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The Bravos: Family Ties: The Bravo Family Way / Married in Haste / From Here to Paternity

Год написания книги
2019
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“You mean, at least I’m not alone?”

Celia looked sheepish. “Yeah. And I can tell you what I know….”

“Oh, please. Yes.”

“Well …” Celia kicked off her flats, tucked her legs to the side and braced an elbow on the back of the sofa. “Aaron says they got married in college.”

“They met there?”

“Uh-huh. At Princeton. He was studying finance on full scholarship. She was in humanities—English Lit, something like that. They both got their degrees. And he went into the casino business. I don’t think she worked. The marriage lasted for five years or so. Then Belinda got pregnant with Ashlyn—and then the marriage broke up. He left her and he also gave her full custody of Ashlyn.”

Cleo let out a hard breath. “You’re not serious. He wouldn’t do that—not the way he feels about his family, not the way he is with Ashlyn now.”

Celia shrugged. “But he did do that. I remember when Ashlyn first came here to live with him. He never saw that little girl until Belinda’s parents contacted him to tell him that his ex-wife had died.”

“It seems … completely unlike him. He’s tough and he can be scary, but I understood that first day I met him that to him family is everything. His child is everything. You even said so yourself.” And Cleo was hungry for any information she could get. “How did Belinda die?”

“He didn’t tell you?”

“He said it was ‘sudden.’”

“It was. She had a stroke. One of those freak things you’d never imagine could happen to someone that young. She and Ashlyn were at Belinda’s parents’ house in upstate New York. Belinda told her mother she had a headache. She went to lie down—and never got back up again. Her mother went to check on her and found her dead.”

“How awful …”

Celia touched her shoulder again. “It is very new between you and Fletcher. And he’s been hurt. He’s a guarded man—just like Aaron was when he and I got together. Fletcher never knew his father. He loves his stepfather, but Grant didn’t come along until later. I think Fletcher and his mother had a tough time there for a while.”

“Grant. That’s his stepfather’s name?”

“Yeah. Grant Holland. He’s a great guy. Truly. So Fletcher did get at least half of a decent childhood. But then there was Belinda. And whatever went wrong there, I’d guess the wounds go deep.”

“I have to say I think you’re right.”

“But, Cleo …”

“What?”

Celia’s hazel eyes twinkled. “I think it’s all workable—for the two of you.”

“Oh, God. Not really. Not in any permanent way. He’s just not the kind for that.”

“Oh, yes he is. With the right woman, a woman like you …”

Cleo reminded herself not to float too far up in the clouds. She teased, “And you know this how?”

“Intuition.”

“Oh. Well.”

“Don’t you dare scoff at intuition.”

“I’m not scoffing. It’s only, well, I’m hardly daring to believe the way this is going. The other day, when it started with us, I was absolutely certain Fletcher and I couldn’t last five minutes.”

“Yeah. You made your doubts painfully clear at lunch.”

“Two big glasses of Chenin Blanc will do that to a girl.”

“Oh, so now you say it was the wine….”

“Well, without it, you and Jane and Jilly would never know all my deepest secrets.”

“Then here’s to white wine—and serendipity. You shared your feelings about Fletcher and then you instantly ran into him.”

“Was that strange or what?”

“Cleo, life is strange. And miracles do happen. They did for me. One day I realized I was in love with my boss—a guy I’d known all my life, a guy I knew would never look twice at me, what with the glamour girls he always dated. I thought it was hopeless. But look at me now. Happily married to the very man I was certain would never love me in return—and with two gorgeous kids, to boot.”

“Oh, Celia, it’s all happening so fast, you know? Here it is, three days later, and I’m finding myself hoping the craziest thing….”

“Tell,” Celia commanded.

“It’s too wild.”

“Tell me anyway. I can take it.”

“Well, okay, then. I’m starting to dare to imagine what it might be like if Fletcher and I had a lifetime.” A nervous laugh escaped her. “Is that insane or what?”

“Not in the least.”

“Well, it’s nice that you sound so sure.”

“I am sure. I am absolutely positive. I am a total romantic and darn proud of it. And you know what? I’m going to lay it right out here.”

“Lay what right out here?”

“The truth as I see it.”

“And that would be …?”

“Cleo, what I think we’ve got here is love.”

Chapter Ten

Love.

Could it be?

Though Celia’s enthusiasm was contagious, Cleo thought it was a little too early to be calling what she felt for Fletcher love. She wouldn’t put labels on it. No. Not yet.
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