael’s motto was “What you don’t know will hurt you”.
“I’m sorry if I upset you, Uncle Bryce.”
Bryce gazed over at the puppy-dog face. He spread his arms.
Jason immediately ran to him.
Bryce hugged him close. “I’m not upset, but there are some things about your aunt’s and my personal lives that are off limits. You understand?”
Jason nodded, and hooked his arms around Bryce’s waist.
Bryce looked out the window at the snowcapped mountains in the distance. It was a gorgeous day with a bright sun, clear blue skies, and temperatures in the low to mid thirties. Perfect for outside activities. His eyes shifted to the Persian rug in front of the fireplace and thought that was perfect for inside activities, as well, especially because the room was soundproofed.
Bryce sighed and glanced at his watch. It was a little past two. He needed to get out of this room, the house, and clear his head of the evocative images of him and Kaya locked in each other’s arms last night and that epic kiss they’d shared just recently in the playroom. He’d gotten a lot more than he’d bargained for. What a woman!
Bryce felt a wrenching pain in his gut as he recalled the insults about Kaya Jack had hurled at him last night. He wanted to break his face. Again. Bryce returned his gaze to the window. He needed to blow off some steam. And there was nothing like zipping down a mountain at over sixty miles an hour with the wind lashing his face to make him forget about everything, but being in that timeless, thrilling moment.
“You want to go ski?” he asked Jason.
“Okay,” Jason replied immediately.
Bryce smiled at the renewed vigor in his voice and the glow on his face.
“Go gear up, but we have to be back by the time Miss Samantha gets here to visit with you and Alyssa.”
“Why’s she coming? I feel better. I’m not mad at Aunt Kaya anymore.”
“I get that, but losing someone we love affects us in ways that we would never imagine otherwise. It’s good to have someone to talk to, someone who understands what we’re going through.”
“You understand. I can talk to you.”
“Anytime, night or day, but you should still see Miss Samantha. She’s trained to help you deal with issues that I can’t. Will you do that for me? It will make me feel better.”
Jason flashed a thin smile. “Okay, Uncle Bryce. Can I try out the new skis you got me?”
“Duh. I didn’t buy them to sit in your closet. Let’s get going before the sun sets.”
After Jason left, Bryce remained where he was, staring off at the mountains, the place where the spirits of his friends would live on forever.
Why did Michael and Lauren change their minds six months ago and draw up another will? Why hadn’t they informed Steven of the changes and have him destroy the one in his possession?
If the first will had been destroyed, Kaya would never have been brought into the equation. As things stood, there would have been no need to call her. She would be in sunny Florida this very moment, playing house with Jack, instead of upstairs in his home comforting a little girl who was experiencing the worst pain of her life.
Bryce trembled at the thought of never meeting Kaya. He’d only known her for a week, yet her sweet warmth was already melting the icecaps from around his heart, making him wish for the filial joys of life he’d been robbed of. He could have them again with the children and Kaya by his side, but Bryce knew deep down inside that it would never be enough.
He wanted more.
Michael and Lauren had left no letter of explanation for any of their decisions, but their ac
tions, whether planned or accidental, had brought Bryce and Kaya together. Lauren had accomplished in death what she couldn’t accomplish in life.
Bryce crossed his arms as he recalled various conversations where Michael had told him that there were no coincidences in life, and that every person we meet comes across our paths for specific and mutual reasons. Michael’s reason for meeting Bryce had already been revealed when Bryce pulled him from the frozen pond. Now Bryce’s reason for befriending Michael was unfolding before his very eyes.
If Bryce believed in predestination, he’d have to say that this was the best-laid plan he’d ever seen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“They’re all asleep? Even Alyssa?” Kaya asked into the phone.
“Yes, Mrs. Fontaine,” Haley replied.
“Alyssa didn’t even ask for me?”
“Well, she did ask a couple times, but Jason and Precious always managed to get her engrossed in something else.”
The fact that Alyssa had gone to sleep without her auntie Kaya’s arms around her for the first time in weeks, made Kaya wonder if she was the one who’d grown dependent on the little girl’s love. Tonight was the first night they’d been separated, and even though Kaya was happy that Alyssa was adjusting well to her new family, she couldn’t help but feel a little despondent. Gone was her excitement when she’d stolen away from the crowd at the dinner table and snuck upstairs to check on her babies.
“The children are fine, Mrs. Fontaine. There’s no need to worry about them.”
I’m worried about myself, Kaya thought, fully realizing another dimension of love. Love wasn’t merely about you loving someone unconditionally, but the joy of knowing that that someone needs you. “Thanks, Haley,” she said with a tremor in her voice. “But if Alyssa wakes up during the night and cries for me, I don’t care what time it is, you call me, okay?”
“Yes, I will call you if Alyssa wakes up.”
“Goodnight, Haley.”
“Good night, Mrs. Fontaine.”
Mrs. Fontaine. What a crock, Kaya thought as she hung up the phone.
From the balcony, she stared down at the lively conversation still going on between her husband of four weeks and their dinner guests—Steven and Libby, the newlyweds, Erik and Michelle Lacrosse who’d recently returned from their honeymoon, and Adam Andreas.
For the past few hours, Kaya had been listening to the newlyweds and honeymooners recount their stories of loving moments under tropical suns and moons. Although she too was a newlywed, the only stories she could have contributed were tales of how well the children were doing. Since there was only so much of that topic she could talk about, she’d taken the opportunity to silently observe her circle of new friends.
From their interactions with each other, Kaya could tell that Erik and Michelle wished they were still in the Seychelles Islands totally enthralled with each other, although Michelle had said that she missed her kids—Erik’s eight-year-old daughter, Precious, from his first marriage, and their own absolutely adorable nine-month-old son, Little Erik. Michelle’s elated announcement earlier that she was three months pregnant with their third child made Kaya wonder if she and Bryce would ever experience their kind of marital bliss.
Kaya smiled as Adam began talking about his trip to Africa with his cousin Massimo who’d remained on the mother continent to venture out on a lone safari. Adam owned Hotel Andreas, and Andreas-an exclusive restaurant chain. It was so élite that patrons made reservations with sizable, non-refundable deposits months in advance. There were no walk-ins at Andreas.
“I hope Massimo is more careful this time. We don’t want a repeat of the last solitary trip he took,” Bryce said. “I have a new wife and family now and don’t have time to run Andretti Industries for him.”
Kaya had no idea what Bryce meant by that remark, but the high level of concern in his voice indicated that it was something really serious.
“You know Massimo. I advised him to take along a guide, but he will do what he pleases,” Adam said, knocking back a swallow of liquor.
“Don’t we all?” Erik interjected. “It’s what makes us who we are.”
Amen to that, Kaya thought.
Libby had told Kaya that Bryce, Erik, Adam, and Massimo had known each other since high school and it was then that they started the Granite Falls Billionaire Bachelor’s Club and sworn their loyalty to each other. Bryce was the anomaly. He was an outsider and the only one of the four who was not born into wealth. It was only after he graduated college and began working at Andretti Industries under the tutelage of Massimo’s father that he began making his mark in the world. And what a mark he’d made. He was just as wealthy as the other men who now sat at his table.
The Billionaire Bachelor’s Club became simply the Billionaire’s Club after Erik, and then Bryce were married. It was coincidental that they both lost their first wives to tragedy. Erik’s to a hit-and-run driver, and Bryce’s—well, she was yet to learn how Pilar had died. She’d been tempted to Google it, but out of respect and loyalty to her husband, Kaya had opted not to probe into his past. She wanted to hear about it from him, and hoped that at some point he would feel comfortable enough to trust her with his innermost fears and hurts.
Kaya turned her gaze to her husband seated at the head of the dining table, clearly enjoying the company of his most treasured friends—all of whom had welcomed her into their exclusive circle with open arms.
The club met once a month. There was no talk of business during these get-togethers, just rich gourmet meals, lots of expensive liquor, and adult fun. Michelle and Erik, who live on the other side of Crystal Lake, had hosted the last party. That was a solemn gathering since much of the conversation had been centered on Michael and Lauren’s deaths. They’d held back on the liquor, but had enjoyed some rich gourmet food prepared by Mrs. Hayes, Michelle’s housekeeper—a sweet old lady who reminded Kaya of her last foster mother.
Kaya was hosting her first party tonight, and she’d prepared a four-course meal that began with crab-stuffed mushrooms, followed by a green salad with jicama and goat cheese, topped with vinaigrette. The main course was baked lobster tails with a side of grilled asparagus, and smashed garlic potatoes sprinkled with fresh rosemary. And for dessert, she’d served individual molten chocolate cakes with warm black cherry sauce.
She’d been receiving compliments all night—especially from Adam, who’d jokingly offered her a job in his kitchen. Bryce had also been generous with his praise, and his pride in having a wife who knew her way around the kitchen was evident in his voice each time he complimented her.
As Kaya started down the stairs to rejoin her guests, she recalled Bryce’s surprise the first time he’d joined her and the kids for dinner. He’d enjoyed several servings of her chicken and quinoa chili, and homemade sourdough rolls, and had even taken some leftovers to his penthouse. “Marrying you was the best business decision I’ve made in a long time,” he’d said later when the two of them were cleaning up the kitchen. His cutting remark had reminded Kaya that their marriage was one of convenience.
“Are the kids okay?” Libby asked as she approached the table.
“They are. I’m a little let down because Alyssa went to bed without me. I’m so used to her falling asleep in my arms.”
“You’ll get used to it.” Michelle chuckled. “It was a relief when Little Erik started sleeping through the night. It was nice to make love without having one ear cocked, ready to bolt. Soon you and Bryce will be able to enjoy each other without the fear of interruption.”
Kaya felt heat rising to the surface of her skin. She took a sip of red wine and stared across the table at Bryce as he popped the cork on a bottle of whiskey and began refilling his friends’ glasses while they argued about sports. It was three New Englanders against the New Yorker.
“They’ll be wasted and completely stupid by the end of the evening,” Libby whispered in her ear.
“I figured as much. Why make us dress up in fancy clothes and
have a gourmet meal, just so they can ignore us and drink themselves into a stupor when they could have gone out to a bar or pizza parlor?”
“I guess we need to educate her about the sanctity of the clubs, tell her why our husbands have these special gatherings,” Michelle said to Libby.
“Steven isn’t even a member. They pay him well to attend these parties. His job is to keep them in check and see them safely home at the end of the night. That’s why he’s been nursing one drink all night. I’m only here because I’m his wife.”
“Well, you’re as important a member of the Billionaires’ Brides Club, as Kaya and me, so you—”
“Wait a minute,” Kaya exclaimed, throwing her hands up, her eyes darting between Michelle and Libby. “There’s a Billionaires’ Brides Club? Why don’t I know I’m a member? And what’s the reason for it?”
The room got deathly quiet, and Kay could feel all eyes trained on her. Damn, she hadn’t meant to be so loud, but she’d been shocked to learn she was a member of a club she didn’t even know existed. Was she unsuspectingly inducted into a cult? Were these people swingers? She knew of couples that indulged in such dalliances. Is that way Bryce had insisted that Haley and the kids spend the night at the LaCrosse’s? Dear Lord. Kaya took a deep breath and raised her lids to meet the intense, dark eyes of her husband.
He stared at her for endless moments then cleared his throat. “Yes, my lovely, reluctant bride. There is a Billionaires’ Brides Club and you became a member when you promised to love, honor, and cherish me four weeks ago. The reason for the club is for you ladies to support each other, and help each other become quintessential wives and mothers.”
“Speaking of quintessential wives,” Adam said, looking at Bryce. “Why are you still in my penthouse suite when you have such a gorgeous creature in your house? If Kaya were my wife—”
