My Stallion Heart (The Stallions Book 7) (5 page)

Travis laughed. “I understand, man. I understand completely!”

Chapter 5

J
ohn Stallion stood alone in the small conference room of the luxury hotel. Marah had gone to the banquet room to ensure everything was in place for the family meal. He was deep in thought when his brother Mark came through the door.

John nodded his head in greeting. “Are they here yet?”

“No. I don’t think so,” Mark answered. “Matthew is waiting in the lobby for them. Michelle and Katrina took the kids to the dining room.”

“Where’s Luke?”

“Late.”

John chuckled softly. “At least he’s consistent.”

“You know how Luke does. Besides, I think he’s feeling some kind of way about all this.”

John met Mark’s raised eyebrows. “Some kind of way how?”

Mark shrugged his broad shoulders. “First Phaedra showing up on our doorstep announcing she’s our father’s love child and now a dead aunt and cousins...” His voice trailed as he shrugged a second time.

John took a deep breath. “They are our family. We’re going to embrace and love them. It’s what Mom and Dad would have wanted from us.”

“I get it but still, it’s a lot to swallow. I’m starting to feel like we’re caught up in a scripted entertainment series and someone’s just waiting to drop another shoe to see if we’ll jump.”

John laughed. “That’s a little much, Mark. A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“Maybe, but it all used to make sense. We were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Stallion. We knew our lane and we stayed in it. It worked for us and with you at the helm we built an empire together. We have this legacy we’re going to be able to pass down to our children and now, suddenly, our inner Stallion circle isn’t just ours anymore. It’s just a lot to take.”

“Sounds like you’re the one who’s feeling some kind of way.”

Mark’s broad shoulders pushed up. “Maybe. Maybe I am.”

John nodded. He reflected on his brother briefly as Mark dropped into his own thoughts. When he finally spoke his tone was low and even. “You and Luke are both entitled to feel however you want. Just remember one thing. Noah and his family have to be feeling some kind of way, as well. So don’t make the mistake you made when we found out about Phaedra being our sister. You put a lot of distance between you and her and it took some time for you to give her a chance. You missed out on a lot of love but when you finally allowed yourself to open up, it turned out to be the best thing for you both.”

Before Mark could answer, the conference room door swung open. John turned just as his own likeness stepped through the entrance. A wide smile pulled at his full lips.

The Stallion bloodline ran deep. Noah Stallion stood tall, his build almost identical to Mark’s, his features a reflection of John’s. He had the same rugged good looks of all the brothers, their chiseled features and haunting eyes. His complexion was a warm caramel brown, not the more-cream-than-coffee skin tone of their cousin Travis, or the Hershey’s dark chocolate of John and his brothers.

Nathaniel and Nicholas Stallion and their two sisters, Naomi and Natalie, followed on his heels. Travis eased into the room behind them. There was no mistaking the Stallion family resemblance, all of them looking as if they belonged one to the other

Noah greeted him with a wide smile of his own, his hand extended. “You must be John,” he said.

John nodded. “I am. And this is my brother Mark.”

“Nice to meet you, Mark.”

There were handshakes and hugs exchanged as the two families introduced themselves. Luke, Phaedra and Matthew joined the commotion before everyone had made their way around the room. Then there was silence, nervous energy flowing through the space with a vengeance as they all stood staring at one another.

“Why don’t we sit down,” John said, breaking through the quiet that filled the air.

“Did you all come alone?” Naomi questioned, looking across the table at the four brothers, the cousin named Travis and Phaedra, the only female in the group.

John shook his head. “No, our families are here. We arranged for banquet space for dinner and I thought it would be a lot less chaotic if we had a chance to talk first.”

“What about your families?” Phaedra questioned, looking from Naomi to Natalie.

“None of us are married,” Naomi answered. “Well, Nathaniel’s almost married.”

“Like hell I am!” Nathaniel exclaimed.

The men all laughed.

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Mark teased.

“Someone’s going to write it one day,” Naomi commented. “And I plan to give them the low-down filthy dirt to make it a best seller.”

Nathaniel rolled his eyes skyward. “Forgive my sister. She actually thinks we all want her up in our business.”

Mark snapped his fingers. “We’ve got one of those!” he said, gesturing with his thumb toward Phaedra.

“Yes, you do,” Phaedra said, her tone unapologetic. “And you love it.”

Naomi nodded in agreement. Natalie giggled as silence drifted back between them.

John broke through the quiet as he changed the subject. “We were all very sorry to hear about your mother passing.”

Noah nodded. “We appreciate that. Our mother was...well...” He shrugged.

“I think what my brother is trying to say is that our being here, like this, now, speaks volumes about the woman our mother was,” Natalie interjected. “We grew up believing she didn’t have any family.”

Travis nodded. “We’re just as surprised as you guys are.”

“I don’t ever remember my father or Travis’s dad mentioning that they had a sister,” John added.

“From what I’ve been able to piece together,” Travis added, “your mother left when she was fifteen, maybe sixteen years old. She was very young. My dad would have been two so that meant Uncle James was three, maybe four. They may have been just too young to have any memories of her.”

“I wish we’d had an opportunity to meet them,” Natalie said.

“My father died from a brain aneurysm when I was five,” Travis noted. “I lost my mother a few years ago from breast cancer.”

John nodded. “We were young when our parents passed. It was a car accident. I was seventeen and Luke was barely out of diapers.”

“I was out of diapers,” Luke interjected as he tossed his brother a look before continuing. “John stepped in and became our father then.”

“And I never got the chance to meet our father,” Phaedra said. She took a deep breath. “I grew up in New Orleans with my mother and my brothers were raised in Dallas.”

Natalie smiled. “Looks like we have more in common than we thought. We never knew our father, either. Noah was the law in our house.”

“You didn’t know him at all?” Phaedra asked, shifting forward in her seat.

“Papa was a rolling stone,” Naomi said softly. She threw a look at her brothers, then Natalie.

“We knew him but he didn’t want to know us,” Nathaniel said, a hint of bitterness in his tone. “He’s actually still alive. He lives here in Salt Lake City with his wife and family.”

“But Norris-Jean loved us enough for him and her,” Nicholas countered. “She wasn’t very traditional about it but it was love.”

Matthew smiled. “Well, we’re happy that we can be here to support you and to celebrate her life. We regret that we never met her but we look forward to learning about her through you.”

Noah nodded. “Thank you. So what do you all do?” he asked, curious to know more about his new cousins.

“I know John’s the CEO of Stallion Enterprises,” Naomi interjected. “I did a Google search for you.”

John laughed. “That I am, and my brothers all work for the company. Matthew is an attorney and heads our legal department. Luke manages our acquisitions division and Mark...well, Mark likes to spend our money on anything that goes hard and fast.”

Mark nodded. “Yep, I do. I do.”

“I had money on you in the last Moto Grand Prix,” Nicholas said. “If I’d only known then that we were related!”

The family laughed.

“I’m the only one that doesn’t work for the family business,” Phaedra said. “I’m a professional photographer. So I couldn’t help but recognize you, Natalie. I have a really good friend who shot the Dior collection last year. Your images were stunning!”

Natalie blushed. “Thank you. So you know Hopper?”

Phaedra nodded. “He and I go way back.”

“It’s a small world,” Natalie said. “He’s one of my favorite photographers to work with.”

“So you’re a fashion model?” Luke questioned.

“I am. I’m based in London. This is actually the first time I’ve been home since...” she paused momentarily “...well, in a long time.”

Noah reached out and squeezed his sister’s hand, stalling the tears that had risen in her eyes.

Luke smiled, a wave of understanding washing over his expression. “My wife Joanne is a fashion designer. She’s the brain trust behind JLD. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them.”

“Joanne Lake Designs!” Natalie said. “I’ve been wanting to do a piece on her and her clothes for my fashion blog,
Pretty, Pretty
. She’s showing her new fall line at New York fashion week this year, isn’t she?”

Luke nodded. “She is.”

“My brother-in-law’s in the fashion business, as well,” Travis said. “I couldn’t tell you what he does, but you’ll get to meet him a little later.”

“What about you guys?” Matthew questioned, looking from one face to the other.

“I’m just in law enforcement,” Noah answered.

“He’s not
just
in law enforcement,” Naomi interjected. “Noah is the lead detective in the Salt Lake City police department’s criminal investigations unit.”

“That’s impressive,” John said, everyone nodding in agreement.

“And I play ball,” Nicholas said. “Professional football.”

“Hot damn!” Mark said, jumping to his feet. He pointed his index finger at the man. “I know who you are. You played college ball at Auburn. You were an All American and you won the Heisman your sophomore year. If I remember correctly your first Iron Bowl game against Alabama you went twenty-five for twenty-seven for 356 yards and four touchdowns! You were ranked one of the nation’s top-rated passers and went number three in the NFL draft. The Raiders picked you to be their go-to guy to fix their losing streak, then never gave you the ball!”

Nick laughed. “Well, Douglas just retired so that’s about to change.”

“About damn time!” Mark said excitedly as he sat back down. “I am getting my season tickets before I go to bed tonight!”

“Do you get to the West Coast often?” Nathaniel asked.

John chuckled. “Mark goes wherever there’s a game or a race. If it’s moving fast or hard he wants to ride it or watch it.”

There was a round of laughter.

“So what do you do, Nathaniel?” Luke asked.

“I’m an orthopedic surgeon. I specialize in sports medicine.”

“Your own personal team doctor! I like that,” Matthew said with a nod at the two brothers.

“I like it, too!” Nicholas said.

“You would,” Nathaniel responded, rolling his eyes at his brother.

Natalie smiled as she turned to stare at the two of them. A tear dripped past her lashes as she suddenly realized just how much she’d missed her family. She took a deep breath and held it, fighting to stall any other water that threatened to rain down her cheeks.

John gave her a warm smile. “I’m sure your mother was very proud of each of you and of your accomplishments. Noah told me that you had some struggles growing up but it sounds like you’ve all done very well for yourselves.”

Noah nodded. “Just like you, we had each other. We made it work for us.” He gave each of his siblings a look, pride gleaming in his dark eyes.

“Why don’t we head down to dinner so you can meet the rest of the family,” Matthew said. “I imagine we’re going to have a lifetime to catch up and get to know each other.”

Noah wrapped his arms around his sisters’ shoulders. “We like the sound of that, cousin. We really do.”

* * *

The laughter ringing through the room was thick and full as the Stallion family dined in the hotel’s banquet room. The menu was a smorgasbord of everyone’s favorites and it was served family-style, large platters of entrees and sides for them to enjoy. The abundance of food was rivaled only by the abundance of love that filled the space.

Natalie laughed until her sides hurt as she and her siblings recalled the antics of their mother, sharing stories from their past. They were enthralled as John and Travis spoke lovingly about their fathers, the uncles Natalie and her siblings had never met. There was an air of sadness that passed between them as they thought about the men who would probably have been excellent role models for them to emulate, if only their mother had not closed herself and her children off from them. As Natalie sat there in reflection, studying the smiles and laughter around the table, an air of melancholy washed over her spirit. She blew a deep sigh.

Her thoughts were interrupted by two cherubs suddenly standing at her knee, eyeing her curiously. Both little girls were wide-eyed and red cheeked, bouncing with energy as they rested for the first time since entering the room. Natalie smiled brightly. “Hello!” she chimed softly. “What are your names?”

The older child tilted her head slightly. Her gaze was wary as she pondered whether or not she was going to speak. Her father’s booming voice caught her attention.

“Aunt Natalie is speaking to you, Irene. She asked you what your name is,” Mark commanded.

The five-year-old tossed her father a quick look before turning her gaze back on Natalie. “I like dat,” she said, pointing at the strand of pearls around Natalie’s neck.

“Thank you,” Natalie said, her hand brushing against the necklace.

“You have pretty jew’ry!” Irene exclaimed as she played with the bangles around Natalie’s wrist. Irene’s companion played with the gold bracelets on her other hand.

Natalie smiled. “So are you going to tell me your name?” she questioned a second time.

The youngest munchkin giggled softly. “My name Gabi!” she exclaimed excitedly. “My name Gabi Stallion,” she repeated, emphasizing her last name.

John laughed, his face glowing with pride. “That one belongs to me and Marah. She’s been practicing her name for weeks now and has finally gotten it down.”