Mabe's Burden (21 page)

“
You don’t sound happy, big
sister.”

“
I thought I was until I
came here. Hooking up with you and Meg again, it’s come back to me
how important family is. It’s important that we look out for one
another.” She took Mabe’s hand. “I thought about you often and
worried about you. I’d wonder how you were coping with Da, but I
just didn’t have the guts to come home to check on you. He hurt me.
Badly.”

Tears dampened Mabe’s eyes. She
remembered how tough their father had been on her. “I know,” she
responded. “I was glad when you left. I prayed every night you’d
find a way to be happy. I’m sad to hear you aren’t.”

Mara’s lips curved. “I’m happy right
now.”

Mabe wrapped her older sister in a
tight hug. “Good. You don’t need to feel the urge to rush right off
to New York, but if you have to go I understand. I’ll take good
care of our sister and her baby girl.”

“
Let’s see how this loan
thing goes. I’ll probably stick around for Meg’s surgery. I want to
hear the prognosis and course of treatment she’s going to have to
face. It’s not going to be cheap.”

“
I know. I do okay with the
pub. Without Da gambling away all the profits, it should be enough
for us to get by. I’ll just pray about the rest.”

Mara punched her on the shoulder. “I do
pretty well myself. She won’t need to worry. We’ll figure it
out.”

Mabe drained her coffee mug and pushed
away from the counter. “I better get going. Jake’s going to be mad
if I don’t make it in time for the beer truck.”

“
Okay, have a good day. And
Sis?”

Pausing at the door, she looked over
her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“
I hope you get the answers
you’re looking for tonight.”

“
Me, too.”

Chapter
Seventeen

Aaron let his mind drift as he drove on
I-10 back to Monticello from Tallahassee. He’d just brokered the
sale of a government building to a private corporation for a
considerable commission. He whistled along with the radio. He loved
his job. When he closed a satisfying honest above board deal like
this one, it made him happy. Staying sharp, no matter where he
happened to be in the country usually turned out to be quite
lucrative for him.

He glanced at the small, elongated
velvet box on the seat next to him and grinned. He’d not been able
to resist the purchase. He’d passed the jewelry shop on his way
back to his car. A pretty little bauble caught his eye. Hanging
around one of the faux necks in the window was a charming necklace.
A shamrock made of platinum, encrusted with diamonds, strung with a
dainty chain had Mabe written all over it. On impulse, he’d entered
the jewelry store and purchased it.

In the short time he’d been spending
time with her, he’d gotten to know enough about what made her
happy. His gut told him she would love the necklace. Excitement
bubbled up as he thought about the look on her face when he draped
it around her gorgeous neck. He would place a kiss right in the
curve of her shoulder, and then he’d get a look at her with nothing
on but the necklace. His groin tightened in expectation.

He couldn’t believe how much she’d
woven her way into his heart. He hadn’t seen Mabe O’Banyon coming,
and she’d plowed into him like a freight train. He’d been all over
the world, met women of every fashion, but never had one even come
close to stealing his heart. She had him firmly in her grasp, and
he found he liked being there.

He thought about having her next to him
in bed that morning, her body softly curved against his. She’d fit
perfectly in the crook of his arm. He remembered the subtle
strawberry scent of her hair, full kissable lips, and the fondness
for him that shown through her emerald eyes.

A sudden sensation of dread filled his
entire being. She wanted to know more about his family—which she
had every right to ask. But how was he going to tell her he was
related to the very mobster who had her family in his vice like
grip? If she’d not been so stubborn and just let him buy the pub
like he’d done for so many others his uncle had indebted to him,
life would be so much smoother. He needed to figure out a way to
explain who he was and how he felt about her without all the drama
getting in the way. Damn his rotten uncle to hell.

He’d seen firsthand what Rocko was
capable of, and there was no way he’d let anything happen to Mabe
or her sisters. Since she wouldn’t sell to him, he’d have to be
extremely vigilant if this loan idea of hers didn’t go through.
He’d thought about fronting the loan through a meeting with the
loan officer at the bank. But he was already in too deep. More lies
weren’t going to help where she was concerned.

On his drive to Tallahassee, he’d
decided to come clean with her at dinner. He’d try to minimize the
consequences with the necklace, by having her in his arms when he
broke the news. He’d have told her the truth from the beginning if
he’d had any idea how much she would mean to him. But it had
happened so fast. He’d heard his mother say she’d fallen in love at
first sight, but he’d always chalked that up to the memories she
wanted to hang on to after his father’s death. He’d changed his
mind, and believed there was possibly a great deal of truth to the
sentiment. He was in love with Mabe, and he knew it.

His stomach lurched a little
anticipating how the conversation might go. His palms grew damp on
the steering wheel. He wiped them on his slacks one at a time.
She’d be pissed, he was sure, but he hoped she’d hear him out. If
he just had time to explain, he knew she’d understand.

His cell phone rang. He pressed the
button for the blue tooth on the steering wheel.
“Hello?”

“
Hi, sexy, where are
you?”

“
Hey. I was just thinking
about you.”

“
Mmm. Naughty thoughts I
hope.”

He laughed. It occurred to him he’d
laughed more in the past few weeks than he had in a very long time.
“Of course.”

“
Are you close? Things are
winding down here. I’m headed home to take a shower, so you can
just pick me up there. Sound good?”

“
Sure, I’m still about
thirty minutes away from your house, so you’ve got time. I’ve got a
surprise for you.”

“
Really? What is
it?”

“
If I tell you, it won’t be
a surprise will it?”

“
I wanna know!”

“
Patience,
Grasshopper.”

“
Oh, good grief. You’re
impossible.”

“
So true. What do you want
to eat?”

“
I’ll have Jake whip us up
some pasta. We can eat in your room. Naked. In bed.”

“
Oh, now you’ve done it.
Gone and gotten me all excited.”

She laughed. “Drive safe.”

He chuckled, drew in a deep breath. He
glanced at the velvet box again, praying for mercy for what he was
about to tell her.

****

Mabe breezed in the back door, flying
past Meg who was sitting at the table. “Hey!”

“
Hey, can’t talk. Aaron will
be here in about twenty. Gotta get a shower.”

“
Okay.” Meg went back to her
list.

She dashed up the stairs and grabbed
what she wanted to wear for the night. They weren’t going anywhere,
so her jeans and a cami would be okay, but what she wanted to put
on under her clothes would take a little thought. She hadn’t had
much need for sexy underwear in the past—at least not to impress
anyone—but tonight was different. She wanted to be her most
feminine for him. She’d looked forward to this dinner all day. She
was picking up a to-die-for seafood pasta from Shenanigans to take
with her along with her favorite bottle of wine. She shivered in
anticipation.

After her shower, she sang
while she dried her hair and put on her makeup. She grabbed for her
mascara.
Crap
.
Mara had been into her stuff again. Groaning, she pulled on a white
robe. She shuffled down the hall to her oldest sister’s room. “Hey
Mar?”

The room was empty, so she
went to the dresser to hunt for the makeup. She moved the iPad to
the side, a piece of white paper fluttered to the floor. She
glanced at it in annoyance and then leaned closer, picking it up.
The picture was of Aaron standing next to an older woman with two
other men. It looked like some kind of ground breaking or awards
ceremony. Curious, she read the caption beneath the photo aloud,
“New Jersey transplant, high society matron, Evelyn Toreni Shaw and
her son Aaron held another successful fund…” Her heartbeat sped up
when she focused on the woman’s last name.
Toreni!
She stared at the woman
standing next to him. The family resemblance was
undeniable.

Mabe stumbled backward, sat
down hard on the bed. Her breath exited her lungs in a whoosh
while, at the same time, a horrible ache stabbed her heart.
Holy shit. He’s kin to the very man who is
extorting over two hundred thousand dollars from me. What is he to
the Toreni Da owed money to? A nephew? A cousin? Oh God. This is
unbelievable. Why in the hell didn’t he tell me?

“
Hey, Mabe, Aaron’s downst—”
Mara peered into the room. “Oh shit. Honey, you weren’t supposed to
see that.”

Mabe raised her head, tears rolling
down her cheeks. “You knew? You knew and didn’t tell me?” The pain
of the double betrayal shot through her.

“
It’s not like that. I
haven’t known long. You come in here today all happy he was going
to tell you about his family tonight, so I figured I’d let you hear
it from him.” Mara sat next to her sister on the bed. “Just let him
explain. I’m sure there’s a really good reason why he kept his
relationship from you. Give him a chance.”

“
A chance?” she shouted,
jumping to her feet. “You want me to forgive either one of you for
this pack of lies? He’s kin to the loan shark we owe money to. For
all we know he’s here just to make sure Toreni gets his money.” She
paced back and forth. “How could I have been so stupid? My heart
said to trust him, but my brain told me different. Even you two….
Wait a minute. You’ve known this for a while, haven’t you? That’s
why you and Meg have been acting so weird around him. Damn it, you
should have told me.”

“
Mabe, listen—”

“
You said he was
downstairs?”

“
Yes, but—”

She dashed out of the room, bounding
down the stairs, picture in hand. Reaching the living room, she
skidded to a stop. Just as Aaron was standing to say hello, she
reared back, slapping him hard across the face. “You get out of
here, you lying bastard.”

Stunned, he stumbled away, his hand
covering his reddening cheek. “What the hell are you doing? What
are you talking about?”

She flung the paper at him. It
fluttered to the floor at his feet. He bent to pick it up. The
minute he saw the photo, his eyes widened and his face
flushed.

“
Oh yeah, so now you know
why I’m so pissed. You’re a Toreni!” she accused.

“
Mabe, let me
explain.”

She glared at him. “Get out of my
house, you...you...viper! I don’t ever want to see you
again.”

Mara had reached the entryway to the
living room, arriving right behind her. “Please. Listen to him. I’m
sure there’s a good explanation.”

She whirled on her sisters. Crossing
the room, she poked Mara in the chest, hard. “I don’t want to hear
a word out of you either. Since I’m the one who’s apparently been
in the dark this whole time, all three of you can go fuck
yourselves.”

She rounded on him, fighting back the
tears threatening to flow. “I told you to get out. Pack up your
shit and leave town. If I see you again, I’ll tell the sheriff who
you are and make sure you’re arrested.”

Aaron stood his ground. “I deserve the
right to defend myself. I was going to tell you everything tonight
over dinner. I’m not what you think I am. I don’t work with
my—”

Mabe grabbed a vase, hurling
it at his head. He ducked just in time. The ceramic shattered
against the wall behind him. “I said
get
out!”

Meg took Aaron’s arm. “You better do
what she says.” She led him to the door and opened the screen,
looking him square in the eye. “You should have told her
sooner.”

His head dropped, and he reached in his
pocket. “When she calms down, give her this for me.”

She looked at the velvet jewelry box.
“Oh, I don’t know.”

“
Please. I bought it for
her, and I want her to have it.”

Meg nodded, pushing him gently out the
door. When she returned to the living room, her younger sister was
still in a rage.

Mabe whirled on her. “You two make me
sick. We’re supposed to be a family, able to trust each other. How
could you not share something like this with me?”

Meg opened her mouth to speak, but
didn’t get a chance. Mabe ran from the living room.

She slammed the door to her bedroom.
Ripping off the robe, she caught sight of her body in the mirror.
Her reflection in the sexy black bra and panties sent a bolt of
temper through her. She ripped them from her body. Approaching her
dresser, she pulled a pair of scissors from the drawer, shredding
the lacy garments. Leaving the remnants on the floor, she slipped
into other, more sensible panties and pulled on her jeans. She
struggled into a tank top, grabbed her purse and keys, then bolted
down the stairs, and out the front door.