The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series) (21 page)

A half-hour later, Blade had showered and pulled on a well-worn pair of men’s sweats someone had left for him in the bathroom. He came out to find Maria giving her boys a stern lecture on training Daisy. “I know she’s still a puppy and she loves to play with other animals, but a skunk is not a pet like Fluffy. It’s a wild animal, and Daisy doesn’t know the difference. She has to be trained.”

Andy looked up with pleading eyes. “Blade, will you train her?”

He looked at Maria, eyebrows raised.
Is this a daddy kind of thing?

She nodded slightly, and he said, “We’ll see if we can find an obedience class. In the meantime, don’t take her out front without a leash.”

The wedding ceremony wasn’t memorable, but this had definitely been a memorable wedding day. Too bad they couldn’t have a memorable wedding night.

<>

As soon as Blade left, the kids started in on Maria. Robbie shouted above the others. “Mom, Dad said we could come back.”

“We don’t need Dad,” said Molly. She crossed her arms. “And we don’t need a new one, either, Mom.”

“Mommy, do we hafta go back to Seattle?” asked Jimmy. “I like it better here.”

“Yeah,” said Andy. “Blade is gonna take us out on his motorcycle and—”

“Mom...”

“Mommy...”

“Maria, what about...” Mom’s voice added to the din, and Maria’s head already pounded from Daisy and the skunk.

Finally, Maria held up both hands. “One thing at a time. What’s this about your dad? Isn’t he marrying whatshername?”

“No,” said Molly, “and I’m not living with Dad. If you go back to him, I’m staying here with Grandma, and if you marry that grease monkey with the cool bike, I’m not—”

“Don’t you dictate to me, young lady,” Maria snapped.

“Pleeease, Mom,” said Robbie.

“Robbie, whatever else happens, I promise you I’ll never go back to your father. I had a reason for divorcing him, and we’re going to stay divorced.”

“He said it was your fault.”

Mom groaned, and Maria knew she had some serious damage control to do. Fred must have broken up with his latest honey, or maybe he figured if they got back together, however briefly, he’d be off the hook for child support. In any case, hell could freeze over before she’d go back to Fred. Besides, she was married to someone else.

Her words to Robbie ended Jimmy’s and Andy’s protests. Blade had already won them over, but not Molly. And not Robbie.

“Go get ready for bed, boys. Robbie, one of those books Blade gave you came from his grandfather’s library. It’s very old and worth a lot of money, so take care of it.”

“I will, but I want to live with Dad,” he whined.

“I know, honey,” she said gently. Nothing she could say or do would make him understand that Fred didn’t really want him. Fred didn’t want any of the kids. She wouldn’t let Robbie go anyway. He needed his mother and his siblings more than he needed a neglectful father.

The phone rang and Molly ran to answer it, the boys went downstairs to get ready for bed, and Maria was left alone with her mother.

“Fred has called here every day since the boys came home from Seattle. He said if you don’t call off your attorney, he’ll take Robbie away from you.”

“Did you call Gerry?”

“Yes, I did. He said he’d take care of it. You have a court date on May third with the same judge who granted your divorce. Gerry said Fred would be in big trouble because he didn’t do what the judge ordered.”

“Remind me to call Gerry in the morning.” Fred was playing with Robbie’s heart and upsetting the other kids to get back at her. She’d rather give up the child support than put her kids through this turmoil. Fred wouldn’t pay it anyway. She could tell Fred the truth, so he’d back off from wanting to take Robbie, but Fred wouldn’t keep it to himself, and Robbie wasn’t ready to hear that Fred wasn’t his natural father.

Blade would take care of the kids. Whether they stayed married for the long term or ended it in six months, Blade wouldn’t leave them without the means to support themselves.

Chapter Twelve

A
fter the kids went to bed that night, Maria sat in the living room with her mother. Mom already knew something was up, so Maria told her about the wedding in Las Vegas. “We couldn’t wait, Mom. The attorney put something in Blade’s grandfather’s will about him getting married before he turned forty or he wouldn’t get his inheritance, and his birthday is in a few days. There are some things going on with the Banner-Covington Shipping Corporation, and Blade doesn’t want his grandfather’s company to fall into the wrong hands. He thinks this crooked attorney put the marriage by forty condition in the will without his grandfather’s knowledge, but there’s no way to prove it now without tying up Blade’s inheritance in court and leaving the company in limbo for months, maybe years. It seemed easier to get married than for Blade to fight it in court.”

“So you’re not staying married?”

“I don’t know. Being around a big family might be more than he can handle. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll end it quietly without telling anyone else.”

Mom rubbed Maria’s hand. “Do you love him?”

“Yes, and I think he loves me. We need time to see if it’ll work. All I’m asking is for you to keep it to yourself for now and give him a chance to spend time with us.”

“I don’t like this, Maria. I don’t like secrets.”

Maria squeezed her hand. “I know.” The quickie wedding with the Elvis impersonator wasn’t ideal, but they’d accomplished their goal. They were legally married, and Blade’s attorney in New York could do what had to be done.

<>

The kids were eating breakfast the next morning when the doorbell rang. Andy ran to the door. “Daddy,” he squealed.

Why did Fred come here on a Friday morning? It was too early in the morning to deal with him. It was always too early to deal with Fred. Maria grabbed Daisy and walked to the door to tell him to come back another time, but Fred had already come inside.

“What’s that smell?”

“You,” she said, glaring at him. On a weekday morning, he hadn’t come to see his kids. Molly glared at him, finished her breakfast, and disappeared into the bathroom. Fred ignored her as if she didn’t exist. To him, she never had.

Andy and Jimmy babbled on and on about school and Daisy and the skunk, and Fred ignored them, too, as he always had.

“I’ve come for Robbie,” he said.

“You
what
?”

“I’ve come for my son. If you and the other kids want to come along, that’s fine, but Robbie is mine. He comes with me.”

Maria turned to look at Robbie’s face and saw the torment. He was torn between staying here at Grandma’s house and going with his beloved Daddy. Maria felt desperate to say or do something to keep him with her, but she was too surprised to speak. Why hadn’t she seen this coming? He didn’t say two words to the other kids, and he wanted to take the one who wasn’t his? Nothing like ripping the kids apart and turning them against each other, but Fred wouldn’t care about that. He only cared about himself.

“Mom, can I go?” Robbie asked, and Maria’s heart dropped.

She couldn’t stop Robbie from going without making herself the bad guy again, and Fred knew it. “Robbie can come for a visit after school is out.”

Blade stepped into the open doorway and scanned the intense scene inside. He knew without asking who the man was. Andy had Maria’s nearly black hair, but aside from that, he looked like his blond father.

Moving into the heavy silence, Blade said, “Good morning. I left my wallet in the garage. Have I come at a bad time?”

“Of course not. Blade Banner, this is my ex-husband, Robert Fredricks,
Fred
.” Maria said his name with contempt. “He came to take Robbie.”

One look at Maria’s eyes and Blade knew she’d do anything to keep from losing that kid.
I’ll take care of it, Maria. Trust me.

“Mommy,” a little voice called from downstairs. “I can’t find my other shoe.”

Maria pushed the front door closed behind Blade and went downstairs, leaving the two men alone with Robbie and Sophia.

“I don’t suppose you could wait until summer to—” Sophia began.

“No,” Fred said harshly, and Sophia muttered something under her breath. She clearly didn’t like the man, and Blade didn’t like him either.

In an effort to keep him talking while Maria took the other kids to school, Blade said, “Nick tells me you’re in the investment business, Fred. I’m looking for someone to handle a rather large amount. What kind of experience do you have?”

Fred’s eyes lit up with interest. His voice softened, and as the rudeness faded, he magically turned into Mr. Nice Guy. “How much are we talking about, Blade?” he asked, and Blade knew he had the guy’s full attention.

Get the other kids out of here, Maria. I won’t let Robbie go.
Maria left with three of his kids, and Fred didn’t notice. What a jerk! No wonder she divorced him. The only thing he cared about was money.

“Can you recommend some good stocks and mutual funds, steady, long-term investments that don’t present too much risk?”

“Of course I can. That’s why I’m in business.”

Sophia cleared off the table, and Robbie sat beside his father, a hopeful look on his face. Blade knew he had to tread carefully or he could cause more harm than good. It would tear Maria in half to lose one of her kids.

“Fred, Maria is helping me with a project in New York, and we were hoping to take the kids with us in June. I thought it would be an educational experience for them to see the Statue of Liberty and the Trade Center site. I’ve also arranged a tour of one of the ships in my grandfather’s company. Surely you wouldn’t want Robbie to miss that.”

Without missing a beat, Fred brought the conversation back to money. The man didn’t care about his kids or the trip. He was only interested in Blade’s money. “How much are you thinking of investing, Blade?”

“Have you heard of The Banner-Covington Shipping Corporation?”

“Of course.”

“My grandfather was Edward Banner. He passed away recently and left his entire estate to me.” The jerk’s eyes grew, and Blade had a strong urge to throw the bastard out the door. “About the trip to New York in June. I understand you’re having a little problem coming up with enough money to pay child support, so I’ll cover all the expenses.”

Fred’s jaw clenched and his eyes turned cold. “Let’s get one thing straight, Blade. I didn’t want four kids. I agreed to one or two, and the oldest is a shrew like her mother. Robbie is the only one I want, the only one I’ve ever wanted. If I have custody of him, I won’t have to pay child support, will I?”

A mournful cry came from the kitchen, and Blade realized that Sophia had been listening. Robbie had heard, too, because he looked like he’d cry any second.

“You can’t have Robbie,” Sophia said. “He deserves a real father, and when Maria and Blade get married, he’ll have one.”

Fred gaped at Blade. “You’re marrying my wife?”

“
Ex
-wife,” said Sophia.

Not knowing what Maria had told her mother or the kids, if anything, Blade kept his response non-committal. “We’ve discussed it.” Blade hesitated for a brief second before saying, “On second thought, I don’t want someone who doesn’t take financial responsibility for his own children managing my money. Get the hell out of here.”

Fred jumped to his feet. “Or what, Mr. Big Shot? Are you gonna throw me out?”

Blade came slowly to his feet, knowing that Fred would swing at him. And he welcomed it. He wanted to smash the guy’s pretty nose.

Fred swung his fist at Blade, but Blade ducked, slammed his fist into Fred’s soft stomach, and then brought it up under his chin.
Hard.
Fred’s teeth snapped together. He swore and wiped blood from his mouth.

Robbie couldn’t hold back his tears. The poor kid was torn apart, and his father didn’t give a shit.