Marrying the Millionaire (34 page)

UTTER MISERY LURKED INSIDE RICHMOND as
he stood over his father’s hospital bed, surrounded by his family.
Unconscious, all these tubes were hooked up to Russell’s body. He
had no clue how to read the vitals machine over Russell’s bed. The
way the big tube sticking from his mouth rocked Russell’s chest
made Richmond want to leave the cold room.

His mother, Leslie, wiped her eyes
with the tissue in her hand. “I know we argue all the time, but I
don’t hate Russell. In a weird kind of way, I love him.”

Suade patted Leslie’s back. “Mom, we
know you love Dad. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have him over for
dinner every Sunday.”

Leslie cupped Russell’s hand and
squeezed. “Russell. It’s me, Leslie. God is in control of this
situation. He’s going to pull you through. When you wake up, you’re
going to be a brand new man. A better man. A stronger
man.”

Refusing to cry, Richmond’s eyes
burned. For his mother to have the heart to forgive Russell after
all the horrible things he’d done to her, she was a strong,
remarkable woman. And he had a woman just like his mother—Kay. “I’m
so proud of you, Mom.”

Tears came into her eyes.
“Why?”

“
You don’t even realize it.
Your ability to forgive Dad is what has kept this family together
for all these years.”

Pursing her lips together, Leslie’s
head tilted. “Your dad may not make the best decisions all the
time. And Lord knows he’s selfish, and sometimes he can be
ruthless, but he really does have a good heart. Sometimes he makes
the wrong decisions, but in his mind it’s for the right
reasons.”

“
Do you think he’s going to
pull through?” Suade asked his mother.

Sniffing, Leslie released a light
laugh. “Of course he will. Russell Spaulding is too darn stubborn
to die.”

Richmond’s baby brother, Dirk, emerged
inside the room. “How’s Dad?” Sorrow laced his deep
voice.

“
Dirk,” his mother said on
a sob. She held out her arms. “How’s my baby doing?” Dirk stalked
up to Leslie, threw his arms around her shoulders, and broke down.
“Ah, Dirk. Don’t cry. Your father is going to be just
fi—”

Russell’s body jerked. His eyes flew
open. His hands gripped the thick tube inside his mouth, and he
yanked it out. “Di…dir…” Sounding like he was trying to mutter
Dirk’s name, Russell’s words trailed off. The vitals machine
bleeped. The green numbers on the machine blinked
sporadically.

“
Oh Lord! Somebody get the
doctor!” Leslie shouted.

With his heart beating rapidly inside
his chest, Richmond fled from the room and ran down the hallway.
Running toward the nurse’s station, a flock of doctors and nurses
ran past him and directly into his father’s room. Out of breath, he
leaned his back up against the wall and hoped for the
best.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, RICHMOND DROVE
his Range Rover up the length of his driveway and grimaced at the
huge oak lying on top of his home. The way the sun shined brightly
this morning, you’d never think a hail storm had come through town
last night the way it had.

Sitting in the passenger seat beside
him, Dirk gave him a strange look. “Thank God no one got hurt. The
tree is literally inside your living room.”

“
Told you it was
bad.”

“
Bad ain’t the word.
Catastrophic is more like it, Bro.”

“
Come on inside so you can
meet Kay.”

A broad smile moved on Dirk’s face.
“She must be something else to get you to renovate the beach house
just for her. I must admit, I’m going to miss hanging out in your
man cave whenever I come home to visit. The women love it when I
take them there.” Chuckling, Dirk climbed out of the
car.

As the two men strode up the driveway,
Richmond slapped Dirk on the back. “So who are you dating
now?”

Dirk gave his head a hard shake, with
a light chuckle. “You know me. I have too many women too count.
That settling down mess is for you, not for me.”

Richmond threw back his head and let
laughter escape him. “When you find the right woman, you’ll be
ready to settle down.”

“
I’m never settling down.
You’d best believe that.”

Richmond and Dirk hiked up the steps
of the porch, then entered the house. The fragrance of freshly
baked cinnamon rolls sailed up Richmond’s nostrils as he rounded
the kitchen to find a pretty young lady along with Kayla sitting at
his dining table.

As soon as Richmond’s eyes linked with
Kayla’s, she jumped up from the chair, ran up to him, and threw her
arms around his shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re home.” Curling her
hands around his arms, she pried herself away from him. “How’s
Russell?”

“
He’s doing remarkably
good,” Richmond remarked.

Putting her hand over her chest, Kayla
sighed. “Thank God. I was worried sick about him.”

“
The doctors said if he
keeps improving, he’ll be out the hospital in a few
days.”

“
Did you ever find out who
was with him before he collapsed?” Kayla questioned.

“
No, but I plan
to.”

Richmond’s eyes transferred to the
pretty woman sitting at the table inside his kitchen. “Who’s this
pretty young lady?”

Kayla’s mouth went to smiling. “Oh,
this is my sister, Alana.” Alana rose from her chair and walked
over to where Richmond, Kayla, and Dirk stood. Kayla eyed his
brother. “You must be Dirk…Richmond’s brother.”

“
Yes, I’m Dirk. Nice
meeting you both.” Dirk shook both of the ladies’ hands. Suddenly,
his lips lifted into a handsome smile. “I see why you’re moving in
with her. My gracious, she’s as pretty as you, Mom, and Suade said.
Are you a model?” he asked Kayla.

Kayla blushed. “No, far from
it.”

“
Well, as beautiful as you
are, you should be.” Dirk transferred his gaze to Alana. “What
about you? Are you into modeling?”

Alana’s cheeks turned red. Blushing,
she touched her chest. “Who, me? No. I’m finishing up my last year
in college.”

“
Oh yeah. Me, too. What are
you studying?”

“
Fashion.”

“
I’m studying
photography.”

Electrical sparks ignited between Dirk
and Alana as they got wrapped up in their own
conversation.

“
Uncle Dirk!” Isabelle
shouted, running up to Dirk.

Dirk crouched, spread his arms wide,
and gave Isabelle a big hug. Just then, CJ entered the room. “Your
name must be CJ.” The tip of CJ’s finger rested on his lip, and he
nodded. “Come and give your Uncle Dirk a hug.” CJ ran and gave Dirk
a big hug. “Nice family you have here, Richmond.” Dirk rose to his
feet. “Would you guys like to play hide and seek?”

“
Yeah!” Isabelle and CJ
responded synchronously.

“
Well, go get your shoes
and meet me in the back yard. You can come, too,” Dirk said to
Alana. That was just like Dirk; youthful, and playful.

A smile moved onto Alana’s face.
Richmond saw her eyes twinkle, too. “Okay. Let’s go.”

The crew left the kitchen, leaving
Richmond and Kayla alone. “Are you hungry? I can whip up some eggs
and bacon. The cinnamon rolls just came out of the oven. I
have—”

“
I’m hungry, but not for
food.” Richmond’s firm lips covered hers. Sliding his tongue inside
her mouth, he wrapped his arms around her waist. As their kiss
deepened, passion radiated inside him. Eager to make love to Kay,
his shaft hardened.

His father’s heart attack had reminded
him about how short life was. Made him see that the most important
thing in life was family. Unable to imagine his life without Kay,
he wanted her to become a permanent part of his family. As soon as
he got the roof fixed, he was going shopping for Kay a wedding
ring, and he was going to ask her to marry him.

Sexually aroused, Richmond’s rod
throbbed against his zipper. His mouth gliding over Kayla’s, he
released her sweet lips. He cupped her neck and pulled it forward.
“My father’s heart attack made me see things clearer. I love you,
Kay. I want you and CJ to be a part of my life—forever.”

“
I want that, too,
Richmond. There’s something I need to tell you. Can we go inside
the bedroom and talk?”

“
Let’s get married, Kay.”
Richmond’s hands traveled up to her face, where he cupped her
brownish-red cheeks. Her glassy eyes filled with joy. Her brown,
soft lips quivered. “Are you on board, Kay? Will you do me the
honor and become my wife?”

Smiling, Kay’s head nodded profusely
in his hands. “Yes. Yes, Richmond. I’d be honored to marry
you.”

“
Let’s do it by
Christmas.”

Tears settled on her long eyelashes.
“That’s quick. That’s only in a few weeks.”

“
I know. But with all the
money I have, I can hire the best wedding planner. Two if you need
me to. Three. I can hire all the help you need to make it happen by
Christmas.”

“
A Christmas wedding sounds
perfect.”

Richmond jerked Kay off her feet,
carried her to the bedroom, and locked the door. Cradling her in
his arms, he dropped her on the bed and made deep, passionate love
to his soon-to-be wife.

ALANA’S COMPLEXION GLOWED AS SHE sat
across the kitchen table from Kayla at her home on the other side
of town. “I’m telling you, Sis. I’ve never had chemistry this quick
with any guy before. Dirk is so smooth and charismatic. If Richmond
is anything like his brother, Dirk, I can see why you agreed to
marry him.” As Alana went on and on about how much she liked Dirk,
a red tint colored her smiling cheeks.

Bewildered, Kayla picked up her cup of
lemony tea and took a sip. Richmond had given her the day off so
she could plan their wedding, but now as she sat across the table
from her sister, she decided she wasn’t going to marry him. At
least not until she told him the truth about her
grandfather.

Pondering over her sudden decision,
the warm liquid glided down Kayla’s throat. “I’m not going to marry
Richmond just yet.” Watching the surprise expression develop on
Alana’s golden brown face, she lowered her mug to the
table.

Clasping her fingers, Alana leaned
into the table. “Please tell me you’re playing, Sis?”

A hard knot twisted Kayla’s stomach.
“No, Alana. I’m dead serious.”

Her sister’s mouth dropped open. “Have
you lost your mind?!”

“
No. There’s something I
have to tell you. I should’ve told you a long time ago, but I
didn’t want to upset you.”

“
I don’t like the look on
your face. You’re scaring me, Sis.”

Propping her elbows up on the table,
Kayla’s lids slipped down over her eyes, then lifted. “If what I’m
about to tell you is true…we both should be scared.”

With despair clinging to her face,
Alana propped her elbow up on the table, fisted her cheek, and took
a deep swallow. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

“
A while back, while
cleaning out Granddaddy’s closet, I found a safe. There was a
picture of Salina and a syringe inside the safe. Well, as you
already know, Granddaddy used to make house doctor
visits.”

“
Yeah. And…”

“
And I think
he—”

Alana interjected, “Please don’t say
it, Kay. Please don’t tell me. I don’t want to hear it.” Alana
hopped up from her seat and hurried over to the kitchen sink.
Glaring out the window, she covered her ears.

Kayla’s heart broke for both her and
Alana as she walked up behind her. Placing a gentle hand to Alana’s
shoulder, she gestured for her to turn around. “I think Granddaddy
made a house visit with Salina while she was sick, and killed her.”
Tears poured from Kayla’s eyes. “Knowing that our grandfather
murdered her, I can’t marry Richmond. I love him too much to betray
him and keep a secret like this from him. It’s been eating me up on
the inside.” Kayla’s hands swiped at her tears.

Alana tore a paper towel from the
roller and handed it to Kayla. “Oh, Sis. Don’t cry. Just tell
Richmond the truth and let him decide if he wants to still get
married or not.”