Double Trouble (29 page)

“What?”

He looked at her with a raised brow. “Huh?”

“Chucky told you what? That I lost my job?” Surely she misunderstood.

“He got the detective’s report, told me that you were homeless, down on your luck with two boys, and that I needed to bring you home so you’d have a place to live. I was sick then, but not as bad as when you got here, and agreed. I figured I’d help you out and repay you for the way you were treated.”

“He lied.”

Her father’s brow rose as he moved in the bed to gaze up at her. “What?”

“I have a college degree, worked in Social Services as a counselor, had a home, and career. He told me there was no one to take care of you and if I didn’t come, you’d be put in a home. Basically he said I owed it to you since I had been MIA all these years and that he’d taken care of mom, but couldn’t put his life on hold again. He called me every day for a week until I agreed. Supposedly you were too sick to talk. I even spoke to a doctor who confirmed what he said.”

“Oh hell, what a total dick.”

She nodded, stunned at the magnitude of her brother’s meddling. “I took a loss on the sale of my house, snatched my kids out of a school they enjoyed and a community they loved and moved up here where you have real winters.”

Mentally she tallied the impact her brother’s lie had on her life and wanted to scream. “When I arrived months ago, you looked as sick as he said, so I never questioned it.” She went over everything that had happened to this point and couldn’t see how she could’ve done anything differently. Her father had been sick, was in constant pain, and couldn’t talk much. She'd thought he was dying. Hell, her dad even thought he was dying. It was only when she questioned a different doctor that she discovered the risky surgery available. Thank goodness he had great health insurance.

“My back problem was progressive. I think when you got here I was out of it most of the time because of the pain. I don’t remember much, how long have you been here? Two, three months?”

Unable to speak, she nodded. She had given up everything and moved. The one time she had come to see her dad before deciding to move, he’d appeared comatose the entire weekend. There had been an older woman at the house, but she had assumed the woman was his nurse since she answered every question Belinda had.

“I am so sorry. I never meant for you to uproot your life for me. I don’t deserve it. It seems Ricca and her devil child got a measure of revenge.” He chuckled. “But we’ll turn the tables on them. We’ll just make lemonade from their basket of lemons.”

Still unable to believe she had been duped in such a large way, she simply stared at him.

“First, I’m going to live. That alone will piss both of them off. I’ll repay the lost equity in your home and reimburse all of your expenses to date.” He paused. “Are you paying out of pocket for the round the clock care?” he asked in a stern tone.

She nodded. “For after the surgery.”

He nodded. “Thank you, I really appreciate it. But my insurance should cover that, plus I have a few supplemental policies that pay me every day I am in this bed. You’re young, beautiful and successful, that’s probably why he pulled this to set you back. Whatever you want to do, I’ll foot the bill. I owe you more than I can ever repay, but I’m willing to try.”

She shook her head at the irony. Blaine and Donnie said something similar at the restaurant. “Thanks, I’m good.” She looked at him critically. He sounded tired but he looked better. “You sure you’re going to be alright? I mean you were drugged everyday for the three months I’ve been here.”

“According to the nurses and doctor the surgery was a success. Yesterday was the first time in a long time I could think clear enough to ask how you’re doing or to thank you for being here for me.”

Exhaling, she struggled to smile. “That’s what family does, Daddy. We come to make sure you’re okay and to help wherever we can,” she said, thinking of the O’Connor clan.

“Hmphh, not our family. Hopefully you can instill those values into my grandsons. If you’re still speaking to me and want anything to do with me after airing my dirt, I’d like to hear what you’ve been doing and all about my grandsons. They mixed?”

She laughed and settled back in the chair to get comfortable. “Yes they’re mixed. But I’m going to start at the beginning and try to keep you from falling asleep.”

He laughed and reached for her hand again. She squeezed it as she took it. “I met Blaine and Donnie the summer before I was supposed to go to college…”

Chapter 24

Belinda sat at the large dining room table waiting for everyone to come to dinner. Giddy with pleasure that she was the first to arrive, she took the middle seat she’d claimed as hers. Exhaling, she gazed around at the masculine space filled with heavy wood, mentally adding touches that would soften the starkness of the room. This morning she'd finally finished setting up her own room. Thinking of her large suite brought a smile to her lips. The huge step-down Jacuzzi tub in the massive bathroom was her newest guilty pleasure. She imagined playing with her twins in the frothy water and shivered in anticipation. Last night she had slept with Blaine in his room. Maybe tonight she’d invite both men to hers. She bit back a moan imagining the things they would do in the tub.

Shay walked into the dining room carrying a large platter. Belinda knew better than to offer to help. Within the past month that she’d been living with her twins, Shay had made it clear she loved to serve and shot down all Belinda’s offers of assistance.

“Something smells good, Shay.” She leaned forward inhaling the tantalizing aromas escaping from the covered platter.

Shay beamed as she placed it in the center of the table. “It’s a pot roast, falling apart it’s so tender.”

“I bet,” Belinda said as her stomach grumbled in response. “Everyone should be here by the time you finish putting the food out.”

“Yes’m.”

Belinda sighed and let it go. Shay had refused to call her by her first name or become her buddy. She thrived in her position of housekeeper, loving the additional people to cook for and take care of. Abe and Adam enjoyed sitting in the kitchen waiting for something she baked to come out of the oven. Within a few moments all the food was on the table waiting for everyone to gather for their evening meal.

Belinda had spent a lot of time talking with every person who served here. Blaine teased that her years working in social services compelled her to make sure everyone truly wanted to live the way she’d been told. And to a point he was correct. It boggled her mind that anyone would want to live as a servant. She knew it was a way of life a few centuries ago, but why would anyone want to live that way now. After meeting Shay, and then talking with Cameron and Drina and Taurus, she had nothing more to say. Each of them was candid about why they lived with the twins and had been terrified that she’d make them all leave. Once she assured them that was not the case, they eventually loosened up and talked freely.

Blaine was the first one to show up. He pulled her close and kissed her long and hard before he spoke a word. After kissing her senseless, he held her loosely in his arms, running his palm up and down her arm. “You have a good day?” he asked as he took the seat on her right.

“Yeah. It was productive at least. My room’s unpacked. I finished all my applications for grad school, so now I just have to wait and see.”

He nodded as Abe and Adam strode in and took the seats in front of them. “Hi Mom, Dad,” Adam said.

“Hi Mom, Uncle Blaine,” Abe said before Blaine could respond to Adam.

Belinda waved, pleased to see her sons happy. When she'd arrived at the house, her sons had asked her if they could all sit together for at least one meal like a real family. Pleased that they were working together to make the transition from a single parent household to … well, whatever they had now, she'd readily agreed. Because of work and school, dinner became the designated family time meal. Her sons never missed one.

“Hi son, Abe. Did you go swimming today?” There was a large heated pool in the basement not far from the dungeon. Donnie and Blaine had taken her inside their play space a few times, showing her how the equipment worked. She demanded the doors be locked at all times so the boys didn’t go exploring.

“Yes, for about an hour, and then Cameron drove us into town to the movies,” Adam said.

Blaine nodded. “After dinner, go back down there and clean up behind yourselves. You make a mess, you clean it. Those are the rules.”

Adam nodded.

“Okay. Mom did you get a card from granddaddy?” Abe asked as Donnie came to the table.

“Yeah.” She lifted her face to receive Donnie’s kiss before answering Abe’s question. It was only a chaste kiss out of respect for their sons, but it still sizzled against her skin. When she could see straight and Donnie sat on her left, she spoke. “He and Minnie are planning to spend Christmas with us this year. His therapy is going well and he can walk short distances with the use of a walker.”

“He is always welcome here,” Blaine said with feeling. “I appreciate him getting you on the plane to Pennsylvania as fast as he did.”

Once she had finished telling her daddy everything that had happened to her over the years, he cried. His tears triggered hers. He begged her forgiveness for not reaching out during the two years since her mom had died. Together they tramped through memories good and bad. By the time Blaine and Donnie returned with the boys, her father had made up his mind that her place was with both sets of twins in Pennsylvania. He wanted her to pack and leave immediately, and only stopped pushing when she refused to leave him with the hired help. It was her promise to join her men when his girlfriend returned that set everything in motion.

Two weeks later Minnie returned from England. Pam threw her a small luncheon with Vianca, Denise, and Cherise. Through all the teasing about her handling two men was a real sense of joy that she would be with the men who loved her. Plus, Julio had given a large construction contract to Red’s construction company that put the company over the top in the area. She and Pam promised to keep in touch and had already made plans for visits.

“Yeah well, he is looking forward to spending some quality time here over the holidays,” she warned so they’d be prepared for his extended stay.

“Is grandma and pops coming this weekend?” Adam asked, referring to Blaine’s parents. Since he was the only person who had officially forgiven his Grandfather O’Connor, she didn’t snap at him.

“I don’t know,” Blaine said. “Mum is dealing with Roark’s christening and hasn’t talked about much else.”

Belinda had spoken to Roark and his wife, Brenda a couple of times. They'd welcomed her into the family and invited her to the christening. She planned to go but hadn’t told the twins yet. The three of them planned to discuss how they’d deal with the elder O’Connor. If Belinda could forgive her father for all he didn’t do, she knew she’d forgive Blaine’s dad. They may never be close, but she knew her men were close to their parents and this separation wasn’t healthy for any of them.

“The christening’s next month,” Abe said, extending his hand to his dad and Adam.

“I heard from Duncan,” Adam said, looking around the table.

“Duncan? Who’s that?” Blaine asked, holding her hand and Adam’s.

“The guy from the ranch who passed you the note about the basement. He friended me online and gave me a link to an article about Ms. Trinity.”

Belinda stared across the table at her son. “What did it say?” She hadn’t heard anything from Veronique about the case or the bill.

“They closed down both ranches, something to do with having kids in custody without paperwork. I wasn’t the only kid she'd held without documentation. All the teens were reassigned to other places and she’s in jail or parole for a couple of years. ” He scratched his head. “I can’t remember which.”

Belinda bit back a smile. “God don’t like ugly.”

“Like Chucky?” Donnie said just as she thought they’d say grace.

“He wrote you again?” she asked. Her dad had sent Chucky a long letter ripping him apart over his deceit and ended the letter with a thank you. He thanked her brother for re-uniting him and his only child, thanked him for bringing joy into his life through his grandsons, and for his part in reconnecting his only child to her long ago lovers, Blaine and Donnie. Ironically, her brother never contacted her again, however he'd contacted Donnie about a job he was trying to get in Pittsburgh with a large law firm. When Donnie never responded, and Chucky didn’t get the job, he blamed Donnie.

“Yeah, more threats to sue me.” Donnie shrugged. “I hope he does. Adam, go ahead.”

With hands held, Adam blessed the food, and thanked God for their family circle. When they finished, Belinda watched as dishes were passed, conversations surrounded her, and genuine warmth filled her heart.

Both Donnie and Blaine had asked her to marry him and she'd agreed to both. In a couple months they’d have a hand-fasting ceremony and be joined in marriage. Pennsylvania and the rest of the world may not recognize their heart bonds, but the people sitting at this table would, and they meant the world to her.

<<<< The End>>>>

Erosa Knowles