The Billionaire's Heart

by Christina Tetreault

  “It’s your next right,” Leah said as they drove down the street.

  In anticipation of guests, the front gates had been left open, and Gavin drove up the horseshoe-shaped driveway. Several of the guests had already arrived judging by the number of cars parked, and Leah surveyed the collection. Many she recognized as belonging to family members, but a few definitely belonged to her parents’ friends and neighbors.

  Gavin parked next to a SUV with New Hampshire plates. Although she’d never seen the vehicle before, she guessed it belonged to Curt. After all, who else did her parents know in New Hampshire?

  “I think my brother and his girlfriend are here.” She pointed to the vehicle. “Have you ever met Curt?” She’d never introduced him to any of her family, but that didn’t mean he’d never met them elsewhere.

  “Once, about a year ago. I escorted my mom to a Helping Hands fundraiser in Providence because Clark was away on business. Your brother was there.”

  She’d never met his mom, Faith Williamson, or her second husband, Clark, but she knew they lived in Rhode Island and were supporters of Helping Hands, a foundation started by her great-grandmother and currently run by her Aunt Marilyn.

  Mom and Dad would do everything to make Gavin feel comfortable this weekend, but she was glad he’d at least met one family member before today.

  “Do you think this is everyone?” He nodded toward the many cars parked around them as they walked toward the front steps.

  Leah quickly surveyed the collection again. “Doubt it.”

  “When you said Fourth of July bash, you meant it.”

  She didn’t bother ringing the bell. Instead she opened the door and stepped inside the cool air-conditioned home. “Mom goes all out every year for this party. The ones she throws at the holidays are much smaller.”

  If everything went the way Gavin hoped, he’d find out for himself in a few months.

  He followed her across the two-story open foyer. Although a stunning home, it wasn’t ostentatious, which was the only word to adequately describe his father’s home since his wife had redecorated. Considering the few pictures he’d seen of Cliff House, her uncle’s home, he’d expected her parents’ house to be decked out with marble columns and gilded ceilings. As far as he could see, neither existed here.

  Leah paused at the bottom of one curved staircase. “I’m just going to run this up to my room. I’ll be right back. Feel free to wait here or head outside. Whatever you’re more comfortable with.”

  He’d never met Judith Sherbrooke, but he recognized Leah’s mom right away. Although Judith had dark brown hair and dark eyes and stood at least four or five inches taller than Leah, the shape of their faces and eyes were the same.

  “Good, you’re here, Leah,” she greeted.

  At the sound of her mom’s voice, Leah left her overnight bag on the floor and moved away from the stairs and back toward him.

  Judith approached him and smiled, causing her to resemble Leah even more.

  “You must be Gavin.” Judith extended her hand toward him. “I’m Judith, Leah’s mother. I’m glad you were able to join us today.”

  “Thank you for having me. It’s been a long time since I went to a Fourth of July party,” he said.

  After hugging her mom, Leah stepped closer and nudged him in the side. “Or any party for that matter. I told him if he didn’t come today, I’d drag him out of the office.”

  That’s what you think. “Guilty as charged,” he replied.

  “Sounds like someone else we know and love,” Judith commented affectionately. “No matter. You’re here now. Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night? We have the room, Gavin.”

  Yeah, on this one, no one, not even Leah, was going to get him to budge. “I appreciate the offer, but I already reserved a room at a hotel.”

  “Well, if you change your mind the offer stands,” Judith commented before turning her gaze toward Leah. “If you want to bring your bag upstairs, I’ll bring Gavin outside and start introducing him to everyone.”

  Like the perfect hostess, Judith kept up a steady conversation as she led him through the house and outside. Although he’d never met many of the people already gathered, thanks to the media he recognized most of them, including several of Leah’s cousins and her father, who was speaking with an older gentleman he didn’t recognize.

  With her husband occupied, Judith led him over to Leah’s older brother. Although he was standing alone, Curt’s attention was focused on someone on the beach. “Curt, I’d like you to meet Gavin. He’s a friend of Leah’s.”

  Sherbrooke blue eyes identical to Leah’s swung his way, and he held Gavin’s gaze for a moment before extending his hand. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Excellent, you already know each other,” Judith said before she frowned, her eyes focused on something or someone across the deck. “Do you mind introducing him to everyone? Janet is waving me over. She must need something.”

  Gavin spotted a woman approximately his mom’s age waving at Judith. Judging by Judith’s tone, it wasn’t the first time Janet needed something today.

  “Sure,” Curt answered. It was a simple one-word answer, yet something in his voice told Gavin to be on guard.

  Curt waited until his mom left before speaking again. “When I invited Leah to stay at my place this weekend, she never mentioned bringing a date to the party.”

  He didn’t know if she’d intentionally left out the information or if she invited him after talking to Curt. “My coming along today was a last-minute thing,” Gavin explained.

  “Last-minute? My sister?” He sounded shocked. “Leah usually plans everything out in advance.”

  Gavin agreed. At least in the months he’d known her, Leah had never seemed to do anything spontaneous. “When she found out on Tuesday that I planned on working today, she invited me.”

  “We spoke on Thursday.” Curt’s expression gave no hint at what he was thinking. “Are you staying the whole weekend?”

  “Just tonight. We plan on driving back in the morning.”

  Leah’s brother shoved his hands in his front pockets. “Think about staying another night. The two of you can stop by and visit with Taylor, Reese, and me. We’re here until Wednesday.”

  He knew Taylor was Curt’s girlfriend, but he had no idea who Reese was. “Whatever your sister wants.” He’d planned to finish up the work leftover from last week when he got back to the city on Sunday, but if Leah wanted to stick around longer, he wouldn’t argue. It would give him more time with her.

  “I’ll talk to her when I see her. C’mon, I’ll introduce you to Taylor. She’s helping the kids build sandcastles.”

  Gavin saw several children of various ages on the beach, along with a handful of adults. He assumed some of the children were Leah’s relatives, but he didn’t think they all were. There seemed to be too many.

  “Are you still living in New York?” Curt asked as they made their way across the grass and past other guests.

  He nodded. “Yeah, when I’m not traveling.”

  Curt laughed. “Best part about not being in the corporate world anymore.”

  “Leah mentioned you left Nichols Investment back in the spring.”

  “One of the best decisions I ever made.” He stopped when they reached the edge of the grass. “Harry still living with you?”

  If Curt knew Harry had been living with him, he’d gotten the information from Leah. Had Leah also told her brother why she’d broken up with the guy? If family was as important to Leah as it seemed, he didn’t want her brother or anyone else disliking him because of how his half brother had treated her.

  “He moved out last month,” Gavin answered. “And he won’t be coming back.”

  “Too alike to live together?”

  “Just the opposite.”

  Curt waved back at a young girl on the beach. “We better get going, or Reese will come and get me.”

  The girl waving looked about the same age as his daugh
ter. “Most children are not known for their patience,” Gavin commented, following Curt across the sand.

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “I have a half sister who will be eleven in August. When she was younger, she couldn’t wait for anything or anybody.” He wasn’t lying; Piper was almost eleven. However, when he’d made the comment he’d been thinking of Erin, not his half sister. “She’s not much better now.”

  Curt introduced him first to Taylor, who was seated on the ground next to a well-thought-out sandcastle. It had a large square structure in the center with several pathways leading to various other buildings. A wall surrounded much of it. Seashells, tiny pebbles, and various bird feathers had been used to decorate the project.

  Before Curt got around to introducing Gavin to anyone else, Leah joined them. “Sorry, I got cornered by Mrs. Clark on my way outside.” She sounded a little out of breath. “Mom and she have been friends for a long time. I haven’t seen her since last summer,” she explained.

  “Surprised you got away. Did she show you all the pictures of her grandchildren?” Curt asked. “She got me not long after we arrived. I saw at least fifty pictures before Mom rescued me.”

  “He’s exaggerating.” Taylor stood and put an arm around Curt’s waist. “She didn’t show you anywhere close to that many.”

  “With Mrs. Clark, you never know.” Leah stepped closer to the sandcastle and knelt down to get a better look. “Fabulous castle. Did you build it?” she asked the girl Gavin assumed was Reese.

  “Auntie Taylor’s helping me,” the girl answered.

  Curt crouched down next to the young girl. “Leah, this is Reese, Taylor’s niece.” He ruffled the girl’s hair, giving Gavin the impression Curt spent a decent amount of time around the child even though she was only his girlfriend’s niece. “Short stuff, this is my sister.”

  Reese smiled, revealing the large gap where her two front teeth used to be. “Hi. Do you want to help me finish?”

  Leah reached for one of the buckets. “I’d love to. Gavin, do you want to help us?”

  It looked finished to him, but what did he know. “Building castles is one of my specialties.” He dropped to the ground next to Leah and grabbed a plastic shovel. “What else needs to be done?”

  Reese didn’t hesitate to give him and Leah instructions, reminding him considerably of his daughter. Whenever possible Erin loved to be in charge. By the way Reese was giving out orders, it appeared she did too. Come to think of it, Piper did as well, so maybe it was a trait all girls around their age shared.

  “Looks like we’ve got a lot of work to do, Gavin.” Leah caught his eye and smiled. “We better get to it.” She started to fill her bucket with sand. “Curt, are you going to help or just sit there and watch?”

  He put his arm around Reese’s shoulders and winked at her. “Reese and I are going to supervise, right, short stuff?”

  She nodded. “Right.”

  Leah rolled her eyes and continued to fill the bucket. “Some things never change.”

  Despite Reese’s agreement that she’d supervise while Taylor, Gavin, and Leah did the heavy lifting, she joined in after only a few minutes. Not long after, Curt got down to work as well. With everyone’s attention either on constructing more buildings or making the bridge that would connect the two segments, Leah moved closer to Gavin. “Sorry I left you alone with him for so long,” she whispered in his ear.

  Under different circumstances it would’ve been the perfect opportunity to kiss her. Unfortunately, they had a full audience.

  “Don’t worry about it. Your brother invited us to his place tomorrow.” Since she’d whispered, Gavin assumed Leah didn’t want Curt to hear their conversation, so he kept his voice low too.

  Leah shot a look in her brother’s direction, then moved another inch or two closer, and he caught the barest hint of either her shampoo or perfume. “Curt actually invited me to stay with him and Taylor this weekend. I considered it, but figured they might want their privacy. I didn’t know Reese was going to be there too.”

  “If you want to head over tomorrow, it’s fine with me. We can drive back on Monday morning,” he offered.

  She reached out and placed her hand on his forehead. The innocent touch set his skin on fire. “You don’t feel warm. Are you feeling okay? Have you spent too much time in the sun? Maybe you should go sit in the shade and have some cold water. Or maybe you should go for a quick swim.”

  He might not feel warm on the outside, but internally he was burning up. “We’re here. We might as well have fun.”

  Leah shifted back and gave him a quick visual once-over. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Gavin Kincaid?” she asked with suspicion.

  “Locked him in the closet. I’m his smarter and handsomer twin.”

  She grinned, causing the dimple in her right cheek to appear. “If that’s the case, I’ll tell Curt we’ll be over tomorrow before your double gets free and spoils all our fun.”

  Chapter Three

  When she’d come outside earlier and spotted Gavin and Curt talking, she’d cursed her rotten luck. She liked her mom’s friend, Lucy Clark, but the woman loved to talk about her grandchildren. Most of the time, Leah didn’t mind hearing about them or seeing the proud grandmother’s latest pictures. Today had been a different story.

  Although Curt didn’t take the protective big brother role quite as far as her cousins did, he’d been known to interrogate her dates, and since she’d brought him along today, Curt and probably everyone else here would assume there was more between her and Gavin than mere friendship.

  Rather than risk having a family member ask Gavin anything about their relationship and make him uncomfortable, she’d stayed next to him ever since joining him on the beach over two hours ago. But in desperate need of a bathroom break, she left him talking to Courtney and Juliette. Of all of her cousins there, Leah trusted them the most to behave themselves while she was gone.

  “Hey, I’ve been looking for you.”

  Curt’s statement brought her to a standstill when she came out of the bathroom. “You found me.” Unfortunately, she mentally added.

  She loved her brother, but at the moment she didn’t want to stand around and have a long heart-to-heart. “I just needed a quick bathroom break.”

  She tried to walk past him before he started up a real conversation and kept her inside any longer than necessary. He grabbed her hand though, forcing her to stop.

  “No need to rush. Gavin can take care of himself.” Releasing her hand, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. He wore a serious expression, and she suspected he’d decided it was time to be the protective older brother.

  “I wasn’t rushing because of him. It’s a beautiful day, and I want to enjoy it. Shouldn’t you be outside doing the same with Taylor and Reese?”

  Curt’s left eyebrow inched up. The tiny gesture annoyed Leah to no end as usual. She couldn’t say why it did, but it did.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to get involved with your ex-boyfriend’s brother?”

  Yep, he was putting on his big brother cap this afternoon. “Harry and Gavin are half brothers. They have different mothers.” She intentionally avoided answering his question simply to annoy him. After all, annoying one’s brother was in the little sister job description.

  “Minor technicality and you know it, Leah. Harry proved he’s just like his father. I’d say there’s a good chance Gavin is too,” Curt said before she could set him straight. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  Why did I ever tell him? Thanks to her big mouth, Curt knew that both Harry and Benedict, her boyfriend before Harry, had cheated on her.

  “We’re not together, so relax. Gavin and I are just good friends.” While she appreciated Curt’s concern, she wanted him to know it wasn’t necessary. “But even if we were, Gavin’s the exact opposite of Harry in every way imaginable.” She started walking and hoped he dropp
ed the subject. “Come on, let’s head back out.”

  Curt fell into step next to her. “Not buying it, sis.”

  Right now she didn’t care if he believed her or not. She and Gavin knew the truth. She opened the door and stepped out onto the lower deck. The scent of whatever was on the grill immediately caught her attention and her stomach rumbled. She ate in some of the best restaurants on a regular basis, yet there was something about food cooked on a grill that got her every time.

  “You’ve never brought a friend, male or female, to any of Mom’s parties,” he continued, obviously not ready to drop the matter. “Only guys you’re involved with. Something is up between you two.”

  Ignoring Curt, Leah searched the gathering for Gavin and her cousins, because they weren’t standing where she left them. Had they walked down to the water? With lunch being served, the beach would be less crowded.

  She headed for the stairs then stopped abruptly. “Seriously!”

  Of all the men present, Tasha Marshall had to be talking to Gavin. Leah had known Tasha, the daughter of close family friends, forever. Despite the closeness of the two families, she’d never considered Tasha a friend. Rather she thought of her as an immature annoyance that showed up at a lot of family functions with one thing in mind: catching an unmarried Sherbrooke male. It didn’t really seem to matter which one either. For years she’d chased after Leah’s cousin Jake. When he got married, she proceeded to go after Trent, followed by first Gray and then Derek. Actually, she’d even tried to buy Derek at a bachelor auction the Helping Hands Foundation held as a fundraiser. With all three of them happily married now as well, Leah had assumed Tasha would turn her attention to either Curt or her cousin Alec, since Brett was rarely around. Judging by how close Tasha was standing to Gavin and the fact she kept touching his arm, she’d decided to branch out.