Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel (14 page)

SIXTEEN

RANSOM SAT IN THE middle of his brother’s living room, his leg crossed over the other at the knee, staring into a cup of black coffee. He’d come to apologize, but Rebel was currently preoccupied with daddy duties.

While Ransom sat and waited patiently, he took stock of his surroundings, noting how similar everything was to Rebel’s previous apartment where he’d also stayed at one time.

It seemed he had a hard-on for apartments in the sky with cityscape views and streamline designs. The finishes, from the floors to the walls to the furniture, were heavy and dark, masculine, but not overdone. Small, feminine touches, like vases stuffed with flowers and colorful throw pillows that appeared to be made from clouds, created a comfortable, relaxing, and inviting space.

Plus, it concealed the baby accidents well.

Ransom held up his hand up to the light, rubbing his fingers together and wondering what the oily residue could possibly be.

Then he decided it was probably best not to know and snapped a baby wipe from a random container set out on the coffee table—a glass top with an elephant base, of all things—and cleaned his hand.

“Sorry, they refuse to go down for their nap without their favorite cuddle bears. Stubborn, just like their mother.” Rebel smiled wryly as he crossed the room and sat on the opposite end of the couch, releasing a tired sigh that spoke volumes.

“How’s fatherhood treating you?” Ransom asked, if only to have something to say. An icebreaker.

Rebel scrubbed his hand over the top of his head, sending his inky black hair spiking out in all directions. “Truth? I’m fucking tired as hell, but I’ve never been happier. Those girls are my life. Never thought you’d hear me say that about some babies, huh?”

No, no he hadn’t. Rebel had always been a bit of a player. Shopping for women was practically a second job, which was why Ransom never had a problem scooping up his throwaways. They had the same taste in women, so it made for easy pickings. Which was why it came as no surprise when they both fell in love with the same woman.

Rebel fixed Ransom with an assessing look, no doubt trying to figure out the reason for why he was suddenly showing up at his home after months of not speaking.

“So what’s going on with you?” Rebel asked. “We thought you were down in Florida all this time, but Mom said that you’ve been in town for weeks. Hiding from your own family now?”

Ransom sucked in a breath. It appeared they were going to skip right over idle conversation and get right to the heart of it. “I needed time to myself for a while. It wasn’t anything against her or dad. I just wasn’t ready to see anyone.”

“And by anyone, you mean me specifically.” Rebel didn’t shy away from Ransom’s gaze, as bold as ever.

“Yes, I mean you.”

Crossing his ankle over his opposite knee, Rebel mirrored Ransom’s pose almost exactly. “Look, I know we have shit to deal with. That’s obvious. But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped being brothers. This thing between us, it’s hurting the people we love, so whether you or I like it or not, we need to sort our shit. One way or another, it’s gotta end.”

“I agree, which is why I’m here.” Ransom swallowed, his throat suddenly dry and scratchy. How could apologizing to someone be so damn hard? Two little words. They were like broken glass in his throat. “I—I’m…sorry.”

Rebel’s thick brows arched into his hairline. “Difficult was it? I have to say, I never thought I’d hear those words come out of your mouth.”

Ransom glared at him, though there was no heat behind it. “I do my best to never be in a position to have to.”

“I hear ya. Except now that I’m married with children, I find myself saying it all the time. Tastes a lot like crow, if I knew how one tasted,” he mused. “Being a husband and father has a way of forcing you to grow up.”

“Look, Rebel.” Placing both feet on the floor, Ransom sat forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “I haven’t been the best brother. I know that. When I found out that we were after the same girl, I was determined to win. Not necessarily her heart, but against you. Being with Joe, it became a competition, and I don’t like where that led.”

Rebel stiffened. “You mean you don’t like that you didn’t end up with the girl.”

“No, that’s not it.” Ransom shook his head, measuring his words so they’d come out right. “What I’m saying is that there was a lot of damage done. Things I regret, and trust me, I’ve paid for it.”

“Good.”

Ransom flinched at his brother’s hateful tone. He deserved that. “I came here to tell you that I’m sorry for what I put you through. Both of you. When I found out that you two were together, that it was all a big misunderstanding, I should have backed off and let you two figure things out on your own. Instead, I just complicated matters by holding on. I knew I wasn’t the one she really wanted, but I couldn’t let go. I was too selfish to see that she had already made her choice.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and wallowing and blaming everyone but myself. But I know now that the only person I have to blame is myself. I wanted you to know that. And…” He trailed off, Dani’s face coming to mind. “And I’ve met someone.”

“Dani, you mean. The girl from the party.”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t get a chance to talk with her, but she seemed nice enough. Joe thinks highly of her.”

Ransom smiled. For some reason, he was glad to have her approval. “She’s great. You’d like her.”

“I’m sure I would, considering we’ve always had that particular thing in common.”

Ransom almost choked on his spit. “Was that a joke?”

Rebel’s shoulder lifted. “Could be. I’ve been known to crack a couple from time to time.”

“I bet Josephine has a heart attack every time, too.”

“The first couple times I had to pry the phone from her hands to keep her from calling a priest. She was convinced I needed an exorcism.”

Ransom laughed. So did Rebel.

“So, Dani’s special, huh? Marriage material?”

“I haven’t thought that far, but yeah, I think she could be.”

“Then I’m happy for you. Means I can finally call off the bodyguards.”

“Boy, you’re just a regular comedian today.”

“I’m on a roll,” Rebel conceded.

“Anyway, I was hoping that Josephine would be here, too, but since she isn’t, you can relay everything to her for me. I just want you both to know that I’m over it. Having Dani in my life made me realize that what I felt for Josephine was more infatuation than anything. It’s nothing like what I feel for Dani.”

“You in love with her?”

Ransom beamed, casting his gaze to the floor. “Yeah, I am. She’s everything, man. Everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“Mom is going to shit when she hears this. There will be no stopping her,” Rebel warned.

“Yeah, I know. She’s probably already planning the wedding.”

“Hate to break it to you, but she already has that end covered.” His hands opened and his arms spread out to his sides. “Big wedding. Lots of flowers. You should see the scrapbooks.” He shuddered. “Makes me glad I’ve already crossed that bridge. It’s going to be awesome to watch you go through it. I’ve already bought an extra-large SD card for my camera so I can capture every moment of torture.”

“See, I always told people you were the evil twin. They never believed me.”

“That’s because I’m the hot one.”

“We look exactly the same, bro.”

From down the hall, one of the babies let loose a shrill cry, and Rebel stood. Grabbing his crotch, he said, “Not exactly,” then went to retrieve his daughter.

Checking the time on his watch, Ransom noted that Dani would be off work soon. He couldn’t wait to get home so he could tell her about his day. She would be happy to know that he’d done as promised and was setting things straight with everyone. Most especially his brother. Rebel was the most important part of it. Being able to tell him that he’d moved on with Dani was a milestone he’d never thought to reach. Now that everyone knew where he stood, they could all move on with their lives. It was a tremendous weight off his shoulders.

“You’ve never held your nieces, have you?” Rebel asked as he emerged from the hallway cradling a baby in each arm. “I just realized that.”

Ransom stood as he approached, his gaze locked on the girls who stared up at their daddy worshipfully.

“I’ve been gone.”

“In Florida, right.” Rebel stopped in front of him. “Well, which one do you want first? Rose or Rayna?”

Ransom looked between the two. “Which one is which?” They were identical, down to the chubby rolls on their arms and legs.

“This one,” Rebel said, lifting his left arm, “is Rayna.”

Green eyes met his and Ransom melted on the spot. He reached for her, scooping his niece from her father’s arms and bringing her close to his chest. She lay still in his arms, staring up at him as if she wasn’t sure what to make of him. But Ransom knew exactly what to make of her. She was adorable. The prettiest baby he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Wow,” was all he could manage to say.

“Yeah.”

He and Rebel stood there, each holding a baby in their arms, letting the silence speak for itself. Everything in the world came down to that single moment—two brothers, identical in image and temperament, who didn’t need a bunch of frilly words to understand each other. They just knew. It wasn’t about the past anymore. It was about forgiveness. It was about the future, about family, and about all the memories still waiting to be made.

***

WHILE RANSOM WAS IN the shower, Dani took a moment to herself to unwind. It had been a long day. Not just because she had an overflow of accounts to go over, but because she was still thinking about her lunch with Seraphim.

Ransom’s mom was really nice. Much more than she expected her to be. Frankly, when she’d met her at the party at the Scott house, she’d been a little intimidated. Seraphim had a very powerful personality. But Dani knew from their meeting that anything she had to say, it came from a good place.

It explained why Ransom had turned out to be such a good man.

Dani was so proud of him for confronting his problems with his brother head-on. That he had gone to tell him about his and Dani’s relationship and put the issue of Josephine to bed was a welcome relief.

Dani could finally relax and feel secure in what they were building rather than worry that his past would come back to haunt them later.

“I like the dress,” Ransom called from the bedroom.

Dani smiled to herself, thinking of the knee-length, black and white, sleeveless chiffon dress with pleated two-tone skirt that had fit her so perfectly, she’d had to force herself not to wear it home. As soon as he’d stepped into the shower, she’d laid it out on the bed for him to find, crossing her fingers he found it as amazing as she did.

“It looks even better on,” she returned.

Coming into the living room, Ransom rubbed a towel over his hair, his freshly showered torso naked from the waist up.

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” he said with a devilish smirk, “right before I tear it off you.”

“You harm that dress in any way, and you’ll have hell to pay, mister,” she promised him. “You have no idea how hard it is to find a dress that perfect.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Flopping down on the couch beside her, he practically melted into the fabric. Slapping his hand down on her knee, he asked, “So how was your day, sweetheart?”

She grinned at his playful delivery. “Surprisingly nice. It’s too bad you were too chicken to join your mother and me for lunch though. She is a wonderful storyteller.”

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What did she say about me?”

“My, my, someone has a guilty conscience. Worried she might have told me some deep, dark secrets?” Her smile grew, turning into a full-on grin. Feeling mischievous, she decided to share a bit more. “Like the time you begged your parents to grant you permission to marry your first grade teacher?”

He groaned, dropping his head back against the sofa. “God, does she have to tell
everyone
that story?”

“I knew you were a closet romantic,” Dani said, sidling closer and walking her fingertips up his chest. “Oh, and do you know what my favorite story was?”

“No,” he grumbled, closing his eyes and refusing to look at her.

She couldn’t help herself. She pressed on, dying on the inside from the need to laugh. “The time when your mom and dad took you and Rebel to the park for the afternoon, and when it was time to leave, you threw a huge fit. Do you remember?” She poked him in the side and continued, ignoring his long, drawn-out growl. “And by the time you reached the parking lot, your dad was practically dragging you, kicking and screaming like a little monster. But then, before he could get you in the car”—she choked on a bout of laughter—“you…you pulled down his pants…b-but it was laundry day an-and he wasn’t wearing any underwear!”

Consumed by a rolling fit of giggles, Dani collapsed against his chest, squeezing Ransom’s stiff body. He was pretending to be irritated, but she knew by the way his stomach muscles contracted and how hard he worked to control his breathing that he was holding on by a thread.