Everything She Wanted

by Jennifer Ryan

  Margo huffed. “It’s complicated.”

  “That’s an excuse, Margo. You have a son.”

  “So does she.”

  “Their son is twenty-­five. Yours is four months old.”

  Margo’s eyes filled with resignation. “Donald had to think about the company, the money, everything else they share. It’s not a simple thing to divorce when there is so much at stake. Breaking up the company like that, giving her a huge piece and a say in the company he spent his life building, makes it hard for him. I don’t know what happened. We haven’t had time to discuss it, but something changed, and he gets to keep everything.”

  “How is that possible? This is California. A community property state. She’s entitled to half.”

  Margo raised her hands to the sides and let them fall back to her thighs. “She signed a prenup. Whatever stipulations are in there, she violated them and only gets a million dollars.”

  “I’d take the million and be happy.”

  “Would you? After nearly thirty years of marriage and living with the means to do and buy anything you want, you’d take a million and be happy? A house in most areas around here costs at least half that if not all of it. Look where she’s lived and how and tell me a million is enough.”

  Kate tipped her head, acknowledging that truth. “So what did she have to say about all of this?”

  “As you can imagine, she’s pissed. I don’t know all the details. Donald and I want to sit down and talk about it and what comes next.”

  Kate nodded, understanding dawning. “Which is why I’m here. You want me to babysit.”

  “Please. It’s only for a few days.”

  Kate widened her eyes and held her breath. “Days? Margo—­”

  “He’s nervous about what she’ll do now that she knows about the divorce. He wants Alex away from here in case she does something.”

  “What does he think she’ll do?”

  Margo waved her hand. “Oh, mostly just throw a fit. Maybe come here to cuss him out and demand he give her what she wants. He doesn’t want Alex here if that happens.”

  “Does she know about you and Alex?”

  “About me, yes. Not Alex. At least Donald and I don’t think so.”

  Kate grimaced. “And you want to keep Alex a secret awhile longer.”

  “At least until Donald and I can be married. Please, Kate, will you take him for a few days? Four tops.”

  “I told you I needed time. I’m just settling in to seeing him with you when I visit.”

  “You never expected it to be this hard, did you?”

  “No. But nothing is ever easy, is it?”

  “Not for you and me.” Margo put her hand over Kate’s and squeezed. “If something happens, go to the safe deposit box. Everything you need is there. I set it up just like you taught me.”

  “Always have an escape plan.”

  “Everything is going to work out this time.”

  “If you believed that, you wouldn’t ask me to take Alex and remind me that even now we need a way out.”

  Margo squeezed Kate’s hand again. “I know everything will be okay. I’m being cautious and protective of what I love. When we had nothing, it was easy to walk away. Now, I have too much to lose to leave it to chance. Please, Kate. Do this for me, so I’ll have peace of mind and can see Donald through this rough patch.”

  Kate gave in to need and picked up Alex from his crib and held him to her chest. She stared down into his beautiful blue eyes and frowned. “Your mother knows exactly how to get me to do her bidding.”

  “I know it’s a lot to ask . . .”

  Kate brushed her lips against Alex’s forehead and smelled his sweet baby scent. Her heart softened and threatened to melt in her chest and reduce her to a teary-­eyed mess. “I got this, Margo.”

  “You always do.”

  “Is everything okay?” Donald asked from the door.

  “She said yes,” Margo answered.

  “Thank you, Kate. It’s a lot to ask . . .”

  “Both of you stop. I’m the aunt. I’m the perfect person to ask. You two enjoy a few days alone. Alex and I will hang at the bar, go dancing, you know, have some fun.”

  Margo laughed and touched Kate’s shoulder. “You know he doesn’t have ID to get into the bar.”

  Kate shrugged that off. “I could probably call some old contacts and get him a fake one.”

  “Okay, but cut him off after one bottle,” Donald teased, holding up the baby bottle in his hand.

  Kate took it and stuffed the nipple into Alex’s mouth. He sucked greedily.

  “You hear that, little man?” Margo said. “One bottle and you’re done. Aunt Kate will take care of you. Maybe you can teach her to smile more often.” Margo kissed Alex’s head and gave Kate a look that clearly said, “You’re too serious.”

  “I’ll take the bags down to the car,” Donald volunteered, grabbing the diaper bag and a small suitcase.

  “I put two cans of formula and extra bottles in the suitcase. More than enough for the few days you’ll have him.” Margo picked up the blanket from Alex’s crib and a soft puppy. “These are his favorites. Donald will also put the playpen I left downstairs in your car. He can sleep in that.” Margo scanned the room. “His pacifier is pinned to his shirt, but let me run downstairs and grab a spare just in case.”

  Kate sat in the rocking chair with Alex in her arms and let him finish his bottle. “Go. We’re good here.”

  Margo stopped at the door and turned back. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother someday.”

  Kate plastered on a smile for Margo’s benefit. “You were always the sweeter, kinder, gentler one of us. Alex is in the best hands. I’m better by myself.” The lie sounded convincing but tasted sour and made her heart ache.

  “Anything is possible, Kate. Just look at what I have with Donald.”

  “You two seem happy together. I’m happy for you.”

  “I hope you have something even better than what I’ve found. You just have to learn to trust and have a little faith.”

  This from the woman who fell in love with a married man and went to extreme lengths to have his child and the family they never had growing up, including sharing him with his wife—­though he swore he hadn’t slept with Christina in the last few years, especially since he met Margo. Kate dropped her cynicism and admitted the ­couple seemed happy. Kate wanted them to get past the impending divorce, marry, and be a family. They deserved it. Alex deserved to have his two loving parents together and happy without all the hiding of their relationship and the drama.

  “Come downstairs when he’s finished.”

  Margo left the room. Kate sat in the waning sunlight and rocked Alex back and forth. She studied his sweet face from his wide forehead to his softly rounded cheeks. He caught her watching him and took time out of gorging on his milk to smile at her with his mouth still wrapped around the nipple.

  “Charmer. You know I can’t resist you. Don’t tell your mother, but I really am looking forward to having you all to myself for a few days.”

  Dangerous, dangerous ground. Her heart might not be able to take letting him go again. She loved the little boy. He almost made her think dreams do actually come true and don’t always turn into nightmares. Almost.

  Kate put Alex up to her shoulder and patted his back. He let out a huge belch and settled his cheek back on her shoulder. “That’s my big boy. You sound like every guy I’ve ever met in a bar.”

  Actually, it had been a long time since she’d been a part of that scene. She’d given up playing the party girl, the tough girl who liked even tougher guys, the girl who didn’t care about anyone or anything and all she wanted to do was have a good time. Nothing about that scene or that girl seemed fun anymore.

  At twenty-­two, she’d turned a corner and got serious a
bout herself and her life. For all her negativity about what happened to her in the past and the rotten way she’d been raised and treated, she’d never done a damn thing to change things for the better. A hard realization to wake up to on her birthday, look back at her life, and realize all she’d been doing is surviving. She wanted more. So she went back to school and got her degree in social work. Used the supervised hours she worked in the field to gain experience and hone her skills to work with teenagers. She worked during the day and attended school at night to finish her master’s this past year. Twenty-­eight now, she finally had a job and a purpose in life that filled her up most days, even as the daunting task of helping others who sometimes didn’t necessarily want it dragged her down, but never knocked her out. She loved her clients. Most of them anyway. Teenagers had a way of making you work for every small achievement. They made her think and come up with creative ways to connect with them so she could get them to trust her and eventually try to change their lives.

  Like she’d done with her own.

  “Come on, let’s go find your mom and dad. It’s time to blow this joint and get you settled at my place. Don’t get me wrong, kiddo—­I’m happy to have you for a few days, but that’s it. You’re not staying.”

  She tickled Alex’s belly, made him laugh, and rose and carried him out the bedroom door and across the landing to the stairs.

  “It’s going to be all right,” Donald assured her sister. He reached up and cupped Margo’s face in his hands, sweeping his thumbs over her cheeks and looking her right in the eye with so much love and devotion that Kate looked away. The tenderness in his affection for Margo stunned her every time. She’d rarely seen that depth of kindness and love between two ­people. She envied her sister that connection to Donald. It’s why she’d agreed to help them. Why she believed in them even if she didn’t admit as much to her sister.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, stepping down the last few stair treads. “Did something else happen?”

  “Evan called. He’s upset about the divorce and what that means for him as well as his mother,” Donald said in his usual diplomatic way.

  “Donald is cutting off his unlimited supply of funds and putting him on a reasonable budget,” Margo added, rolling her eyes. Margo may live in this big fancy house, but she still clipped coupons and bought items on sale. She didn’t take what she had for granted.

  Something about the worry clouding Donald’s eyes about the call triggered a ripple of danger to skitter across Kate’s nerves. Her gut went tight. As easygoing as Donald was, his son Evan’s personality swung the other way. All the way to volatile. Rage mixed with antipathy and entitlement. Not a good combination when you just told a rich kid he’d been essentially cut off.

  “How did you leave things with him?”

  “I told him to speak to his mother to get the real truth of why I’m doing all of this. He deserves to know, then he’ll understand that what I’m offering is generous under the circumstances.”

  “He’s been in trouble in the past. Do you think he’ll come here and cause trouble for the two of you? Is that why you want Alex out of the house?”

  “No,” Donald said definitively. “No.” This time the word held traces of uncertainty and worry. “My concern is that these types of calls will go on for the next few days. It’s going to be a stressful time, and I don’t want my emotions and Margo’s worry to upset Alex. It’s better this way.”

  Kate read between the lines. Donald didn’t want to upset Margo, but he expected trouble in some form from his wife and son. At the very least, he knew they wouldn’t go away quietly.

  “I promise, Kate, I’ll take care of everything. I won’t let anything happen to Margo.”

  “I hold you to that promise.”

  He smiled, released her sister, and came to stand in front of her. He put his hand on Alex’s back and the other on her shoulder. “I know you will. Margo, Alex, and you are my family. This will all blow over, and we’ll move on together and watch Alex grow into a wonderful and loved man. He is the gift we share. Nothing will make me happier than to have this business behind us and move on. I want to spend the rest of my life making Margo happy and raising our son. All of us together and happy.”

  Kate’s inner pessimist shouted, “Yeah, right.” But holding Alex in her arms, seeing his happy face and the innocence in his eyes, sparked the belief that maybe the life Donald described wasn’t out of reach. They needed to work for it, and that included taking care of old business.

  “Call me if anything more happens. Keep me in the loop.”

  “We will. I promise,” Donald agreed.

  Her sister and Donald walked her out to the car. Margo took Alex, hugged him close, and put him in the car seat in the back of her car. Margo settled Alex, then kissed him on the head. “Be good for Auntie. I’ll miss you, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “I promise, I’ll take good care of him.”

  “I know you will. It’s just I’ve never been away from him, since he came home.”

  “Go with her,” Donald suggested at the last minute.

  Margo shook her head. “No. I’m staying with you and seeing you through this ordeal.”

  “That’s just it, it is an ordeal. I’ll handle it. It’s not for you to work out, but for me to do.”

  Margo took Donald’s hand. “We’re a ­couple. Partners. We do things together. The fun things and the tedious.”

  “I much prefer the fun we have together.” Donald hugged Margo close.

  “Then Kate will take Alex, and you and I will have some fun.” The sparkle in her sister’s eyes when she said those words made Kate blush. These two were good for each other. Margo’s fun nature balanced Donald’s seriousness. Donald gave Margo the things she’d always done without and the love she deserved.

  Donald set her sister aside, leaned in, and kissed Alex goodbye.

  Margo’s eyes shined brightly as she stared down at Alex in the back of Kate’s car. “I’m going to miss him so much.” Margo leaned down and kissed Alex again, brushing her hand over his head, then tapping his little nose. “Be good, my sweet boy.”

  Donald pulled Margo back and kissed her on the head. He patted Alex’s arm, closed the back door, and opened Kate’s door for her. Before Kate took her seat, he reached for her hand and held it tight. “Thank you for doing this.” He pressed hard on the key he’d placed in her hand and whispered, “Just in case.”

  Chapter Three

  BEN KNIGHT WALKED into Decadence restaurant and glanced around the elegant dining room. He’d eaten here more than two dozen times with Jenna and sometimes with her and Jack, but he’d never attended one of their legendary family dinners. He always found an excuse to get out of the invitation. He didn’t do the whole family thing. And for good reason. Being around happy families made him think back to the anger, resentment, and yes, sadness he’d lived with as a child. Right up until his mother shot his father dead.

  Best day of his life.

  The cops arrested his distraught mother. A lawyer who worked in conjunction with the local church and a women’s shelter stepped in, took the case pro bono, and got the murder charges dropped, proving his mother acted out of self-­defense and a bone-­deep belief that if she didn’t shoot him, he’d kill her and Ben. The truth saved them. That lawyer understanding all his mother and he’d been through saved them. Ben never forgot that his mother and that lawyer saved him. So he became a lawyer who helped women like his mother. That’s how he met Jenna Merrick. He helped save her, and now she’d taken him into the family fold, dismissing his wariness to fully join the group. Despite his many attempts to stay at arm’s length, she kept tugging him in.

  He could only say no or come up with an excuse so many times, so this time he agreed to meet the group for dinner and Morgan Reed’s baby shower. She and her husband, Tyler, were expecting their son sometime in the next ­couple
of weeks. He envied Tyler his beautiful wife and child on the way. They seemed happy the last few times he’d met them. The whole Turner-­Shaw-­Reed family seemed to have that thing everyone wanted. A partner who loved them and the happiness that came with that elusive gift.

  “Ben.” Jenna ran into his arms and hugged him close.

  “Rabbit. I’ve missed you.”

  “You wouldn’t miss me if you showed up even half the times I invite you to things.”

  “Point taken, which is why I’m here.” He held up the light blue bag dangling from his fingers. “For a baby shower no less.”

  Jenna smiled up at him, her hands still on his chest. “You love kids.”

  He couldn’t deny it. The best part about working at Haven House was getting to see the children. He organized baseball and soccer games on the weekend. He opened the place years ago to help women like his mother, battered and in need of a safe place to hide. A place to find themselves again and start a new and better life. A safe place to bring their children, so they could play and be kids, not cower in fear every minute of their existence waiting for the next episode of violence to explode around them.

  “Where’s Jack?”

  “Having a beer with the guys. Come on. I’ll lead you back into the mayhem.”

  He followed her through the dining room toward the private dining area. “How’s everything at Merrick?”

  “Running smoothly thanks to your cousin, Cameron.”

  Funny how that worked out. He helped Jenna escape her abusive ex-­husband, she took over his company, and hired Cameron Shaw to run it as president. Then Cameron discovered he was actually George Knight’s son. Ben’s and Cameron’s great-­great-­granddads were brothers. Cameron’s branched off to form the more successful side of the family with Knight Industries, while Ben’s side straddled the line between decency and all-­out debauchery. You can’t pick your family, but he wished he’d been born to the other side of his.

  “Are you still flying in and working three days a week?” he asked, hoping to avoid another lengthy conversation about his background compared to the one George Knight had provided his family and left most of that wealth to Cameron.