Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) (12 page)

“He had a big day. I guess I can just wipe off his face and hands. One night without a bath isn’t a big deal.”

The hotel staff had already opened the fold-out couch and made up the bed so Dane laid the tired little boy on it before tugging off his Spiderman tennis shoes. They were staying in a suite that had a living room and kitchen combination in addition to the bedroom next store, not that Dane thought there would be anything sexy going on in there. Once he told Lily the truth he’d be lucky not to be kicked out and have to sleep in the car.

Between the two of them they managed to undress Nicky’s limp body and tuck him under the covers with his teddy bear. Lily switched off the light and pointed to the bedroom. Dane nodded, grabbing a couple of sodas out of the refrigerator on the way.

“I could use a shower.” Lily was already stripping off her shirt and heading into the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”

Dane could use the short reprieve to do a final “go-over” of what he was going to say. Even though he’d had days to practice, he still didn’t know the exact right words that would make her understand why he did what he did.

Popping open the soda can, he reclined back on the bed and turned on the television, trying not to sweat through his t-shirt. He only had himself to blame for being in this position and Seb was right. Only raw honesty would get him out.

Lily joined him a few minutes later wearing pajama shorts and an oversized shirt. The ends of her long hair were damp and her freshly scrubbed skin glowed.

“Is that for me?” She pointed to the unopened soda can and he smiled and offered it to her, suddenly not knowing what to say or do. He simply needed to get to it. He reached for the remote and turned off the television, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure she could hear it.

“Baby, we need to talk.”

Lily froze, the smile she’d been wearing all day fading away. “Okay. What about?”

He’d fucked things up already. “Not what you’re thinking. I adore you and Nicky and I’m really happy. This isn’t a speech about how things have moved too fast or I need some space. I don’t want any space and I’d be okay if things moved even faster.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she sat down cross-legged at the end of the bed. “That’s good. I’m still a little worried though. What do we need to talk about?”

Dane sat up straight, his hands tight around the can. No more delaying or making excuses. Truth time.

“We need to talk about Brandon and the letters you sent him.”

Lily frowned and moved restlessly on the mattress. “What about him? I’ve told you everything.”

“It’s not what you can tell me, it’s what I can tell you.” Dane swallowed the fear that had taken up residence in his gut. “You see, I knew Brandon. He was my cousin. I found out about you when he died a few months ago and made me executor of his estate.”

Dane let his words sink in. At first she looked confused, her brow knitted but then his meaning must have gotten through somehow because she hopped up from the bed and walked over to the window.

“Brandon was your cousin? He’s…dead?” Her voice sounded strangled and for a moment he feared she still had feelings for Nicky’s father. “How? Why?”

“A car accident in the mountains of Greece. He was going too fast,” Dane said flatly.

Lily’s hand was shaking as she took a sip of her soda. “He always did drive like a maniac. Poor Brandon. And poor Nicky. He’ll never know his father now.” She seemed to wake up then and rounded on him, her brown eyes almost black. “You’ve known this all along and didn’t tell me? Wait. You’re his cousin?” She backed away as he stood, holding her hands up. “I don’t understand what’s going on here. How can you be Brandon’s cousin? Did you know who I was when we met?”

The last sentence was said with an incredulous tone and Dane knew he was in trouble. He had to explain fast.

“I did. I wanted to meet you and Nicky. I know Brandon didn’t do the right thing but I was determined to make sure Nicky was taken care of if he was truly Brandon’s son.”

Lily inhaled sharply. “Did you think I was lying about that?”

“I didn’t know for sure, but if so I didn’t want your son to suffer because Brandon was selfish and irresponsible.”

“And now?” Her lips were trembling and her face was pale. “What do you think now?”

He tried to move closer but she backed up again, shaking her head. “I took one look at Nicky and knew he was Brandon’s son. You may not see the physical signs but I do. He’s a Braxton.”

“Brandon’s last name was Donovan.”

“His mother was a Braxton and that makes Nicky a Braxton.” Dane slipped by her and reached into his suitcase, pulling out the thick envelope. “This is the trust I’ve had set up for Nicky. You’ll never have to worry about money again, Lily.”

He held out the papers but she was looking at them as if they were a poisonous snake. “Just look at it,” he urged. “For the most part you’ll have complete control over the fund.”

Finally she took the envelope and pulled out the sheaf of papers, taking her time studying them before returning her gaze to his. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, no color in her pale face.

“This says there’s a million dollars in this account. A million dollars, Dane. I think you need to start from the beginning again. Just how did you find out about me? And why did you seek me out? I want answers.” Her voice had turned shrill at the end.

Scraping his fingers through his hair, Dane knew the time for honesty had come. He needed to tell her the ugly truth.

Even if she didn’t want to be with him anymore. He didn’t want her pity. He wanted her love.

*

Lily was glad
Nicky was sleeping peacefully but her world was quickly crashing down all around. Less than half an hour ago they were having a lovely getaway, enjoying her young son’s first visit to Disney. Now she was face to face with the man she thought she loved but may never have known at all.

“When Brandon died I was named the executor of his estate.”

“You said that,” Lily replied abruptly, trying to be patient even as her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces.

“I’m trying to explain. As his executor I was given access to certain personal items. One of them was the last email you sent him after Nicky was born.”

Lily remembered that letter well. She’d been terrified of raising a child alone with little money and no emotional support. It had been a last ditch effort to get Brandon to own up to being a father and taking even the slightest interest in his son. She’d never heard a word back and eventually any hope she had withered away.

“You read it?” For some reason it bothered her to think he’d read words written in post-partum desperation. “And you didn’t believe me?”

Dane set the soda can on the table. “Actually my first inclination was that your letter was probably true. Brandon had never been known for being practical or careful so it made perfect sense that he would recklessly impregnate a girl he had no intention of staying with. But I needed to know for sure of course. I couldn’t turn over money to someone who wasn’t Brandon’s actual blood relative.”

That did make sense. She’d never expected money and had never asked for any, but no one would be handing it out unless Nicky was the genuine article.

“Brandon didn’t mention his son in his will?”

Dane sat down heavily in the chair by the window, his shoulders hunched and his elbows on his knees. “Brandon didn’t have a will. Just a bunch of bills and creditors. I liquidated his estate to pay them off. Your email was the last thing the family attorney gave me.”

Leaning against the cool glass of the window, she shook her head. “The family attorney, huh? What kind of family needs an attorney? Wait, don’t answer that. A rich one.” She straightened and looked him right in the eye. “So you were sent to pay me off? Get rid of the rubbish? Did you decide to have a roll in the hay while you were at it?”

His face paled and she knew her arrows had found their marks. If only he knew that she was hurting just as badly. She’d thought they really had something but now it looked cheap…and tawdry.

“No,” he bit out. “No one sent me. I read the letter and made my own decision. The fact is I haven’t said a word about this to the rest of the family. I was going to let you decide if you wanted to meet them and let them know about Nicky. They’re not the easiest people in the world to deal with, and honestly I wouldn’t blame you if you chose not to. As for a roll in the hay, I already told you that what we have means something so don’t try and turn this into something it’s not. You and Nicky are the two most important people in the world to me, dammit.”

God, she wanted to believe that.

“Why didn’t you introduce yourself as Brandon’s cousin? Why did you pretend even after I told you about him? What game are you playing with me and Nicky?”

She choked on the last question, the anguish of having done something so incredibly stupid and now her son would pay the price as well as herself. Nicky loved Dane. How could she explain this to a two-year-old?

“No game.” There was an urgency in his voice as he stood and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. The heat from his palms seemed to burn her skin right through the thin material and tears pricked the back of her eyes as she fought the urge to throw herself into his comforting arms. “I admit that I didn’t introduce myself as a relative of Brandon’s on purpose. I wanted to find out what you were like. What kind of mother you were and whether I could trust you with a sum of money or if I needed to tie it up in a trust you could never touch. I know this is hard for you to understand, but I needed to see the real you.”

She shook off his touch and stepped back. “The real me?” she repeated, her tone icy. “So all these weeks that’s what this has been about? Seeing the real me? Judging me? You are such an asshole, Dane.”

He reached out to her but she shook him off. She needed her space to be able to process what was happening to her.

“I knew almost immediately I could trust you. I didn’t tell you the truth because I was afraid, Lily. Afraid you would react like this. Not listening to why I did it, not understanding I felt like I had no choice. It was up to me and me alone to protect the Braxton family. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. Neither will Nicky someday.”

Her teeth snapped together in rage. “The Braxton family isn’t going to get their grubby paws on my son. I don’t want your blood money. I want you out of my life.”

Pushing Dane away felt like shoving a dagger in her heart but she didn’t have a choice. She had a son to protect.

His expression bleak, he shook his head. “I’m not trying to take Nicky from you. No one will ever do that. I admit that I have a hard time trusting people. Women especially, but there are good reasons for that.” His shoulders slumped and he looked down at the floor. “I met you and I liked you right away. I liked Nicky and I wanted to spend more time with you. By the time I realized I cared I knew I needed to tell you the truth. I tried the night we had pizza at your house but you stopped me.”

Her gut churned with a burning acid. “So this is somehow my fault? Are you telling me you couldn’t find one moment since then to tell me who you were? Bullshit.”

Her voice had gone up and she quickly glanced at the half closed pocket door between the living room and bedroom. She waited a moment but didn’t hear a sound from Nicky. Thank God he was sleeping through this nightmare.

Dane looked up, their gazes clashing. “I could have found the right moment but by then I was terrified of losing you. I love you, Lily, and I was scared. I’ve never been in love before so it’s probably not a huge surprise that I’ve messed things up. I talked to Chris and Seb and they suggested taking you away somewhere to tell you.” He spread his arms with a flourish. “So here we are. The idea was that you couldn’t kick me out of your house. We’d have to stay together and hash this out.”

Her heart had skipped a beat when he’d said he loved her but then she remembered he was an asshole. He’d deliberately not told her who he was and now he wanted to buy and sweet talk his way out of the dog house. Screw that.

Picking up the envelope, she took a deep breath and shoved it back at him. “Take it. I don’t want a bribe. Nicky and I were doing fine before you came into our lives and we’ll be fine when you’re gone.”

Except that she’d been lonely most of the time. The lack of money hadn’t been her biggest issue. It had been the isolation and lack of emotional support.

He took the envelope from her fingers and tossed it onto her suitcase. “The money isn’t about me or you. It’s for raising Nicky. He’s entitled to it and the paperwork is already finished. The money is yours. You can spend it or ignore it. Your choice. And it’s definitely not a bribe. I know I can’t buy my way out of this, and just for your reference I’ve never tried that. I didn’t bribe my way out of basic training when I went into the Army and I didn’t try to buy my way out of Ranger training either.” He came closer and this time she didn’t move away. “I’m not Brandon. Don’t get the two of us confused.”

That would be impossible. Brandon had been completely self-absorbed, thinking only of himself and his needs. Dane on the other hand was always thinking of ways to make her or Nicky happy.