Byron didn’t have much to pack. He’d only taken a few suitcases with him to Europe. Everything else had gone into storage and it had stayed there when he’d moved back into the mansion.
The beds had been delivered yesterday. For some reason that was beyond his grasp getting mattresses only took a matter of days but the rest of the furniture Leona had ordered would take a couple of months. The baby furniture had also come quickly, but that was because Byron had refused to take no for an answer.
He’d arranged for the rest of his things to be delivered on Monday—his pots and pans and his knives—things that wouldn’t have exactly cleared security for the flight over to Paris. He had some basic furniture that would fill the gaps until the rest was delivered.
He was loading his T-shirts into a bag when someone knocked on his bedroom door. He cringed—he didn’t want to go around with Frances again. “Yes?”
But it wasn’t Frances who poked her head into the room—it was Chadwick. “Hey,” he said, looking stern. “Got a moment?”
It was hard to see how this visit would be a good thing. Chadwick had always been the cold, serious favorite of their father, so Byron hadn’t even tried. He’d been George’s favorite and that was what had mattered. As long as Byron didn’t screw up any of Chadwick’s plans, they existed in relative harmony.
Harmony that looked like it was about to be broken. “Sure. What’s up?”
Chadwick shut the door behind him before he pulled out the chair at the antique writing desk and sat. Not good, Byron thought.
Chadwick watched as Byron tried to keep packing his bags. They’d never been close. Byron was eight years younger and Chadwick and Phillip—Byron’s other, older half brother—had always been locked in a battle of wills with Matthew. Byron and Frances had been an afterthought, if anyone had thought of them at all.
Finally, Chadwick spoke. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
Damn. The only real question was who had talked—Frances or Matthew? Byron would put his money on Matthew. He ran the new Percheron Drafts with Chadwick. “Actually, I’m planning on getting married.”
Chadwick’s eyebrows jumped up, but he didn’t say anything. He just waited.
Damn it all. Byron forced himself to keep a casual tone. “And I bought a house, so I’m going to be living there from now on.” He tried to smile in a jokey manner. “I appreciate the hospitality, though.”
Chadwick waved his hand dismissively. “Anytime. This will always be your home as much as mine.”
Byron shrugged and started loading his socks into another bag. “So, the future bride,” Chadwick went on. “Anyone we know?”
“Frances met her once. She’s an old girlfriend. We broke up before I went to Europe but now that I’m back, we’re together again.” Which was true, in the strictest sense of the word. He was not lying. He was just omitting. Big difference.
A guilty thought hit him. That was what Leona would have thought—what she had thought.
Hell.
“I see,” Chadwick said in a severe tone that made it clear he was disappointed with Byron’s answer. Damn it, someone had squealed. “So the fact that our lawyers want to run a prenup with a custody agreement past me has no bearing on the situation?”
Oh, hell—the lawyers. On the bright side, at least Matthew hadn’t ratted Byron out. But that probably just meant that he, Matthew and Frances were all in the doghouse for holding out on Chadwick.
“I didn’t think it was relevant. I was merely taking steps to protect the family business.”
“Ah.” Chadwick lounged casually in the chair. He was wearing a suit, of course. Byron had trouble remembering a time when Chadwick hadn’t worn suits. He probably even showered in the damn things. “Forgive me, but I fail to see how the fact that you’ve fathered a child is not relevant. For that matter, I don’t see why you felt it was necessary to protect the family without actually telling any of us about it. Forewarned is forearmed.”
Byron slumped onto the bed in defeat. “Fine. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you’d freak out on me.”
“I do not ‘freak out,’” Chadwick replied. “We’re not children anymore. It’s not like I’m going to ground you. If you have a situation and you think it might affect the family, you can tell me.”
Byron had his doubts on that one. “I’m planning on marrying Leona Harper. She had our son six months ago. I only found out about him when I hired her to design the restaurant.”
Byron wasn’t actually sure what Chadwick freaking out would look like. As it was, he sat in the chair without moving—without even blinking. The only change was that the blood drained out of his face.
Byron waited. He supposed this was always going to happen—sooner or later Chadwick would have found out.
But he’d kept this part of himself secret for so long—with only Frances knowing anything about his entire relationship with Leona, both the good and the bad—that to announce it felt wrong.
“Leona Harper?” Chadwick actually sounded a little shaky. “As in, Leon Harper?”
“She’s his oldest daughter. She has a younger sister, May.”
Chadwick began to tap one finger against his pant leg faster and faster. “You’re marrying into the Harper family?”
“I knew you’d freak out.”
“I am absolutely not freaking out,” Chadwick announced in a too-loud voice. “I’m just— She’s an old girlfriend of yours?”
“We saw each other for about a year,” Byron admitted. “She knew who I was, but I didn’t make the connection until her father showed up at the restaurant where we both worked. I thought it was over. That’s why I left.”
“And the baby?”
“I didn’t know she was pregnant when I left. She didn’t know if I was coming back.”
Chadwick suddenly leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands. “And just so I’m clear on the situation, this is the same woman who’s designing our restaurant?”
“Yes.” Byron had to make this sound better than it did, so he added, “She cut ties with her father shortly after we broke up. But she’s concerned—legitimately, I think—that Harper might pull some stunt to try to get custody of the baby. That’s why I want to get married as soon as possible—as soon as the ink is dry on the prenup.”
“Harper,” Chadwick muttered. “Of all the people in the world, you had to go fall for the old goat’s daughter.” His head popped up and he glared at Byron. “Do you have any idea what that man will do when he finds out you’re back?” He shuddered.
“That’s why we needed the prenup and that’s why I didn’t tell anyone. We need to get married as quietly as possible so Harper can’t screw it up.”
Chadwick gave him a mean look. “You haven’t told anyone?”
“Well, Frances and Matthew. But that’s it.” Chadwick continued to glare. “And Leona’s sister, May. She’s been almost like a second mother to the boy. Percy.”
Chadwick looked hurt. “I see. And you’re sure about this marriage?”
Byron had learned his lesson with Matthew. He didn’t pause. Pauses were dead giveaways. “I am.”
Chadwick thought for a moment. “She didn’t tell you who she was? The first time?”
“No.”
“And you trust her?”
Byron hesitated, but only for the blink of an eye. “That’s irrelevant. This is about making sure my son is never taken away from me by anyone—especially Harper.” And that? That was the truth.
“I want to meet her and this child.” If Chadwick had freaked out—and Byron was sure that he’d deny it until his dying breath—he was back to his normal, authoritative self.
“Not yet.”
Chadwick gave him another harsh look. “Not even a family dinner, with Serena and Catherine? I wouldn’t try to scare her.”
Byron appreciated the sentiment, but he didn’t miss the way Chadwick said try. He explained, “She grew up listening to her father tell horror stories about Hardwick—how he always took the children and left their mothers penniless. She was afraid I would do the same thing to her.”
“Have you considered that option?”
“No,” he said forcefully. “She’s not her father. She has no interest in the old feud and I have no interest in using our child as leverage. Whatever happened between Harper and our father is ancient history, as far as we’re concerned. We just want to get on with our lives without Leon or Hardwick’s ghost watching over our shoulders.” Man, that sounded great. He wished he believed it 100 percent.
But he couldn’t help thinking of the fact that, while Byron was making all sorts of truthful promises that he was here for the long haul, Leona had done very little in the way of reassuring him that she wasn’t hiding anything else from him. First, she hadn’t told him about her last name. Then she’d kept his son a secret. What else would she be willing to hide?
Unexpectedly, Chadwick cracked a smile. “We’re all trying to exorcise Hardwick’s ghost, aren’t we?” He shook his head. “First Matthew gets married in secret, and now you. At least make sure your mom is there, okay?”
Byron felt himself deflate with relief. His mother had never been sure exactly where she stood with Chadwick, but the fact that he was thinking of Jeannie was kind, bordering on sweet. “Are you giving me your blessing?”
“It’s not mine to give, really.” He stood and put a hand on Byron’s shoulder. “You always were the independent one, going off to do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted to. I have to admit, I was jealous that you never got wrapped up in the family drama.”
Byron stared up at his brother. Chadwick had been jealous of him? “Seriously?”
“Seriously. Trust me, trying to be like Hardwick was nothing but a recipe for disaster. You’ve got to do what you need to be happy.” He grinned. “I think you might have figured that out sooner than the rest of us.”
“What about you? Are you happy now?”
Chadwick gave Byron’s shoulder a squeeze and then turned to the door. Before he opened it, he said, “I am. If you marry her—”
“I will.”
“—then we’ll stand behind you. You, Leona and the baby will have the full support of the Beaumont family if Harper tries anything.”
Byron let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Out of all his siblings, he’d figured Chadwick would have pushed the hardest to take a Beaumont baby away from anyone Harper. After all, Leon had come after Chadwick the hardest.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
Chadwick gave him another uncharacteristic grin. It was so weird to see that man smiling regularly. “You’re welcome. That’s what family is for. And make sure we have your new address.” He opened the door but paused. The smile fell away and once again, Byron was looking at a stone-cold businessman. “But don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t,” Byron promised.
This time, there would be nothing to regret.
* * *
Leona was in a constant state of anxiety. The contractors were ripping apart the future kitchen of Caballo de Tiro, plumbers were roughing in bathrooms and the electricians were pulling old knob-and-tube wiring out of everything. Leona was in charge of overseeing all of it and every ten minutes someone had to ask her about something. While it was nice not to have to defer to Mr. Lutefisk all the time, the sheer weight of being responsible for every single decision wore her down.
Normally, when she got off work, she’d head home, change and do the mom thing with Percy. But this week she went to pick Percy up from either day care or from May and then she and the baby and Byron went wandering around cavernous furniture stores, where Byron deferred to her judgment in every instance.
When she was done with that, Leona headed back to the apartment where May would give her the coldest of cold shoulders. Safe to say, May did not approve of a single choice Leona was making at this point.
And of course, Leona was still getting up with Percy every night. He should have been over his ear infection by now, so Leona tried letting him cry himself back to sleep—only to have May burst into her room in the middle of the night and demand she do her job, accusing her of forgetting about her child in this rush to a new life with Byron.
By the time another two weeks had passed, Leona was little better than a high-functioning zombie. She had no idea what clothes she’d packed for her two weeks at Byron’s house and if someone had asked her, she couldn’t have told them what she’d packed for Percy, either. She wasn’t even all that sure what day it was.
But what made it worse was that there hadn’t been another time when she and Byron could be completely alone. The best she’d gotten was holding his hand while they debated the merits of this sofa versus that one.
She’d gone a year without having him in her bed on a regular basis. She should be able to handle another two weeks without him bringing her to orgasm.
But she couldn’t. Not when she kept looking up from her work and catching him watching her with a small, suggestive smile on his face. Not when he’d brush a hand over her shoulder or across her lower back whenever he passed her. And certainly not when he’d lean in close and whisper in her ear how pretty she looked today, how much he was looking forward to the day she moved in.
He’d always watched her, always seen her in a way that no one else had. And that hadn’t changed. And, just like it always had, knowing Byron was watching her—thinking of her—made her want him.
But desire was not love. It wasn’t. Just because Byron had gone a couple of weeks without suddenly turning into a Beaumont and blaming her for everything didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen again. So what if he was being sweet and attentive? So what if he was helping out with Percy? So what if those little touches and glances sent her pulse pounding with need?
Her selfish physical wants were the least important thing going on right now. She wanted to believe this was the real Byron, the one she’d loved once. She wanted this to be a snapshot of what their lives together would be. She wanted more than a marriage in name only with separate bedrooms and separate lives.
She wanted to love him. Even more than that, she wanted him to love her.
And that was exactly the kind of thinking that had gotten her into this mess in the first place. She’d wanted a storybook love for the ages, one that ignored the distinctive realities of Harpers and Beaumonts and birth control.
So what she wanted did not matter. What she needed was a happy, stable home for her son and a viable backup plan for when Byron lost interest in her. She’d had a year with him the first time.
She didn’t know how she was going to make it to Saturday without collapsing. Saturday was the day she would load Percy into the car and head for the big house in Littleton.
Somehow, Saturday arrived anyway. Leona wasn’t completely sure how she’d held out this long. The fact of the matter was that she’d been too damned busy working to do much of anything but collapse into bed when she could. Even then, Byron haunted her dreams, always kissing her and touching her yet still leaving her unsatisfied. She didn’t know what the female equivalent of blue balls was, but she had a bad case. The only thing that kept her from losing her mind was the fact that she’d probably already lost it and just didn’t remember when.
They had separate bedrooms for a reason. A very good reason. She could not let him break her heart again and she especially could not let him break Percy’s heart.
But did that mean she couldn’t let him relieve a little of her tension? Or was that the shortest path back to pain?
She had the bags loaded into the car and a snack of raisins packed for Percy. All that was left was a final look around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
And, of course, dealing with her sister. “I can’t believe you’re really going to him,” May said from the couch where she was pouting.
Leona sighed. She didn’t want to fight with May, but she was tired of being made to feel like a traitor. “You don’t know him like I do, May.”
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
Leona almost smiled at the sarcasm. “It won’t be bad. I promise.”
May looked sullen. It was not a flattering look on her. “But he already left you once. What happens when he bails again?”
“He won’t.” Leona said it with confidence, but she couldn’t ignore the little voice that insidiously whispered the same doubt in the back of her head.
What would happen if he left again?
May shook her head. “Well, I guess I’ll be here, waiting to help you pick up the pieces again.”
Even though she had Percy on her hip, Leona impulsively hugged May. “I know, honey. That’s why I love you.” May sniffed and hugged her back. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Sure.” She did not sound enthusiastic about this pronouncement.
“Come out next week. Percy will want to see you. And so will I.”
“Will he be there?”
“It’s a big place. You won’t have to see him if you don’t want to.”
May nodded and then kissed Percy’s head. “All right.”
And that was that. Leona walked out of the apartment that had been her home for a year without another look back. She loaded Percy into his car seat and began the long drive. For all her apprehension and resistance to the idea that she and Byron should live together, now that she was actually doing it, she had the oddest feeling of...
Of coming home.
That feeling only got stronger when she pulled into the drive. Percy had fallen asleep during the car ride. Byron came out to greet them.
“You’re here,” he said as if he didn’t quite believe she’d actually made the trip.
“We’re here,” she agreed, getting out of the car. “He’s just waking up.”
“That gives me time to do this, then.” The next thing Leona knew, Byron had wrapped his arms around her and kissed her so hard that it nearly bent her backward. There was nothing slow or sensuous about this kiss—this was pure heat. God, how she’d missed this.
When the kiss ended, Byron grinned down at her. “Been waiting to do that for weeks.”
“Oh, my.” She blinked in the bright sunshine and gave him a lazy smile. “You’re the one who insisted on ordering furniture, you know.”
“Don’t remind me.” He gave her a slightly less passionate kiss and then stood her back up on her feet. “Have you decided?”
She fought the urge to rub her eyes. “About what? I’m here.”
Byron reached over and caressed her cheek. “About where you’re sleeping tonight.”
Her skin flushed hot under his touch. “Oh. That.”
“Yeah, that.” He grinned. He picked up her left hand and kissed it.
This shouldn’t be a huge deal. After all, she was physically moving in with him at this exact moment in time and they’d already done things. And it would be a relief to have him take care of her. But could she do it? Could she resume a physical relationship with him without losing her heart a second time?
Byron stepped in closer and slid his hand around the back of her neck. The touch was possessive—and hot. “Tell me,” he said, his voice dropping an octave, “that you want me in your bed tonight.”
There was nothing between them except some easily removed clothing. Heat, languid and powerful, built between them and her body ached for his. As tired as she was, she couldn’t wait to be awake in bed tonight. There were no contractors listening to every word they spoke, no siblings to cast judgment. Now, finally, it was just Leona and Byron and this need between them. Figuring out if she could trust him again would have to wait until the morning.
And Percy. The baby fussed sleepily. But Byron didn’t let go of her, not just yet. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss right below her ear. “Tell me you want me, Leona.”
“I do,” she said breathlessly. His lips brushed against her sensitive skin and her whole body screamed out for his. She couldn’t say no if she wanted to. “I want you in my bed. After Percy goes to sleep.”
Byron released his hold on her, trailing his fingers down her neck and her shoulder. She shivered under his touch. “I’ll get your bags. Welcome home, Leona.”