He hugged her tight for a short while, then eased back. “I had some bad moments on the way over here, let me tell you.”
“Perhaps I gave in too easily then?” she teased.
His lips twitched. “If you hadn’t, I’d be a nervous wreck by now.”
“You a nervous wreck? Never!”
“You’re right,” he said, making her smile at his Valente arrogance. “I’d never be a wreck because I wouldn’t have let you go in the first place.”
“I can’t fault that reasoning.”
His hands tightened on her waist. “Speaking of giving, you give so much of yourself, trying to balance it all so that no one will get hurt. Your parents don’t deserve you. I almost didn’t.”
“Nick, I should have told you as soon as I could, but I was torn. How could I be responsible for sending my father to jail?”
“You weren’t responsible for anything.”
“I was responsible to you as your wife. I should have made him tell you in the first place.”
His mouth tightened. “Your father is the one who should have been responsible.”
She winced, then, “You know, I’m glad it’s over now. It would have always been between us because I would have known.”
“I can guarantee it won’t be between us now.”
Her heart rolled over as she looked up at him.
“Oh, Nick.”
“Call me darling.”
“Darling,” she murmured. Then she remembered something else. “What about your family?”
“They’ll know the truth by now. They won’t hold anything against you.”
“But Cesare—”
“Loves you like a daughter. It’s the reason he was so hurt. He will apologize and no more will be said about it.”
His words gave her joy. “I love your family, Nick.”
“As long as you love me more.”
“Oh, yes! Far, far more.”
He glanced at the bed. “Seeing that you’ve already paid for the room …”
She arched one of her eyebrows. “Are you suggesting I go to bed with you, Nick Valente?”
“Do you have a better suggestion, my darling?”
“Not a one.”
With their hearts finally open to each other, he drew her down on the bed beside him and at that moment she finally acknowledged something to herself. Loving Nick was no longer the worst thing that could happen in her life.
Loving Nick was the strongest part of her life.
Epilogue
Nick watched his very beautiful wife come toward him in the church and his heart swelled with love. He’d ruined Sasha’s dreams seven years ago, and then almost ruined them again more recently. This time he was going to make sure her dream came true.
A lump formed in his throat when he saw her blinking back tears during the service. He never knew life could bring such happiness as he’d had the last few weeks with Sasha.
“Darling, thank you,” she murmured after they walked back down the aisle past the Valente family, who were their only guests. “The church is so beautiful.”
He’d searched high and low to find the perfect church for her and finally found it up in the mountains. The historic church had stained glass windows that looked out over the valley to the ocean where the heart of Sydney could be seen many, many miles away.
Outside the church his family … no, make that their family … gathered round to congratulate them and have their picture taken for posterity.
“There’s one more thing I want to do,” he whispered in her ear.
“What’s that?”
“I’ll show you later, my love.”
And he did.
That night the moonlight shone over the silhouette of a couple kissing in the gazebo. And this time when Nick left to go back to the house, he wasn’t alone.
He had Sasha by his side.
As it always would be.
Inherited: One Child
Day
Leclaire
About the Author
USA TODAY bestselling author DAY LECLAIRE is a three-time winner of both the Colorado Award of Excellence and the Golden Quill Award. She’s won RT Book Reviews magazine’s Career Achievement and Love and Laughter awards, the Holt Medallion, a Booksellers Best Award, and has received an impressive ten nominations for the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award. Day’s romances touch the heart and make you care about her characters as much as she does. In Day’s own words, ‘I adore writing romances and can’t think of a better way to spend each day.’ For more information, visit Day on her website, www.dayleclaire.com.
To the four-legged wonders who share our lives and give us such unstinting love and devotion. To those who have come and gone … Yoson and Brutus, Little John and Thursday, and Annie.
And those who give us daily joy … Yoda and Ruggy, Athena and Guinness.
Prologue
“You have no choice, Jack. If you want to keep custody of Isabella, you’re going to have to marry.”
Jack Mason glared at his lawyer. “You know I swore I never would.”
Derek dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “So you’ve said. Ad nauseam, I might add.”
“Then let’s move on, shall we? What’s my next option?”
“Jack, I’m telling you flat out. There is no other choice.” Derek leaned a hip against his desk while Jack prowled the length of the office. “Look, we’ve been friends since our college days. You may not have told me all that went on between your parents, but having met your father, I can guess. That doesn’t change the facts. CPS is very concerned about your niece, thanks to that psychologist’s report.”
“I wish I could call the man a liar.” Jack thrust a hand through his hair and blew out his breath in a long sigh. “But he was simply stating the facts. It’s been three months since the plane crash and Isabella isn’t adjusting at all. Her tantrums have escalated. And she’s still not speaking.”
Sympathy lined Derek’s dark face. “Providing your niece with a stable home life and continuing with therapy will go a long way toward changing that.”
“I’ve hired nannies for her.” Jack could hear the defensive edge in his voice and fought to eradicate it. Getting ticked off at the one person squarely on his side wasn’t his best strategy. “I have a business empire to run, Derek. Isabella is only five. I can’t be her caretaker 24/7.”
“Child Protective Services is well aware that you’ve had an endless stream of nannies since March. According to the letter I’ve received, they’re not happy about it. And frankly, Jack, it’s not helping with Isabella’s recovery.” Derek hesitated. “There is another alternative.”
Jack lifted an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“Let her go. You can afford to find a good home for her. The best possible home. A home with two parents. Someone who has the time to commit to Isabella’s well-being.”
“I can’t do that.” The words were ripped from him, low and guttural. “I won’t.”
Derek didn’t bother to pull his punches. “That’s your guilt talking. Isabella survived the plane crash and your sister and brother-in-law didn’t. You also believe you should have been on that plane with them.”
Jack couldn’t deny it, not when it was the truth. “I was supposed to be. If I had been … If I hadn’t let work delay me …”
“You’d most likely be dead, too, and Isabella would be in the exact same position she is now,” Derek stated with brutal logic. “In need of two stable parents who can give their full attention to her needs—something you aren’t in a position to do.”
“I won’t desert her.” Jack continued to pace the width of his office while frustration ate at him. “I just need to find the right person. It’s taking a bit longer than expected.”
“You need a wife. The caseworker is old-school, Jack. And she’s from the north. She doesn’t care how much money you have or what your name is, or whether your ancestors were among the first residents of Charleston. Her only concern is Isabella.”
Jack shot his friend a black look. “And mine isn’t?”
Derek’s expression softened. “I know you care about your niece. But you’ve seen her exactly twice since Joanne adopted her, both times when she was little more than a baby. You have no blood ties. You’re a stranger to her. And ever since the psychologist released his evaluation, Mrs. Locke has made it clear that she doesn’t consider you a suitable guardian. She’s actually mentioned placing Isabella in a treatment facility.”
Stark fury gripped him. “Over my dead body.”
“You won’t have any choice in the matter. They’ll simply come and take Isabella from you—by force, if necessary.” Derek took a seat behind his desk and released a sigh. “What happened, Jack? You were supposed to talk to Mrs. Locke. Sweet-talk her, to be precise.”
Jack grimaced. “There isn’t sufficient sugar on earth to sweeten up that woman.”
“You should have made more of an effort, instead of throwing her out of your office. Her opinion will carry a lot of weight in court, as will the psychologist’s findings.”
“Are you saying that ticking her off wasn’t my best business decision?” Jack asked drily. When his friend maintained a diplomatic silence, he allowed the moment to stretch while he considered his options. Not that there were many. “What if I do what you suggest and marry?” The words grated like ground glass in his mouth.