Reunited in Love (21 page)

This easy affection and acceptance put a big lump in Kerri’s throat. She gripped Natalie’s hand hard and took a long swallow of her hot chocolate. Her childhood and teenage years had been spent doing everything she could to get her family to accept her—and failing. Yet here was Natalie opening herself up without reservation.

That saying that blood is thicker than water was wrong.

*

Ethan saw his phone light up, the screen flashing as a text arrived. Moving carefully so he wouldn’t disturb Kerri—she’d stopped going back to her room to sleep since her birthday—he picked up the phone. It was a little before 2 a.m. Who would be texting at this time of the night?

Sent Kerri Jacqueline Wilson’s file. Confirm receipt
.

Ethan stared at the brief message. So Pattington had come through. The man apparently never slept, which was why Ethan hired him time and time again.

Any other message could have waited until morning, but he wanted to know what kind of people had hurt Kerri so much. And he also wanted to know if there were any other secrets he should know about, so as to avoid future blunders.

He pulled away from the warmth and softness that he now associated with Kerri. Thankfully, she was generally a heavy sleeper. He pulled the sheet up over her shoulders, then put on a robe, went to his study and opened his laptop. Pattington’s file was already in his inbox.

Ethan opened it. The first page stole his breath away.

What the…

Gavin had been right. Kerri was indeed Barron Sterling’s granddaughter…and now his sole heir, as her mother, Renée Sterling Wilson had passed away a few months back.

Christ. Kerri was worth more than most of Ethan’s friends and acquaintances…even more than Ethan himself. So why did she work the way she did? Was she aware of the kind of money she had?

He shook his head at the ridiculousness of the last question. Of course she was. No one that smart and that good at finance could have failed to understand the situation. Everyone knew how much Barron Sterling was worth.

Pattington had to be mistaken…except Ethan didn’t hire people who made mistakes.

Yet the Kerri he knew was nothing like what was on the first page of the file.

He went through the rest, which focused on her academic pedigree and work history. Those matched what she’d told him.

Ethan googled “Barron Sterling’s granddaughter”. There was hardly any information available, not even a recent photo. Most might think the woman was fanatical about her privacy or maybe she’d joined a convent. But that wasn’t true at all. There hadn’t been anything because she’d been in Hong Kong for years in self-imposed exile, and the media had no idea.

And her family connections explained why she hadn’t wanted to go to the charity ball. Barron Sterling had been invited, along with his brother Duke and his great nephew.

Why hadn’t she told him who her family was? Well, that was pretty obvious. Clearly, she was worried that if she revealed the truth he would jump to wrong conclusions.

Gavin had apparently decided Kerri must be spying for Sterling & Wilson, and Gavin wasn’t stupid. Ethan sat back and looked at the ceiling, going back over his time with Kerri, searching for anything that seemed odd or out of place.

After five minutes, he sat forward again.
No. No way
. She was avoiding her family because of her unbearable past. It was unthinkable that she’d approach them for any reason.

He rubbed his chest as he recalled the devastated expression on her face on her birthday. He would never let Kerri experience such crippling pain ever again. If that meant that her family would never get to her, so be it. The fact that they were wealthy and connected made it more challenging, but that was fine. In fact, he relished the opportunity to get back at them. And if Gavin did anything stupid and rash, Ethan would make sure he paid as well.

He’d never let anyone hurt her ever again.

THAT SATURDAY, KERRI and Ethan rode in his Aston Martin in companionable silence, watching the scenery pass by. She couldn’t believe how easy it was to be with him, whether they were talking or not. She’d never felt that way about anybody before.

When he turned into a well-to-do suburban neighborhood in Maryland, Kerri finally looked over and asked, “Where exactly are we going?”

“My mother’s. There’s a house party.”

It took a moment to process. “
What?
Oh my god, stop the car!”

“Why?” he asked, his voice mild.

“I can’t go to your mother’s party!”

“Don’t worry, there won’t be any photographers. It’s just the family.”

“But I’m not invited.”

“You’re my date.”

“I didn’t bring anything for her! Not even a bottle of wine or flowers.”

“Taken care of.”

“I’m not dressed!”

He flicked his gaze at her. “You’re quite dressed.”

“I mean it’s not the kind of outfit I would wear to your mother’s party.” She’d selected the gray-green sheath dress she was wearing to look sexy, not to meet Ethan’s family. The neckline was way too low to be seen by Ethan’s mother on their first meeting, the hem fell several inches above her knees, and it had no back. She turned toward him as far as the seatbelt would let her. “Okay, seriously. We have to go to a mall.”

“We don’t have to bring anything, but I actually have a bottle of red for her. As it happens, my mother also likes Merlot.”

“No, you doofus, I need to buy a new outfit!”

He made a dismissive gesture. “You’re fine.”

She didn’t think so. She recalled the kind of clothes her mother used to wear when she visited her parents: conservative, tasteful and modest. “I look slutty.”

“If by ‘slutty’ you mean ‘tastefully gorgeous,’ I agree. Now, don’t worry. Please. Don’t you trust me?”

She threw her head back against the headrest. What could she say to that? Ethan was one of the best-dressed men she knew. If he was certain she looked fine, maybe she really was. What did she know about meeting a boyfriend’s family anyway? She’d always made sure the relationships never grew that serious.

God, things were becoming complicated. She rubbed her temple and stared out the window. What had Justin said? Men didn’t bring girls home to meet the parents unless they weren’t proud of their dates. No, that wasn’t quite right. He said men didn’t marry girls they couldn’t bring home to meet the parents.

She couldn’t help smiling. Her panic was absurd. Ethan had no intention of marrying her. Their arrangement had a firm out clause.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She touched his hand. “Just some silly thing I thought of.”

He caressed her palm. “I like you like this.”

“Not working?”

“Well, yes, that. But I was thinking ‘relaxed and beautiful.’”

She flicked her index finger against her bottom lip. “No one ever saw me that way.”

“They’re blind.” He gave her a sideways glance. “If you keep playing with your mouth, we’re going to be late.”

“We spent half the morning in bed.”

“Mmm. Just thinking about it makes me hard. And looking at your lips right now makes me harder.”

She hid a secret smile. He’d been utterly at her mercy, inside her mouth as she moved with tantalizing, excruciating slowness. He would’ve done anything she asked so long as she didn’t stop, and she’d been intoxicated with powerful desire. It felt good making him feel good. But as much as she’d liked distracting him, she wasn’t sure about car sex. And being late to meet his mother for the first time was absolutely out of the question.

Given the kind of money the Lloyds had, Kerri assumed Ethan’s mother would live in a giant museum-like mansion: high ceilings, flawless marble and soaring columns. Instead, her home was a three-story detached single house at the end of a long private driveway, large and comfortable without being pretentious. Cheery red and orange flowers Kerri didn’t recognize bloomed in the large garden. Ethan’s mother must be an excellent gardener, or else had some professional help.

Ethan parked his car, and they got out. She stood and stared at the house. People’s silhouettes were visible through soft rose curtains behind arched windows. Her palms grew clammy. This was far worse than interviewing for a job. With a job, she could always just shrug off a negative outcome. If a company didn’t want her because she wasn’t a good fit, so what? There were other openings out there.

Meeting Ethan’s family was different. She’d met Ethan’s brother in Houston, but that had been business. This was all social. She found herself wanting Ethan’s family to like her.

Was that even possible? Gavin had been a closed book in Houston, and she hadn’t gotten a particularly friendly vibe from him. She couldn’t fathom why, except that maybe he just didn’t like that many people in general. He’d seemed completely aloof during both the meeting and lunch, except with his brother.

Hopefully the rest of the Lloyds were more like Ethan than Gavin.

Ethan opened the dark wooden door, and a gorgeous brunette turned around. With her classically beautiful features, she could’ve been a model if she hadn’t been so short. She wore a teal linen shirt and ivory slacks with a pair of four-inch platform shoes, which brought her up to all of five-foot six.

“Hey, glad you made it.” She gave Ethan a hug, then glanced at Kerri while tucking her long brown hair behind her ears. “Who’s this?”

“Meredith, this is Kerri. Kerri, my sister Meredith.”

The other woman’s dark gaze sharpened, then her mouth eased into a relaxed smile. “Welcome.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Meredith was polite, but warm. Still Kerri couldn’t help but sense an underlying tension in the younger woman. Something in her gaze reminded Kerri of a vaguely dissatisfied cat. Kerri recalled how some of the Lloyds needed their share of the profits from the company to maintain the lifestyle they were accustomed to. They couldn’t be happy with the way the things at the company had turned out, especially since the financial problems had come to light on the heels of Jacob’s bigamy. The double whammy had to hurt. If it had happened in her family… Kerri shuddered. Barron would’ve had every executive at the company drawn and quartered.

Ethan gently took Kerri’s elbow and escorted her inside. The interior of the house was homey and inviting, the kind of place a person could return to for comfort, with overstuffed couches, rocking chairs and an ornate fireplace. A soft tune from Vivaldi’s
Four Seasons
floated from speakers embedded in the high ceiling, and people were gathered in clusters, their conversations and laughter providing a constant background. A group of four or five crouching and roasting s’mores at the fireplace made Kerri smile wistfully. She missed sugar, but more than that, she wished she had a good excuse to join them. A couple of kids were seated side-by-side at a baby grand piano in the corner, picking their way through a duet.

Kerri’s chest ached at the obvious affection and love among the Lloyds. Her family had been always so quiet, so grim. People rarely laughed, much less smiled. People sat and muttered a word or two, their lips thin. The gatherings usually ended when an hour or so of funereal somberness became too unbearable for Barron.

Ethan steered Kerri toward a stately woman whose dark eyes glittered with an inner fire. Confidence radiated from her erect posture. She hadn’t bothered with a dye job to hide the gray in her black hair. A burgundy silk dress looked royal on her petite frame, and she appeared timeless with her luminous skin.

“Mom, you look fantastic.” He kissed her cheeks.

“Thank you, dear. So do you.” She then looked at Kerri. “And who is this?”

“My date.” He made the introductions.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Kerri said.

“Call me Stella,” Ethan’s mother said. “‘Ma’am’ makes me look around for my own mother.”

Kerri smiled. “What a beautiful name.”

“Thanks, dear.”

A young boy grabbed Ethan’s attention, and the two went off to the living room. Stella watched them then lowered her voice, so only Kerri could hear. “So how long have you been with my son?”

“A few weeks.” Then with a start, she realized it was more than that. “A little over two months, actually.”

“He must like you quite a bit to bring you here. I don’t allow casual dates at my party. It’s a family event.”

Kerri’s skin prickled. “I’m sorry if I’m intruding.”

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m glad he brought you.”

It was probably the kind of thing a girl would want to hear from the mother of the man she was sleeping with. But it only served to make Kerri’s shoulders tense. She didn’t want Stella to get the wrong impression about her relationship with Ethan, that there was any chance of permanency between them.

Good lord, she should’ve asked Ethan to drop her off at a theater or something instead of coming to the party, if it was going to make everyone think they were dating seriously. She felt like a fraud.

She took a deep breath as another arrival and greeting cut her conversation with Ethan’s mother short. Stella was like a queen, holding court, and every Lloyd seemed to adore and respect her. And why not? The woman was so gracious, it was difficult not to like her. But she wasn’t all moneyed and perfumed softness either. There was an edge to her gaze that said she could and would do what was necessary to protect those who mattered to her.

Would she feel that need if she found out about Kerri’s family?

“Relax,” Ethan whispered from behind Kerri, startling her. “She likes you.”

She lowered her voice. “Does she know I shouldn’t even be here?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She said she doesn’t allow casual dates at her parties.”

Ethan took a beat too long to respond. “She doesn’t need to know every detail of my personal relationships.”

“Still. I like your mother, and I don’t like deceiving her. Does she know about my job at TLD?”

“In fact, she does,” he said. “She probably heard within an hour of the Houston meeting. There’s nothing she doesn’t know about in the family. Makes the CIA look like amateurs.”