A Fool for You (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 7)

by Melanie Schuster

  John got out of the SUV and walked around to Nina’s door, opening it and holding his arms out for her. He held her as tightly as he could, sharing her pain and trying to impart all the love he felt for her. It was the first time she’d expressed any sadness over the way she’d had to grow up and he marveled at the unfairness of it all. “It’s okay, Nina. It’s just going to be you and me, but it’s okay. I love you more than my life and I’m going to make you happy for the rest of your life. I’m going to make it all up to you, the rest of your life. I’m going to make it all up to you, baby, every bit of pain you ever went through. I’m going to take it all away,” he vowed.

  Nina smiled up at him. “All I want is for you to love me. You don’t have to make up for anything, John, just love me.” She leaned against him and then looked up with a mischievous expression. “You know, as much as your family likes making babies we’re going to be outcasts if we don’t have any children.”

  John laughed. “We’ll be babysitters, that’s what we’ll be. Just think of it, Nina we can have our pick of nephews and nieces. Any time you get a hankering for a baby, we can borrow one. Or two or three, as a matter of fact,” he laughed.

  “Are you sure I’m going to be enough for you, John? Every man wants to leave his mark on the world, to have a son to carry on his name. I can’t give that to you,” she reminded him.

  “Nina, I don’t ever want to have this conversation again. You are,” he said as he caressed her face, “the only woman I’ve ever loved like this and you’re the only woman I’m ever going to want. You excite me, entice me, you seduce me every time you look at me I need you in my life, baby, I couldn’t possibly live without you. You make me think, you make me laugh and you keep me on my toes. Winning your heart is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life, I’ll never accomplish anything like this again. You’re my greatest treasure, Nina, and you’re more than enough for me, now and forever.”

  They continued to stand that way, wrapped in each other’s arms, until Nina started to tremble from the cold. “Umm, baby? Can we continue this in a hearted environment? My blood is still thin and it’s cold out here,” she said frankly. She was wearing a bright red peacoat and a scarf around her neck, but she was really getting chilled.

  “My bad, baby,” John apologized and put her back into the SUV. As he buckled his seat belt, John smiled over at her. “We’ll be there in a little while and with any luck, the house will be all warmed up. Adam had Aunt Reba turn the heat on yesterday, so it should be ready for us.”

  Nina’s relief was evident as she put her cashmere-lined leather gloves back on. “That sounds wonderful, John, absolutely wonderful.”

  ***

  In fact, the whole holiday was wonderful. Nina had more fun than she thought was possible. Adam and Alicia were already at the house when they arrived and made them feel more than welcome. They showed John and Nina around the big place with obvious pride in Adams’ design. The lower level of the house had a huge great room, an area that combined a well-equipped kitchen and an easy-to-live-in family room with a stone fireplace.

  There was a big living room with another fireplace and a combination laundry room and pantry. There was also a space called a mudroom, a place where the family would get out of muddy and wet gear to prevent the house from being tracked up. And there was a study and two full bathrooms. Adam joked it was the key to harmony in a big family. “Always have enough bathrooms and you’ll get along much better.” The upstairs had six bedrooms and three baths, one of which was in the master suite. There were big windows all around which the house on fine days it was sunny and warm. There were glistening hardwood floors throughout the house with beautiful big area rugs. The furnishings were simple, colorful and comfortable. It was the most inviting space Nina had ever seen and she told Alicia so. They were sitting on a sofa facing the big fireplace in the living room. The fire Adam lit was burning brightly and the two women were having a quick cup of tea before the rest of the family converged on Idlewild. Alicia thanked Nina for her compliment.

  “Adam wanted a place where the whole family could be together on the holidays. I think this is one of his best designs. You can really see Adam in every room of this place,” she said proudly. “The three cabins were a great addition too, and it’s the only way we could be sure there’s enough room for everyone. All the cabins have two bedrooms, a bath and a half and a sleep sofa. And every single bed in this house and all the cabins will be occupied in the next few days. That’s a lot of people,” she said thoughtfully.

  “That’s a lot of cooking,” Nina responded. “We should probably go to the store and get the rest of the groceries.”

  Alicia agreed and said as soon as the men came back, they would go. Adam and John had gone out to get a Christmas tree while Nina and Alicia sorted through the assortment of Christmas decorations they’d brought with them from Detroit. While they worked, Nina looked over at Alicia and realized they were becoming friends. Their presence in each other’s lives was inevitable, the men they loved were brothers and whether they chose it or not, Nina and Alicia were bound together. Nina had a lot of time to think about this as the other families arrived one after the other.

  While Nina and the other women were fixing dinner, she looked around at Tina, Faye, Renee, Benita, Angelique and Alicia and realized this was her new family. These were the women she would share her life with, and whose lives would become a part of hers and John’s. She was looking at her future and for the first time in her life, it looked warm and welcoming, not dark and lonely. She felt overcome by emotion and took refuge in chopping a huge amount of onions so her tears could flow freely and without question. She might have been crying, but these tears were from sheer joy, nothing else.

  ***

  It was Christmas Eve and the big house was lit from top to bottom with holiday lights, firelight, candles, and the glowing faces of all the children. The Cochrans had developed the very sensible plan of pulling names for gifts. That way each person only had to procure one gift instead of hundreds. Renee explained further. “We also want to stress the fact that this is a religious holiday and not just a mad toy grab. It’s very hard, considering the fact that you start seeing Christmas decorations in the stores in September, but we treat Christmas like it’s Jesus’s birthday.” She brushed her shining black hair out of her eyes and gave Nina a sheepish grin. “Of course, we do it to keep from going bankrupt, too. Can you imagine having to buy something for every member of this horde?” She gave a theatrical shudder.

  They were in the great room making cookies in assembly line fashion with the help of Renee’s four little girls and their cousin Lillian. Lily Rose was playing with Bella and Kate in the great room under the supervision of the great aunts Daphne and Dahlia and Christmas music resonated through the house. The men were conspicuous by their absence, something Faye assured Nina wouldn’t last. “Whatever they’re doing they‘ll be checking in soon. The longest they can stay away without checking in is about forty-give minutes. Watch,” she said, nodding meaningfully towards the doorway.

  Sure enough, Andrew wandered in, ostensibly to get water, but all he did was nuzzle Renee on the neck and wander off again. Alan and Andre made an appearance, leaning over their respective wife’s shoulders, sneaking a kiss and a cookie and leaving again. Adam didn’t even bother to front, he just walked in, looked at Alicia for a long moment, kissed her on the lips and whispered something in her ear that made her smile and blush bright red. Nina was starting to feel like the odd man out and then she gasped as John’s hands were around her waist. “What are you doing? I feel neglected,” he said disarmingly.

  “You need to quit,” Nina murmured, but she was touched by John’s open affection.

  The doorbell sounded off in the distance and Adam’s voice was heard calling to John, who went to see what he wanted. One of the aunts watched the loving look on Nina’s face and chuckled. “That’s the kind of look that makes babies, Nina. And you and John are sure going to make s
ome pretty ones,” the older woman said with a big smile.

  Nina’s stomach muscles constricted and her mouth went dry. She wiped her suddenly wet palms on her jean and tried to think of something to say. John’s sudden appearance in the doorway saved her. “Chica, come here, I want to show you something.” He held out a hand to her and she took it gladly, walking into the warm, festively decorated living room. She was looking up at him quizzically as they entered the room. There was nothing new in here.

  “What did you want to show me, John?” At first he didn’t answer . He just stopped walking and moved behind her putting his hands on her shoulders. She turned her head to look at him with a question in her eyes. He looked down at her with loving eyes and spoke in a quiet voice rich with affection. “There’re a couple of people here to see you, Nina.”

  “To see me? I don’t know anyone around here,” she said, her confusion evident.

  A new voice said, “You know us, Shay.”

  Nina’s head whipped around and she stared at the two men standing near the front door. They were tall, about six-foot-three, and slender with coffee brown skin and golden brown eyes. One man had a neatly trimmed full beard and black hair cut close to his scalp; the other had a shaved head with a perfectly shaped mustache and goatee. Nina’s eyes grew enormous and she began to tremble all over.

  “Oh, my God. Tony, is that you? Is that Victor?” Nina pressed both her hands to her mouth and the tears started flowing down her cheeks. She couldn’t move a muscle, but the two men could and did.

  In seconds, they had their arms around her and all three of them were sobbing and holding on to each other with a death grip. Nina was so overcome she almost fainted and the older or the two men, the one named Tony, led her over to the sofa to sit down. “C’mon, Shay, calm down, sweetie.” He held her tightly and rocked her in his arms; kissing her forehead while the one named Victor held her hand.

  When she finally calmed down enough to speak, she looked from one man to the other. “But how did this happen? Where did you come from and how did you find me?” she asked in a tear-filled voice.

  “It’s a long story, Shay, but we’d love to tell it to you.” Tony said with a huge smile.

  The living room suddenly seemed full of people as the women left the great room to see what the commotion was about. Nina’s tears started again as she looked at her future sisters-in-law. “I have some people I want you to meet,” she said to the group. “These are my brothers Anthony and Victor.”

  Chapter 22

  Eventually Nina was able to stop sobbing and begin to appreciate the miracle of being reunited with her brothers. Once the initial shock subsided, she was able, with the aid of a glass of water and a fortifying cup of tea, to introduce Victor and Tony Shannon to her fiancé and his family like a normal person. Everyone was gathered in the living room now, including little Marty and Malcolm who were the most subdued people in the living room.

  They had followed the noise into the living room where they found two strange men who were apparently upsetting their Aunt Nina. They had immediately bum-rushed the strangers, attacking their legs with gusto. Bennie and Clay reacted at once, snatching the boys up and demanding to know what they thought there were doing. Marty pointed at the men said, “They hurt Aunt Nina and made her cry. I’m gonna get them for it,” he said hotly.

  Malcolm echoed his sentiments and turned reproachful eyes on John. “You should get them, they’re not s’posed to hurt Aunt Nina.”

  “Son, I appreciate your chivalry but they’re not hurting Nina, they love her. She’s their sister,” Clay told them.

  Plainly skeptical, Marty wriggled out of his father’s grasp and went to Nina. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously. “Did they hurt you?”

  “No, sweetie, they didn’t. These really are my big brothers,” she told him with a smile. “This is Victor,” she said, putting her hand over his, “and this is Tony. They would never hurt me, Marty.”

  Malcolm joined them, looking from one man to the other with suspicion. “If they’re your brothers, where have they been?”

  Nina was seated between the two men and each of them had an arm around her, she was like the filling in a sandwich, but she didn’t care. Leaning against Victor, she smiled at Tony with her heart in her eyes. “It’s a long story, Marty. A very long story.”

  Marty and Malcolm climbed on her lap without waiting for an invitation. “Okay, we like stories.” To Nina’s amusement they each kept a suspicious eye on one of her brothers, it seemed they didn’t trust them in the least.

  Despite Bennie’s protests, Nina let them stay. It was crowded, but who cared at a time like this. It felt like love to her.

  “Okay, if you want a story, here goes,” Victor said. He tried to direct his words to everyone, but his eyes were on Nina.

  “After Mama died, when Donella came to get us, we didn’t know we’d never see you again, Shay. She told us you were going to spend a couple of nights with Morgan and that you’d be coming to stay with us soon. She told us that over and over again, until a few days turned into a few weeks, then a few months, and by then it finally sank into our thick heads that she was lying,” Victor said with a touch of anger.

  Tony added, “Yeah, when we moved to Toronto with no forwarding address that was kind of a giveaway. It took us a long time to figure out why she did it. She was a sick woman, Shay,” was all he said. Nina couldn’t detect any kind of emotion in his voice; it was calm and matter-of-fact.

  Little Marty was the opposite, as he demanded to know why her brothers kept calling her that strange name. “Her name is Nina,” he said emphatically.

  Victor laughed. “You may call her Nina but we always called her Shay. It’s short for the name she was born with, Sharita.”

  “That’s why it was so hard to find you, we were looking for Sharita Shannon and we couldn’t find any trace of her,” Tony added.

  Nina looked sad for the first time. “That because I haven’t been Sharita for a long time. I changed my name legally about twelve years ago.”

  “Why did you change your name, Aunt Nina?” Marty asked innocently.

  “It’s another long story, baby,” Nina said softly.

  Bennie intervened then, holding her hands out to her sons. “We’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, sweeties. Now it’s time for you to go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow,” she reminded them. She and Clay gathered up their sleepy children, as did Renee and Andrew. With help from Trey, Alan and Andre, they went across the road to the guest cottages to sleep, but not before hugging Nina tightly and telling her how happy they were she was reunited with her brothers.

  Adam drove the aunts to their homes and Alicia went into the kitchen to make sure everything was put away and prepared for the next day. Soon there were only four people in the living room, Nina, John and Nina’s brothers.

  There was so much to be discussed and it wasn’t going to all be talked about in one night, that was obvious. John couldn’t stop staring at Nina, who was flushed with pure happiness. She finally met his gaze and he was almost undone by the love in her eyes. She left the sofa and crossed the room to sit on the arm of his chair, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. “John, I have my brothers back,” she whispered. Suddenly she sat up straight and looked stricken. “I don’t think I even introduced you,” she gasped. “How could I be so thoughtless?”

  John laughed gently and pulled her into his lap. “I think it’s understandable, baby.”

  “Besides, he’s the guy who found us, Nina. If it hadn’t been for him, we might still be looking for you,” said Victor. “We feel like we know him already.”

  Nina turned to face John, who was looking uncomfortably red across the cheekbones. “And just when were you going to let me in on this,” she asked in an ominously quiet voice. She tried to look stern, but failed miserably as her face broke into a huge smile. “Best. Christmas Present. Ever,” she whispered to him before giving him a sweet little kiss.

  **
*

  Sleep proved impossible for Nina. Although they still hadn’t covered all the years they’d been apart, Victor and Tony made one thing clear: Donella was the villain of the piece. Alone in the kitchen of the big house, Nina was making a coffee cake while she thought about the conversation they’d had the night before.

  “We were so torn up when we realized we weren’t going to see you again, Shay. Sorry, Nina, I’m going to try to remember to call you Nina,” Victor promised. “Donella was quite a piece of work. She hated Mama, and I mean real, true hatred. One big reason was she was convinced Mama had an affair with her husband and you were the result. That’s why she didn’t want you, sis.”

  Nina’s eyes had gotten big and she didn’t know what to say. Tony told some more of the story. “Oh, it gets worse. We kept trying to get in touch with Morgan and talk to you, we missed you so much, and there wasn’t a lot we could do about it, being children ourselves. Finally after you’d been gone for about a year, she told us you were dead.”

  Nina shuddered the same way she had when she first heard the words. She couldn’t imagine hating another human being enough to lie about her death. And to tell that story to children was, in her opinion, just sick.

  John came into the kitchen and her face showed how happy she was to see him. She went into his arms gladly and kissed him.

  “Merry Christmas, baby. You’re my hero, I hope you know that,” she whispered.

  “I’m no hero, I just happened to be madly in love,” he contradicted her.

  “Yes, but you’re still my hero. You brought my brothers to me and I love you even more because of it.”

  It was true, that was another thing that came out of the long Christmas Eve talk. Victor had explained, “For years and years we thought our little sister was dead and it had much more of an effect on us than Donella counted on. We had all kinds of problems in school, we were defiant and unruly at home, we were a mess. We felt like it was our fault you died, see, because we weren’t there to protect you.