Shit.
Virgil she could face, Virgil she knew, but Ben was one of those men who were hard to read. He was humorless and serious and responsible. All the things his brother wasn’t.
Ben stood up and walked towards them, and Dina had to force herself to not to step back. He was huge and even though he wore a refined three-piece suit and glasses there was something a little dark about him. Not dangerous, but dark. She had the same reaction to him now as she did when she met him nearly two years ago.
“You’re not Virgil,” she managed to get out.
For some reason she didn’t expect to find Ben there. She always pictured him as a man who traveled the world. London one week, Paris the next. But she remembered what Virgil had told her about Ben. That he was nearly a recluse. That his wife’s death had sucked what little life he had left out of him.
“Look, if he sent you to deal with me save your breath. This is between me and him.”
“This boy…” Ben never bothered to take his eyes off Dash. “This is Virgil’s son.”
“Yes.” Dina was surprised that there was no question in his voice. Like he knew it was a fact. “You believe me.”
She looked at Dash and then up at his uncle. It struck her then how similar they looked. Dash was dark like Ben. They had the same eyes. The same-shaped nose. Ben could be his father. How had she never noticed before? But then again she tried never to think about Ben.
“I may have had a few hazy nights these past few years,” Dina said, “but I know I have never slept with you.”
“No.” Ben’s eyes finally snapped to hers. And in the warm room a chill—no, more like a tingle ran down her spine. Two years ago she hated when he turned that intense stare on her and she hated it now. Nobody ever had that kind of power over her, the power to make her feel … Self-conscious. That’s why she fell for Virgil and his lazy glances. Virgil had a kindness about him. He had a way about him that pulled people in. Not Ben. No wonder why the man lived in hiding.
“What can I do for you, Ms. Gregory?”
“I-I,” she stuttered, still a little flustered by his long observation of her. “I need to see Virgil.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“Oh, you better make it possible. I spent five days on a bus with a ten-month-old baby to get here. Five days. I’m sure you’ve never ridden a bus, so you have no idea how much they suck. You tell that bastard that I’m not going anywhere until I see him. He needs to do the right thing by his son.”
“I wish I could make him do the right thing.” Ben looked weary for a moment. “More than anything I would like to make him accountable for this.”
“I can make him accountable. I’ll go to court. I won’t let my baby suffer.”
“The courts won’t help you, Ms. Gregory. I’m afraid Virgil is dead.”
Chapter 2
I Have No Gifts to Bring …
Ben watched Dina pale. She stumbled backward, as if the news of Virgil’s death was a physical blow. He reached for the child, for the nephew he never knew about, and took him from his mother before she fainted. “Sit down,” he ordered, wrapping his free arm around her body and guiding her to the couch near the window. He couldn’t help but take note of the scent of her hair. Like strawberries and cream. Even though she looked like a homeless person at the moment, she smelled like something he would like to eat.
What a strange thought.
Especially coming from him, especially about Dina. He didn’t like her when they first met two years ago. She talked too much. She laughed too loud. She said the wrong things, but there was something about her that kept him watching her the entire time he was near her. He looked at her now, at her pale face and big sad eyes. Dina must have loved Virgil. He didn’t think so then. He thought she was just going to be another one of Virgil’s girls, but he was wrong. He was wrong about many things.
“Take off your coat. It’s warm in here.”
“Would you stop barking at me, jerk face?” she said, but she obeyed him, her hands shaking a little as she unzipped the ugly puffy green jacket she was encased in.
“Ma?”
It was then Ben realized that he held a child in his arms. He had never held a baby before and stared at the small powder-scented boy with wonder. He had always wanted children. He and Karen had tried for years, but they never got their wish.
“I’m okay, baby. Can you please take off his hat?” she said to Ben. He did as she asked, revealing a mass of dark curly hair. He looked just like Ben did when he was a baby. There had been women who claimed that Virgil had fathered their children. Each time a paternity test was issued, each claim had proved to be false, but this time when Ben saw the little boy who was supposed to be his brother’s, he knew this woman told the truth.
He tossed the hat on the couch and carefully unzipped the boy’s coat. He was dressed nicely in a little sweater-vest, blue corduroy pants and a button-down shirt. Much better than his mother, who looked as if she had gone shopping in a dumpster.
“What’s his name?” Ben asked, looking at his nephew again.
“Dash.”
“Dash?”
“I thought he looked quite dashing when I saw him.” She looked from her son to Ben. “I hate to admit this, but he looks just like you.”
“I noticed the resemblance.”
“Is that why you believed me? I thought you would have had a doctor here to do a DNA test by now.”
“That’s not necessary, Ms. Gregory.”
“Dina,” she corrected. “Geez, you make me feel like I’m back in grammar school when you call me Ms. Gregory.” She drew in a couple of slow deep breaths, trying to calm herself before she looked at him with wide eyes. “What happened to Virgil?”
“Skiing accident.” He looked at Dash and then back to his mother. “Vodka and the slopes don’t mix.”
“Ski accident.” She shook her head. “What a rich-people way to die.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s just that you never hear of regular people dying that way. ‘John Smith, plumber from Toledo, died in a tragic ski accident today on the slopes of Aspen.’ But Virgil … That seems just like the way he would go.”
“Does my brother’s death amuse you?”
“Of course not.” Her eyes flashed. “He was the father of my son and I may be mad as hell he walked out on me, but I would never be happy that he’s gone. And you can go to hell if you think that.”
He stared at her for a moment, his respect for her going up slightly. No one had ever told him to go to hell. They never had the guts. “You were with him for six months. I know you must have cared about him.”
“Yeah. He could be an asshole, but he was my friend too.”
Ben nodded; somehow in her inelegant way she expressed exactly how he felt about his brother. “You look very different than the last time I saw you.”
“You try having a baby and not gaining any weight. I know I’m a little more bountiful than usual, but I like me and if you don’t you can shove it.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t beautiful. I just said you didn’t look the same. I prefer you this way.”
She was taken aback by his comment. He hadn’t meant to say those words, but they weren’t a lie.
“I always thought you looked a little gaunt before,” he said to cover how he truly felt.
She was beautiful then but even more so now. Despite her ratty clothes and messy hair, he had a hard time pulling his eyes away from her. And his body—it reacted to her, wanting to move closer when his brain told him to back away. She was lush. Her skin was peachy. Her wild auburn hair was thick and healthy. He imagined what she would look like all cleaned up. He imagined her on his arm. Which was an odd thought, a dangerous thought, because he had promised himself that after Karen there would be nobody else.
“My, my, sir. If you keep up with those outrageous compliments you might swell my head.” She rolled her eyes. “So what now?” She stood and took litt
le Dash out of Ben’s arms and kissed her son’s face. “I guess I need his death certificate.”
“For what?”
“I can get Social Security from the government. Right?” She looked so unsure. “I think I heard that. Because Virgil is dead, Dash is entitled to those benefits.”
He nodded.
She pursed her lips. “Do you think it will take very long? I rented a motel room for tonight, but my bus leaves the day after tomorrow and I have to get back to work soon or I’m going to lose my job. And I can’t afford to lose my job. Do you think you can get the certificate to me by tomorrow?”
“I’m not giving it to you.”
“What?” She looked up at him in shock. “I need that. I need it for him. Listen, I’m not asking you for anything except what my son deserves. I know you hate the fact that I tainted the Rowe line with my blood, but get over it. My kid is part of your family whether you like it or not.”
Ben felt himself grow extremely angry with his brother. He’d abandoned her. He’d put his son, the only person left who could carry on the Rowe name, into destitution. If Virgil weren’t already dead Ben would kill him. “Miguel!”
“Are you seriously kicking me out? Dude, your brother said you were an asshole, but I never thought you would throw a lady and a baby out in the street!”
“Sir?” Miguel burst through the door, immediately searching for the source of trouble.
“Tell Dovie to take Ms. Gregory and her son to the east wing. She’ll be staying here.”
“Sir?” Miguel frowned in confusion. Ben knew he was questioning his judgment and he had a right to do so. Ben didn’t know this woman. She could be a scam artist. He shouldn’t trust her. But part of him did. He knew that Dash was his brother’s son.
“Tell Dovie to put her in the pink room and give her whatever she needs. But make sure they are both fed first.”
Ben looked back at Dina, who was staring at him, her wide hazel eyes filled with confusion and maybe a little bit of fear. “You are not taking my nephew to a cheap motel. You will not be traveling with him on a bus. Your destitution ends here.”
“You’re shitting me?”
“I shit you not.”
Dina smiled at him and she ceased to be just beautiful. She was gorgeous. She looked happy. It had been a long time since anybody had been happy in this house.
“Ben!” She launched herself at him, pressing herself and her baby into his chest. “I’m totally sorry that I called you an asshole. You’re not an asshole.” She kissed his cheek. “We promise we won’t bother you. We’ll be on our best behavior.” She kissed his cheek again, her full, soft lips leaving a trail of warmth on his face. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Ben stood there for a moment frozen. No one touched him anymore. Only the occasional handshake. He hadn’t been hugged in years, kissed in even longer than that. It was almost a foreign feeling. But not an unwelcome one.
He gently set himself away from her. Immediately he noticed the loss of the warmth provided by her soft body. “You don’t have to thank me. We’ll discuss your future later.”
“Of course.” The smile faded from her lips. “I’ll see you later.”
“Ma’am?” Miguel called to her. “Please follow me.”
*
Dovie took Dina to the pink room, which turned out to be an enormous luxurious bedroom that her apartment could have fit into three or four times. It had a distinctively different feeling from Ben’s quarters, from the rest of the house. There was something warm about the room, with its cheery yellow drapes and its plush carpet. It was a room that somebody could spend a lot of time in.
To say she had been relived when Ben offered to put her up was an understatement. She dreaded the thought of going back out into the cold. She dreaded taking her son back to that small, dark motel room. But now she was left with the realization that she would be under the same roof as him. As Ben. She, who never found herself uncomfortable around men, found herself uncomfortable around him.
“The bathroom is over there, Ms. Gregory,” Dovie said, distracting Dina from her troubling thoughts. “I can run a bath for you if you’d like.”
“Oh.” It had been years since Dina had a good bath. Her apartment in LA only had a shower, and even if it didn’t she didn’t want to leave Dash unattended for so long.
“I can watch the little one until you get out,” Dovie said, reading Dina’s thoughts. “I won’t even leave the room with him if you’d like.”
Dina’s eyes filled. She wasn’t a crier, but suddenly the past week had caught up to her. It had all been too much. She was exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Her soul felt weary.
“Oh, ma’am, don’t cry.” Dovie rushed over and patted her back. “It’ll be okay.”
“I’m fine.” Dina swiped at her eyes. “I’m just overwhelmed. Who knew the thought of a hot bath would bring me to tears?”
The older woman smiled gently at her. “Go on, honey. You get undressed and have a nice long soak in the bathtub. I can give your boy a bath too while you’re in there, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“You don’t have to.” She held Dash closer to her. “I can bathe him.”
“Of course you can, but there hasn’t been a baby in this house since Mr. Rowe and Virgil. Old Dovie doesn’t have so much to do anymore. I would like to feel useful again.”
“Of course.” Dina handed her son over, feeling stupid for being so protective. “Knock yourself out. I bathe him in the kitchen sink because my apartment doesn’t have a tub. Do you think he’ll be okay in a full-sized tub?”
“We’ve got a whole bathroom in the nursery, ma’am. It’s just right for little ones.”
“There’s a nursery here?”
“Just right down the hallway. I won’t take him far.”
Dina nodded, forcing herself to let him go for a little while.
“Would you like me to run your bath before I go?”
“No, thank you. I can manage.”
“There are fresh towels on the shelf and a new robe on the back of the door. All of your washing products are under the sink.”
“Thank you, Dovie. I appreciate your help.”
“My pleasure, ma’am. Will you be needing anything else before I go?”
“Yes.” She looked around her plush surroundings once more. “Why do they call it the pink room? There’s nothing pink in here.”
“No.” Dovie shook her head. “Mr. Rowe had everything torn out and redecorated about seven years ago.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure, ma’am, but after his wife died he ordered the room changed.”
His wife, Dina thought. How could any woman agree to spend the rest of her life with Ben?
*
Ben knocked on Karen’s door. And then he realized that it wasn’t Karen’s door anymore. This room, this part of the house, stopped being hers nine years ago. It was then she retreated from him, retreated from the world and holed herself up in a small sitting room on the other side of the house. Keeping herself from him. Keeping her secrets from him.
He mentally shook himself. Now was not the time to think about his wife. Dina was in there. The woman who had loved his brother. The woman who was going to keep the Rowe name alive. He knocked again and waited, but there was no answer. She was in there. He could hear sounds coming from the room, baby sounds. Dovie had reported to him that his guests were fed and bathed and that she took the liberty of sending for Dina’s things at the motel. The memory of his former nanny’s report amused him. She seemed almost excited, happy that there was going to be another child to take care of for a few days. She said it would bring some life back into her. She was right. Dash would bring a little life back into the entire house. It had felt somewhat like a mausoleum these past few years. Quiet and dark and lifeless.
Ben knew he should have sent Dovie away years ago, paid for her to enjoy her retirement someplace warm. He had promoted her to housekeeper, but there wasn’t much to
do. He wasn’t a man who needed much, but he couldn’t seem to part with the old woman. She had raised him. They rarely interacted anymore, but knowing she was in his home brought him some comfort.
He knocked once more, his only answer a loud baby coo. He entered to find Dina asleep on the bed. She was curled up on her side, her hand resting under her chin. Her wild auburn hair spread across the pillow. She looked so peaceful that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He also couldn’t help but notice that she wore a just a T-shirt and a pair of pink cotton panties. Her long legs were shapely, her thighs thick, her hips curvy. She looked … soft. Womanly. He could just imagine how she would feel wrapped around him. It had been a very long time since he had a woman wrapped around him and the thought of sinking into warm curves awakened something inside him that he thought had died a long time ago.
It was a pull. That was the only way he could describe it. He felt it the first time they had met, but he denied it then. He could never be attracted to her, to one of Virgil’s girls. He could never entertain the thought of being with anybody but his wife, but there he was, watching this beautiful woman sleep and feeling the pull all over again.
“Bah!”
Ben shook his thoughts away from the inappropriate and he peeled his eyes away from the boy’s mother and placed them on Dash. He should be in the nursery. Ben and Karen had the room completely remodeled the first time she had gotten pregnant. Unfortunately, the room had never been used, but all the furniture was still there and Ben made sure the room was dusted once a week. Dash could stay in there. There was no reason the room should be empty. Besides, Dina was exhausted, in a sleep so heavy that she didn’t hear him enter the room. Maybe it was time she had some undisturbed rest. She deserved it.
And he needed some more time to figure out what the hell he was going to do with her. He wanted her gone. Out of his life. Out of his mind forever. But then there was the boy. The last Rowe man. Ben couldn’t live the rest of his life without having his nephew near him. He approached Dash quietly, lifting him off the bed as carefully as possible so not to hurt him, but the boy was sturdy. He would grow into a strong young man. Ben only hoped Dash’s mother would be able to raise him to be a good young man.
Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas: A Perfect Fit Holiday Novella (A Perfect Fit Novel) Page 2
