Chapter 29
Haven and Skylar
“Skylar!”
A huge smile curved Haven’s lips when she opened the door Tuesday evening to find Skylar standing there.
He had called last night to let her know that he had decided to accept her invitation to join her family for Thanksgiving and would fly in on Wednesday night.
Seeing him earlier than expected made her day.
The moment he crossed the threshold and closed the door, he pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth in a kiss that made her head spin. Even after he released her mouth, his lips trailed a path across her cheekbones, eyelids, and chin.
“I missed you so much, Haven.”
“You didn’t leave here until before dawn on Monday morning. It hasn’t even been two full days, Skylar,” she whispered as his mouth began nuzzling her ear and nipping at her neck.
“It doesn’t matter. I love being with you, and when I’m not, I miss you.”
“Well, you aren’t alone in that. I always miss you when you’re not with me,” she said, taking his hand and leading him over to the sofa. When she moved to sit beside him, he pulled her onto his lap and propped his chin in the crown of her head.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about, Haven.”
His tone sounded serious, and she turned to face him. “What is it?” From his somber expression, she knew whatever he had to tell her was important. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you remember me telling you that I’d received a letter from my mother?”
“Yes, the letter was delivered by a brother you had never met, right?”
“Right.”
“I’m sure it’s been on your mind. Did you decide what to do about it?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes. Thanks to you, I know what I’m going to do.”
She lifted a brow. “Me? How could I have had any impact on your decision?”
“You remember when I told you I had been invited to my brother’s family for Thanksgiving?”
“Yes. Have you decided to go to theirs instead of joining me at mine? If so, that’s okay, Skylar. I understand. Thanksgiving is a time for family, and it’s important that you get to know your siblings, if that’s what you want to do.”
“I’m beginning to think that’s what I want to do.”
She nodded. “Good. It sounds like you made the right decision. Like I said, family is important. Instead of us being together on Thanksgiving, we can spend this weekend together.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m going to do both. I will spend Thanksgiving with my new family…and with yours.”
Haven was trying to follow his train of thought, but it was nearly impossible. “How do you intend to be two places at the same time?”
“Actually, I will only be in one place.” Seeing her confusion, he continued. “The last time I was here, I saw a picture on your desk that had been taken at your cousin Jeremiah’s wedding.”
“Yes, I remember. What about it?”
“Seeing it made me realize something.”
“What?”
“Your family is my family.”
Now he really had her confused. “I don’t understand, Skylar. What are you talking about?”
“My brother? The one who came to see me in San Francisco.”
“Yes?”
“His name is Logan Montgomery.”
Haven was out of his lap in a flash. “What! Are you sure?”
He pulled her back. “I am positive. Remember me telling you that I recognized someone in the photo?”
“Yes, and I assumed it was Lance,” she said.
“The person I recognized was Logan. He had just met with me a couple of weeks earlier. We even dined together.”
“That means you, Logan, Lyle, Lance, and Carrie share the same mother?”
“Yes.”
“But how could that be? In all these years, there was never any mention of their mother giving birth to a fifth child. The Montgomerys are big on family. They would have at least mentioned it.”
“They didn’t know.” Then, while she cuddled in his arms, he told her what Logan had shared with him, how Edwina Montgomery had sent a packet of letters to Jeremiah to disperse.
No one had known of Skylar’s existence until then.
He then told her the sordid details, about how his father had purchased him from Edwina, how she’d never even held him, how his father, Ricco, and Dante’s father, Mario, had arrived at the hospital just hours after he was born to claim him.
“But who took care of you? You were so young.”
“My grandmother, Ursula. And she hired a team of nurses to assist her. Dad shared everything with me during his final days. I know Mario visited Edwina to deliver the money and had her sign a paper stating that she relinquished any rights to me. From what Dad told me, Mario scared her witless, threatening what would happen to her if she ever came back.”
“And she believed him?”
Skylar nodded. “She would have to be crazy not to. Mario came from a family of hitmen in Italy.”
“What!”
“That’s another story I intend to share with you one day. But not now.” He nuzzled her cheek.
“Okay, but this entire thing is bizarre, especially the fact that you and I met and fell in love, not knowing of the connection. It seems like more than a coincidence, Skylar. It has to have a deeper significance than that.”
“Dante believes it was my destiny.”
“Well, I’m glad neither you nor Dante thought I was involved in some nefarious plot. Although I wouldn’t have blamed you. This is so incredible! Have you told the Montgomerys about us?” she asked.
“I haven’t spoken with Logan since he left San Francisco. What about you? Have you spoken with the Montgomerys since you’ve been back?”
“Yes, I called Jeremiah to let him know I had returned and that I would be bringing a date for Thanksgiving. He is excited to meet you. I didn’t give him your name. The family is already thrilled because Thea’s daughter, Danielle, is bringing a date as well. Everyone is anxious to meet you both.”
She reached up and caressed his chin. “I know that finding out my connection to the Montgomerys had to have been a shock, but I like Dante’s assessment. This—” she dropped a kiss on his lips, “--was meant to be.”
She sat back and studied him. “You know, this might be really good for you. The Montgomerys are family-oriented, and whenever you talk about your father, what a good and kind person he was, it reminded me of Jeremiah. It’s ironic how two wonderful men could fall in love with the same horrible woman. ”
“A woman who didn’t deserve their love,” Skylar said gruffly. “Who left them with broken hearts.”
“But look what they got out of it, Skylar. Jeremiah got Logan, Lyle, Lance, and Carrie. I think the only thing he would change is all the crap Carrie went through. But they found her and showed her the love she had missed out on.”
She cuddled in closer. “And I’m sure your father would go through all that heartache again if he knew that you would be the result.”
Skylar stared at Haven. His father had once said that having Skylar for a son was worth any heartbreak Edwina had put him through. “That’s exactly what Dad told me, just before he died.”
“And I’m sure he meant it,” she said. “So, in a way, you and the Montgomery kids were blessings to those two heartbroken men.” She paused, then carefully asked, “Have you decided what you’re going to do about Edwina? Will you forgive her?”
“I have decided, but I don’t want to talk about Edwina Montgomery. I want to make love to you, and then we can discuss the best way to explain our relationship when I arrive with you for Thanksgiving dinner at your family’s house,” he said.
“They definitely will be surprised, but I think I know a way to make the surprise a little sweet.”
“How?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s make love first and then I’ll tell you all about it.”