Trace held John’s private letter to him in his hand. He’d yet to open it. There was no better time than the present. He ripped open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and began to read.
By now, I hope you have met your son, Nicky. You’ll find that he is so much like you in mannerisms, and, to top it off, he’s your spitting image. He’s very bright, inquisitive, stubborn, and lovable. I have told him about you. I tried to be a surrogate father until you came back. I think I did a pretty good job.
Please don’t be harsh with Diana. One night she came to me begging for help. She told me she was pregnant but refused to let me call you. She threatened to leave town without letting anyone know where she was going if I did. I couldn’t let that happen, so I suggested marriage to keep her and the baby in Asheville. I knew you wouldn’t understand, but I promised to keep her secret. In time, I hope you come to forgive me and know I did it for you. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I know she never stopped loving you.
I left Raven’s Nest to both of you with the stipulation you would have to live together to claim the inheritance. I knew you wouldn’t understand and that she would be furious. It was the only way I could bring you together so you would come to realize how much you loved each other. Nicky is the added bonus. Take care of them both. She is the daughter I never had, and you are the son of my heart. John.
Trace’s heart contracted. All this pain over a misunderstanding, but it was over now. He wished John were alive so he could ask for his forgiveness. He would never get the chance. There had been too much silence between them. He would never hear his voice again. Pain shot through his heart. But thanks to his uncle, he had Diana and his son. He dropped his head and closed his eyes for a moment, wishing he could rewrite the last five years.
He had to stop. The past was finished. He had another chance with Diana and he would make sure he didn’t mess it up. He stood and moved around his desk, opened the small fridge he kept in his office, and grabbed a bottle of mineral water. He went to the window and looked out over the city. The office was closed; most of the staff had left for the day. Even Diana had left to prepare Nicky for a costume birthday party at his friend Billy’s house. He was seriously thinking about canceling his flight. He needed to fly out tonight to Chicago to meet with the project manager for a Montgomery Group high rise; he would be gone only two days, but already he missed Diana and Nicky. He didn’t want to go. He heard his office door open, turned, and saw Dominic walking toward him.
“Hello, cousin,” Dominic said.
Trace frowned. “Can you at least let me know when you plan to show up?”
“Why would I spoil the surprise of my arrival?” He laughed.
“Real funny.” Trace crossed his arms. “Why are you here?”
“Well, I heard about what happened in New York and thought you might need reinforcements. Plus, I have a meeting with the design department tomorrow.”
“News travels fast.”
“When it concerns a blowout involving Lisa Davenport and Crispina, all in one night, it certainly does. The gossip has Lisa screaming at Diana and calling her some unsavory names that can’t be repeated.”
“Never happened,” Trace growled. “People should get it straight before they repeat something that is none of their business.”
“Whoa, cousin, don’t kill the messenger. You forget I’m on your side.”
“Sorry, it’s been a long week.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No.”
“Come on, Trace. You used to talk to me. You still can, you know.”
He ran a hand over his face and gave his cousin and best friend a long look. Their great-grandfathers had been brothers. Even though Dominic had grown up in Italy, the two of them had always been close. They had gone to the same boarding schools and spent their summers together, either in Europe or in North Carolina. He trusted Dominic. He handed him the letter John had written. Dominic read it and gave it back to Trace. “I’m not surprised.”
“Why not?”
“I always thought John treated Diana more like a daughter than a wife.”
“You never mentioned that to me.”
“Remember, during that time, no one could mention Diana’s name without you biting their head off. I like my head too much, so I never voiced my suspicious.”
“Why couldn’t I see it?”
“You were hurting too much.”
“Yeah.”
“The great Trace Montgomery finally admits he has feelings.”
“I never said I didn’t.”
“Diana has brought out the best in you.”
“Yes, I believe she has.” He sighed. “How long are you staying? I have to fly to Chicago tonight, but I’m going to see Diana and Nicky before I leave.”
“I plan to stay the rest of the week. I’ll bunk at your penthouse. Are you okay with it? How long are you going to be gone?”
Trace shook his head and grinned. “Although you didn’t ask to stay in the penthouse, it’s fine with me. I planned to stay two days, but I’m going to try and get back within a day.”
Dominic grinned. “You can’t stay away from her.” His face turned sober. “Trace, I’ve got your back in this debacle with Crispina and Lisa.”
“I know.”
“Crispina by herself is hard to handle. She can be intimidating and manipulative. The two of them together can be vicious. I wouldn’t want to see Diana tangle with them alone.”
“I think you underestimate Diana. She’s fierce in her own right. But you’re right, together they can be destructive. I’ll not let them hurt Diana. I’ll destroy them before they get the chance,” he said without emotion. He meant what he said. He would not let Crispina or Lisa hurt his family.
“I believe you would,” Dominic said. “Hey, I’m getting out of here. Go see your wife and son. I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Thanks, Dominic, for listening.”
“Any time.” He clapped Trace on the back and walked out the door. Trace stood thinking about the letter and his conversation with Dominic. Diana was his and had always been.
He swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought about how much he loved Diana. It was time he let her know what she meant to him. He picked up the phone, called the pilot, and cancelled the flight. Next, he called the project manager in Chicago to reschedule the meeting. Finally, he replaced the receiver, picked up his briefcase and keys, and walked out the door.
* * *
Diana and Nicky arrived back at the mansion close to seven o’clock. Nicky had enjoyed the party and chatted all the way home.
Entering the foyer, she helped him with his backpack as Luca approached. Seeing Luca, Nicky began to whine. “Oh, Mommy, do I have to go to bed?”
“You need to get your bath, brush your teeth, and pick out a bedtime story.”
“Can I talk to Daddy before I go to sleep?” he asked, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Of course. We’ll call him when you get in bed.”
He placed his hand in Luca’s and walked away.
The doorbell rang and she opened the door. Crispina glided in looking ready to do battle.
Diana hadn’t seen Crispina since New York. I don’t feel like dealing with her crap now.
Diana closed the door, pasted a smile on her face, and turned to Crispina.
“Trace isn’t here.”
“I know that. I came to talk to you.”
Great. Just great.
“What can I do for you, Crispina?”
“What I have to say needs to be said in private.” She left Diana standing in the foyer and walked down the corridor to Diana’s sanctuary, the sunroom.
Diana entered the sunroom but left the door open. “All right, Crispina.”
“What will it take to get you out of Trace’s life?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. John didn’t leave you any money, so I know money could come in handy right now. What about two million? Is that enough?”
“You can’t buy me off.”
“Five million?”
“Stop it, Crispina. There isn’t enough money in the world to make me leave Trace.”
“Twenty million? Is that enough? I won’t let you and that bastard child of yours ruin my son’s life.”
“You’ve gone too far. If you have a problem with me, deal with it directly. Don’t you dare bring my son into this.”
“Your son has always been in it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I knew from the beginning the boy was Trace’s. I only had to look at him to see it. You snared my brother into playing the surrogate father. That was fine with me as long it wasn’t my son.” Venom infused every one of Crispina’s words. “I don’t think he’ll take lightly you not telling him the boy is his.”
“Trace already knows Nicky is his.”
“You’re lying.”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“He never said a word to me.”
“Why would he? You’ve never been a mother to him, much less someone he could talk to.”
“You bitch!” Crispina growled and drew back her hand to strike.
Diana grabbed her hand before it connected with her face. “Not this time.”
Crispina wrenched her hand out of Diana’s. Her eyes glassy and lips pinched, she took deep breaths to regain control of herself. “I knew Lisa would mess it up. All she had to do was seduce him, get pregnant or at least pretend to be pregnant. Once that happened, he would have been so overwhelmed with guilt he would have willingly let you go. Next time I want something done, I’ll make sure it’s by a professional.”
“Please continue, Mother.” Diana and Crispina both gasped when they looked and saw Trace standing in the doorway. He was supposed to be in Chicago. He moved to stand near Diana.
“What are you doing, Trace?” Crispina asked the question before Diana had the chance.
“I decided to cancel my trip.” He looked at Diana. “I didn’t want to leave you and Nicky. I’ve rescheduled for the end of the week, and I’m taking you and Nicky with me.”
Diana gave him a warm smile. “But Trace, this is going to put you behind on the project.”
“I don’t care. I want you and Nicky with me.” He glared at his mother. The warmth in his voice was gone. For a moment, Diana thought he was literally shaking with anger. “You and Lisa schemed together?”
Crispina’s face burned red with anger.
“Speak up, Mother. You were saying a lot when I came in, please do continue.”
Diana watched a vein pop in his forehead and touched his arm to get him to calm down. He needed to remember she was his mother; not a good one, but, nevertheless, his mother. He looked ready to explode.
“Come now, Mother. Don’t tell me all of a sudden you’re speechless?”
“Women fall at your feet. You’ve never turned one down. You had already bedded Lisa when the two of you dated.” She shrugged. “I thought, why not again?”
“How did Lisa know Diana would come to the apartment?”
“You had already landed and were on your way to the apartment when I called your secretary and asked her to call Diana. I told her to tell Diana you would be back that night. John always talked about how much you loved it when Diana surprised you upon your return from trips. It didn’t take much to get Diana to the apartment. Instead of giving you the surprise, one was waiting for her. Since Lisa caught a ride on the jet with you, all she and I needed was to stage the scene and wait for Diana to arrive.”
“Why am I not surprised at how devious you can be? You’re my mother, but I want you out of my life. You don’t know me at all. You don’t have to keep hitting me on the head for me to get it.” He shook his head in surrender. “You knew about my son and were willing to deny him to keep Diana out of my life. I’m glad he doesn’t know anything about you. Someday he is going to ask about his grandmother and I’ll have to tell him, but, until he does, he won’t know anything about you. You have insulted Diana for the last time. You refused to accept the one and only woman I’ve ever loved because of the color of her skin. You deny your own grandchild because of your warped idea of the perfect pedigree. I want you gone from this house.”
“Trace,” Diana said, trying to get him to stop, but he was unrelenting.
“Fine, I’ll leave, but I know eventually you’ll come to your senses. When you do, you know how to reach me.”
“No, Mother, I don’t believe you understand what I’m saying. I want you out of my life…forever.”
Crispina flinched but didn’t back down. “I know you don’t mean it. But I’ll do as you wish. You’ll come to your senses sooner or later.”
Diana was stunned. “Trace, you don’t mean that.”
She turned to Diana and hissed, “I don’t need you to defend me.”
Diana recoiled and then tried one last time to get Crispina to understand. “I love your son. I always have. Can’t you at least see that?”
“What does love have to do with anything? You’ll ruin his life.” She looked at Trace coldly. “You’ll come to me and apologize. Until then, my mind won’t change.”
Trace closed the sunroom door and waited for the anger to leave his body. He waited for the sadness to come. It didn’t. How could he be sad over something he’d never had? He felt the weight of wanting Crispina’s love lift off his shoulders. After all these years, he was finally free to release his heart to a woman who wanted it.
“Are you okay?” His voice was gentle, soothing. He closed the distance between them, his steps timid.
“I should be asking you that. I’m so sorry. I know you—”
“Did you speak the truth? Do you love me?” He closed his eyes as though that could help him withstand the impact of her answer.
She smiled. The words escaped her lips in a husky murmur. “Yes. I love you. I always have.”
He caught hold of her face and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. I love you more than you could ever know.” He wrapped her in his arms. “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. I knew there was something different about you and that you would change my life. I was so busy analyzing my feelings that I never stopped to tell you how I felt. I’m offering you everything I am and everything that I have.” He tugged her a little closer, and her heart leapt as she yielded to that pull. “We have John to thank for us being together. I finally read the private letter he left for me.”
She leaned back from him so she could see his face. “Really? What did it say?”
“He told me to take care of you and Nicky.”
“Well, you’re certainly doing just that.” She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head up, and proceeded to show him how well he was taking care of her.