AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The first time I walked in here,” Ari said, “I thought it was a palace. I’m sure the guys told you I was Noah’s nanny. I didn’t come from much, so I assumed someone this rich was going to be stuck up and arrogant and bossy.”
“But Matt isn’t like that.” Tasha knew firsthand. “None of the Mavericks are.” They’d all been sweet to her. And so normal. Money had never gone to their heads; it was just another tool in their belts.
“Exactly.” Ari beamed, her smile as bright as sunshine.
Her straight, silky blond hair didn’t look salon dyed and styled, and her flowery sundress, though very pretty, wasn’t haute couture. And her eyes shone with adoration whenever she said Noah’s name. And Matt’s.
The wine Tasha had gulped made her bold enough to say, “You’re telling me I shouldn’t be intimidated by Daniel’s wealth and that he’s just a normal guy, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know if normal is the word I would use,” Ari said with a grin. “But definitely one of the nicest guys on the planet, that’s for sure. I adore him.” Her grin widened as she said, “Seems like you do too.”
“I do.” Tasha adored every part of him. But—“We haven’t known each other that long.”
“Sometimes it only takes one look,” Ari said with perfect certainty. With that, she put the last container into the insulated bag. “That should keep you from getting hungry for a good long while. And now I know you’re anxious to get on your way.”
The front hall was a madhouse, with three puppies and a little boy chasing each other. Daniel stood talking to a tall guy with short, dark-blond hair whom Tasha assumed was Gideon Smith, Ari’s long-lost brother. On the drive down, Daniel had told her a bit about him, that he now worked for Daniel and lived with Ari and Matt. Gideon didn’t smile much, not like his sister.
Noah ran to Ari as soon as he saw her, Spanky in his arms. “Can I have this one, Mommy? Daddy said I had to ask.”
Ari flashed a smile at Matt. “Your daddy and I have talked about it, and yes, it’s okay with me.” She got down on his level. “But we’ve got to train him and take care of him and clean up after him too. That’s a huge responsibility. Are you sure you want to do it?”
“Yes!”
Ari squeezed his hand. “Then let’s take them all outside for a little bit so they don’t make any messes in here.”
Tasha’s heart ached with the love she saw among the three of them, a family unit. It didn’t matter that Ari had been the nanny, that she wasn’t Noah’s birth mother. They made a beautiful, loving family.
Tasha wanted to believe Daniel when he said it was time to forgive herself. That she could have a life again, a good one.
But could she really deserve all this? Not the money, but the happiness that was a shining halo around Ari. It was in the light of her eyes when she looked at Noah, the sweetness of her hand in Matt’s.
Could Tasha ever truly deserve a man like Daniel and a family like the Mavericks?
Chapter Twenty-Five
The flight took barely an hour, and a car waited to drive them straight to the hospital. As they pulled beneath the hospital’s portico, Tasha’s heart began to jackhammer in her chest and her blood pounded in her ears.
Especially when they learned that her father hadn’t been admitted under the name Summerfield.
The smells, antiseptic and sterile, turned her stomach. Soft-soled shoes screeched on the linoleum floors. The elevator walls closed in on her. The one positive thing she held on to was that Daniel had learned at Reception that her father wasn’t in ICU or even CCU, the coronary care unit. Which meant he wasn’t critical, thank God.
“Thank you,” she said to Daniel as the elevator doors slid open silently. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
He’d done everything—helped find her family, flown her to the hospital, arranged a car. He’d even booked a hotel room for later, in case she was too tired to head back to San Francisco tonight.
But more than that, he’d simply been there, a solid warmth surrounding her, giving her comfort when she needed it most.
She’d lost her ability to trust when her father sold her out. But in this moment, she trusted Daniel with everything. And knew, deep within her heart, that he’d never betray her.
Ever.
Her father was in a private room. It made her sick to think he had paid for it with stolen money, but she still knocked on the door.
Drew opened it. “Thank God you’re here, Tash.”
In the three months since she’d seen him, her brother’s short, dark hair had grown scraggly. His shirt was rumpled, his jeans baggy, his face gaunt, and his eyes sunken in dark circles. He looked ten years older.
She threw herself into his arms, hugging him so tightly her muscles hurt. Drew hugged her just as hard.
