B00CQUPUKW EBOK (20 page)

“Are you telling me that if you knew that I had custody of the children, you would not have told Jason that you would remain in Granite Falls?  That you would have packed your bags right after you heard the news and returned to Florida, forgetting that they even exist?  Is that what you’re telling me, Kaya Brehna?”

“No!  I’m not saying that.  I love them.  I would do anything for them.  But I don’t have the right to them anymore.  You do, Bryce.  You have the power to kick me out of their lives if you want to.”

“And you think I want to kick you out of their lives?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t know anything anymore,” she rasped on a ragged breath.  “I don’t know who to trust.”

Kaya shot out of her chair and began to pace as anger twisted her guts into knots.  How could Lauren have done this to her?  How could she make her fall in love with her children and then take them away on a twist of fate?

Wasn’t it enough that she had stolen their father’s love and devotion all those years ago?  Once again, she was left with nothing.

Overcome with an amalgam of old and new hurt, Kaya dropped her face in her hands and began to weep.

She relaxed into the wall of warm flesh as Bryce’s arms closed about her.  She let him lead her over to a love seat where he sat with her tucked tightly against him.  The brush of his fingers through her hair and the gentle caress of his hands along her shoulders and back slowly eased the suffocating sensations in her throat.  He held her even after she stopped crying her pain into his chest.

Opening her eyes, she raised her head and gazed up at him.

“You can trust me,” he said, brushing her hair away from her damp forehead.

“That’s easy for you to say now you have custody.  Congratulations, Bryce.  You won. You should be happy.”

“There’s nothing to be happy about, Kaya.”

She looked around the library.  “Where’s the seedy little lawyer?”

“He broke your heart, so I threw him out.”

“You’re my hero.” 

“If you say so.”  His hands moved up and down her arms, still offering her comfort and warmth.

“What do we do now?” she asked on a shudder.

“We get married.”

Kaya couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that erupted from her throat, but it quickly died as she held Bryce’s steady and unflinching eyes.  “You’re serious.”  She tried to back out of his arms.

He drew her gently back in.  “I am serious.  We both love the kids and we both want to be part of their lives.  Can you think of a better way to bring stability and security back to them?  We are their parents now.  We can be a family.”

The images of their passion-filled moments in the library and in the playroom surfaced in Kaya’s memory.  If she married Bryce, he would expect more of the same.  As his wife, she would be obligated to meet all of his needs in the bedroom.  “Bryce, I can’t marry you.  I wouldn’t marry you.”

“Why?”

“You know why.  Your reputation with women is—” She shrugged.  “Well you know what it is.”

“Oh, so you heard.”

“Yes.  By the time you called in Guard Libby, yesterday, it was too late.  I’d already heard enough.”

“What did you hear?”  A curious smile curved his lips.

“That you love them and leave them.”

“I leave them because I don’t love them.”  His voice held no apology, no regret.

“Well, you don’t love me, either.”  With her eyes, she challenged him to refute her claim.

“I’ll never leave you,” he simply stated.

Kaya dropped her gaze to the wet spot on his shirt that her tears had left.  Marrying a man like Bryce would surely bring its share of troubles, and many reasons for her to cry in his arms more often than not.  Would he be this understanding of her feelings when she accused him of infidelity?  Would he be evasive, honest, or would he lie about his affairs?  “How can I be sure of that?” she asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer.  He could start lying right now just to get what he wanted.  He wanted the children, and he wanted her.  There was no doubt about that.

He slowly stroked a fingertip down one side of her face, hooked it under her chin, and tilted her face upward.  “I don’t abandon family, Kaya.  I take my marriage vows extremely seriously.  I will never be unfaithful to you.  I will never mistreat you, embarrass you, or cause you harm.  You can trust me to be there for you and the kids.  Always and forever.”

But don’t trust me to love you,
was the deep-seated promise Kaya read in the dark recesses of his eyes.

His phone buzzed between their joined hips.  Kaya expelled a sigh of relief when he let her go to retrieve it.

“It’s the nanny,” he said, frowning as he touched the speaker icon.  “Yes, Haley?” 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Fontaine, but Alyssa is crying for you and Miss Brehna.”

Kaya jumped to her feet, happy to put some real distance between her and Bryce.  “I’ll go check on her.”

“Ms. Brehna will be right up, and please send Jason down to the library, pronto.”  He ended the call, caught Kaya’s hand, and pulled her back down next to him.  “You haven’t given me an answer.”

Kaya licked her lips as her gaze fixed on his sexy mouth.  She was too chicken to look into his eyes.  “It wouldn’t work, Bryce.”

“We’ll make it work, simply because we’re doing it for the children.  What am I to tell Alyssa when she awakes in the middle of the night and calls for you?”

Kaya didn’t know what to say, or maybe she was just avoiding the truth, the inevitable.  It was so hard to remain coherent when so close to him.

“It’s the only way I will allow you to maintain contact with them, Kaya,” he proclaimed, dropping the other shoe.  “I’m the only man who will replace Michael in their lives.  You need to decide if you’ll be the woman who replaces Lauren.  Marrying me is the only way it will happen.”

“Do we have to decide now?  Today?”  Her hands clasped and unclasped on her lap.

He responded with a resounding, “Yes!  I will not sit around and wait for you to hook up with someone else, bring another man, or men, into their lives.”

“What makes you think I want to hook up with anyone?”

“You’re young, gorgeous, smart, sexy.  It’s only a matter of time before some poor sucker under the guise of a genuinely good man falls for you, but no matter how good he is, no other man will ever love these kids more than I do.”  He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him.  “Will you marry me?”

Kaya knew she may live to regret it, but Bryce was right.  There was not another man out there who would care for them more than he did.  Except for his brief and callous relationships with women—which he promised to abandon, and his egotistical personality—which she could curb, he was a decent man—kind, loving, thoughtful, and considerate.  He had promised never to hurt her, or leave her.  She didn’t know why, but she believed him.  

She could do worse.  Far worse.  Damn, she’d agreed to marry Jack, and he wasn’t worth the spit-up on Anastasia’s bib. 

“Okay,” she said, nodding.  “Yes.  I’ll marry you, but if you think that—” 

He cut her off by claiming her mouth.  Only this time, he ended the kiss just as quickly as he’d started, but not before he’d sent her pulses spinning.  “That’s all I want to hear.  We’ll work out the details later.  Go take care of Alyssa.”  He nudged her off the love seat and slapped her playfully on her jean-clad ass.

He thinks I’m gorgeous, smart, and sexy
, was the thought in Kaya’s head as she exited the library, walking slowly this time.  The impact of his slap on her buttock cheek caused a sweet tingling that left her craving for more.

She bit her lips in deep thought.  
You’re sexy, too, Bryce
… 

* * *

“…And because your mom died before your dad, I now have custody of you and your sisters,” Bryce said, bringing Jason up to date on yet another change in his young life.  He prayed it would be the last for a long, long while.  If he the adult was tired of the rollercoaster ride they’d been on this past week, he could only imagine how confusing it was for Jason.

It was time for stability.  That’s why he’d tricked Kaya into agreeing to marry him.  

Yes, he could admit it now.  He’d tricked her.  He would never have prevented her from seeing the children, but the thought of Kaya with another man was something he wasn’t willing to risk, not after…

“What about Aunt Kaya?” Jason asked, cutting short Bryce’s reverie.  “Is she mad?”

Bryce smiled inwardly at the trepidation in Jason’s eyes.  Jason was beginning to like her.  “She was when she heard the news.  And she was very sad, too, at the thought of losing you guys,” he added.  “Your aunt really loves you.”

“But is she going back to Florida?  She said she was going to stay, but that was when she had custody of us.  She doesn’t have to stay now.”  He dropped his gaze to his hands clenching and unclenching on his lap.

Just like Lauren and Kaya when they were nervous,
Bryce thought with a wry smile.  “No, Jase.  She isn’t going back to Florida.  She’s keeping her promise to you.”

His head shot up, and a sliver of hope flashed across his face.  “Are you moving in here with us?”

He hadn’t thought of that.  “I don’t know yet.   But there is something else I must tell you.”

“What?”

“Your aunt and I are getting married.”

Jason stared at him for a long while then asked.  “Are you getting married because of us?”

Bryce sighed and leaned back into the love seat.  He wasn’t going to lie to the boy.  His parents always answered his inquiries truthfully, and he was determined to keep that tradition going.  “Yes.  Your aunt and I care about you and your sisters.”

“Do you love her?”

So this must be how suspects felt in the interrogations room.  Bryce couldn’t remember being this uncomfortable.  Damn, sweat was running down his armpits, and it wasn’t because of the fire in the fireplace.  “No, Jason, I don’t love her, but I like her.  I like her a lot.” 

“Mommy said people should only get married for love.”

“We both love you.”  Bryce deliberately twisted his words.  “We want to provide a safe and happy home for you.  We will be true to that promise.”

“Then it’s just a MOC.”

Bryce cocked his head.  “An MOC?  What is an MOC?”

“A marriage of convenience.”

“What do you know about marriages of convenience?”

“From TV.  There’s no sex involved.”

“This conversation is over.”  Bryce shot to his feet and marched to the other side of the room.  For once, he wished Michael and Lauren had been more conservative in their conversations with their children.  He knew Michael had already given Jason the sex talk, because Jason had asked.  While the rest of the world believed that “What you don’t know
can’t
hurt you” Michael’s motto was “What you don’t know
will
hurt you”.  

“I’m sorry if I upset you, Uncle Bryce.” 

Bryce gazed over at the puppy-dog face.  He spread his arms.

Jason immediately ran to him.

Bryce hugged him close.  “I’m not upset, but there are some things about your aunt’s and my personal lives that are off limits.  You understand?” 

Jason nodded, and hooked his arms around Bryce’s waist.

Bryce looked out the window at the snowcapped mountains in the distance.  It was a gorgeous day with a bright sun, clear blue skies, and temperatures in the low to mid thirties.  Perfect for outside activities.  His eyes shifted to the Persian rug in front of the fireplace and thought that was perfect for inside activities, as well, especially because the room was soundproofed.

Bryce sighed and glanced at his watch.  It was a little past two.  He needed to get out of this room, the house, and clear his head of the evocative images of him and Kaya locked in each other’s arms last night and that epic kiss they’d shared just recently in the playroom.  He’d gotten a lot more than he’d bargained for.  What a woman!

Bryce felt a wrenching pain in his gut as he recalled the insults about Kaya Jack had hurled at him last night.  He wanted to break his face.  
Again
.  Bryce returned his gaze to the window.  He needed to blow off some steam.  And there was nothing like zipping down a mountain at over sixty miles an hour with the wind lashing his face to make him forget about everything, but being in that timeless, thrilling moment. 

“You want to go ski?” he asked Jason.

“Okay,” Jason replied immediately. 

Bryce smiled at the renewed vigor in his voice and the glow on his face.

“Go gear up, but we have to be back by the time Miss Samantha gets here to visit with you and Alyssa.”

“Why’s she coming?  I feel better.  I’m not mad at Aunt Kaya anymore.”

“I get that, but losing someone we love affects us in ways that we would never imagine otherwise.  It’s good to have someone to talk to, someone who understands what we’re going through.”

“You understand.  I can talk to you.”

“Anytime, night or day, but you should still see Miss Samantha.  She’s trained to help you deal with issues that I can’t.  Will you do that for me?  It will make
me
feel better.”

Jason flashed a thin smile.  “Okay, Uncle Bryce.  Can I try out the new skis you got me?”

“Duh.  I didn’t buy them to sit in your closet.  Let’s get going before the sun sets.”

After Jason left, Bryce remained where he was, staring off at the mountains, the place where the spirits of his friends would live on forever. 

Why did Michael and Lauren change their minds six months ago and draw up another will?  Why hadn’t they informed Steven of the changes and have him destroy the one in his possession?  

If the first will had been destroyed, Kaya would never have been brought into the equation.  As things stood, there would have been no need to call her.  She would be in sunny Florida this very moment, playing house with Jack, instead of upstairs in his home comforting a little girl who was experiencing the worst pain of her life.

Bryce trembled at the thought of never meeting Kaya.  He’d only known her for a week, yet her sweet warmth was already melting the icecaps from around his heart, making him wish for the filial joys of life he’d been robbed of.  He could have them again with the children and Kaya by his side, but Bryce knew deep down inside that it would never be enough.