The Tycoon's Temporary Bride: Book Four (49 page)

Relief flooded Tashi’s heart. “Uncle Victor
always told me that my mother would never have left me alone in the
world. He raised me to be suspicious of everybody. If I’d listened
to him, Scottie wouldn’t have gotten close to me. I was so naïve
and stupid.”

“No you weren’t, baby. You were being a young
woman, doing what young people do, looking for love. I’m just glad
I got that video in time, and that I got to you in time.”

“I cringe when I think of how different my
life could have been if you hadn’t found me in time—” Her face
puckered. “Now I don’t even know what to call you. I can’t keep
calling you Agent Dawson.”

“Paul is fine.”

She shook her head. “No, I’ve always wanted a
father, and now here you are. I’m calling you,
Daddy
.
Daddy.” Her bright smile matched his.

With his heart overflowing with love and joy,
Paul kissed her forehead then he pulled an envelope from his jeans
pocket and handed it to her.

“What’s this?” Tashi asked.

“A belated wedding present.”

“You didn’t have—”

“Just open it.”

Catching her lip between her teeth, Tashi
opened the envelope then stared wordlessly at the form inside it.
It was a brand new copy of her birth certificate. Her maiden name
had been hyphenated to Holland-Dawson. And in the column where
Unknown
used to be, the name
Paul Christopher Dawson
was printed in strong bold letters. Tashi began to giggle
uncontrollably as she hugged him. It was the best gift ever. “Thank
you, Daddy.”

“Daddy’s home to stay, baby-girl. I retired
from the agency and I’m moving to Granite Falls. I’m spending the
rest of my life getting to know you, and hopefully, my
grandchildren.”

Tashi looked toward the door as she heard a
commotion outside the dining room. “Tashi,
dove sei mia
figlia
? Tashi…”

“Arabella is asking ‘Where’s my daughter’?”
Paul translated for her.

“I didn’t know you spoke Italian.”

“Had to learn it, and French and Spanish,
too, in order to keep up with these four billionaires. Just started
on Russian,” he said, rising and pulling her with him as Arabella
came into the room, followed by Adam and Alessandro.

“Tashi.” Arabella hugged her so tightly,
Tashi had trouble breathing, and just when she thought she could
take a breath, she was wrapped in Alessandro’s arms. And then they
were spinning her around, talking excitedly in Italian, touching
her hair, her face, kissing her cheeks. She loved having a family
and people fussing over her. She never had that growing up. Her
uncle loved her, but he was not overly affectionate. Adam’s
parents, and her newfound father had no qualms about showing her
how much they loved her. Her children would be so spoiled.

“Okay, Mom and Dad,” Adam said with a big
grin on his face. “I think Tashi feels very welcomed to the
family.”

“I do.” Tashi grinned at her in-laws as she
looped her arms around her husband’s waist. Arabella looked stylish
in a white designer linen suit that fitted her slender petite form
perfectly. Her brown, gray-streaked hair fell loosely around her
beautiful oval face, and Alessandro, a few inches shorter than his
son, looked very relaxed in jeans and a yellow sport shirt.
Gratefully, she noted that his black and silver hairline had not
receded. But… she thought, glancing at his slightly emerging
potbelly…

“Too much pasta and wine,” Adam whispered in
her ears as Alessandro and Arabella turned their attention to Paul.
“You don’t ever have to worry about me growing one of those.”

Tashi giggled. “Have respect for your
father,” she said, feeling a sense of pride that her father spoke
Italian like a native. And now that he was moving to Granite Falls,
he could help her with lessons while Adam was at work.

“Tashi.” Alessandro came back to her. “I
apologize for my behavior the day we spoke via satellite. I was out
of line.”

“It’s okay, Alessandro—”

“No,
cara
. We are Mom and Dad,”
Arabella said, her brown eyes twinkling with happiness.

“Two new dads and one new mom in one day.
What more can a girl ask for?” Tashi said, handing her birth
certificate to Alessandro. “I have a father. You can query him
about my ancestry to see if I’m good enough for your son.” She
shared a big smile with her dad.

Without even glancing at the certificate,
Alessandro placed it on the dining table, and clasped both hands to
Tashi’s cheeks. “
Sei la cosa migliore mai accadere a mio figlio.
E non mi interessa se vi erano di legno intagliato e Geppetto è tuo
padre. Ti amo, figlia.”
He kissed her full on the lips.

Tashi had no idea what he said, except that
he loved her. That was all she needed. “
Ama anche tu, papà
.”
She kissed him back.

“Hmm, a quick study,” Arabella murmured,
smiling at Tashi.

“In everything, Mom,” Adam said, winking at
his mother. He pulled Tashi into his arms and bending down he
covered her mouth in a long sweet, shameless kiss while the family
cheered them on.

Then Prudence came in to inform them that
breakfast was ready, followed by a maid, carrying a pair of Tashi’s
sandals, which she helped her slip on. It was a beautiful Sunday
morning so they were
mangiare fuori
on the terrace.

“You ladies go ahead. We men need a moment,”
Alessandro said.

Arabella placed her arm around Tashi’s
shoulder. “Come on,
cara
, we have a lot of catching up to do
and vacations to plan.”

As soon as the ladies were out of earshot,
Alessandro fished two photos from his pocket and handed them to
Adam. “These were the photos Sheikh Armad had of your wife. I spoke
to his father. You’ll have no problems from him.”

Adam’s hands trembled as he gazed at the
first photo of Tashi in white shorts and a blue blouse, standing on
the steps of the MET in New York City. The second photo was a
headshot. She stared back at him through smiling, innocent eyes.
Under different circumstance, Adam’s heart would have skipped a
beat as he gazed at her. But thoughts of where those photos had
been, and the reasons they’d been taken filled him with disgust. He
fisted them in his palm, and tossed them into the unlit fireplace.
“Thanks, Dad. Sheikh Armad was next on my list.”

“I’ve saved you the trouble.”

“And we’re working on getting the girls that
were abducted and sold to him back home,” Paul told Alessandro.
“The FBI, and several other organizations are launching a global
campaigned to stop this heinous crime against women and children.
It’s a never-ending war.”

“But we’ll never give up,” Alessandro said,
as they began to follow the ladies down the corridor at a leisurely
and safe distance. He turned to Adam. “It seems we’ve expanded into
the jewelry business, hmm.”

“Not for long, Dad. Not for long. I’m
dismantling the company. In good faith and out of respect, I’ve
offered Mr. and Mrs. Forsythe a substantial retirement with strict
stipulations in place. It will become null and void if they extend
as much as a penny to their daughter, whom I’ve instructed them,
has to move out of the family home. She’ll either have to marry
into money, or work for a living like the rest of us. As for the
employees, I’m making arrangements for them to find work
elsewhere.”

“What will you do with the empty lot?”

Adam smiled. “I know of an emerging computer
company that could use the space. McCall & Co. Computer
Services. I hope you’re not too disappointed that this buy-out is a
total loss.”

“Well, you win some and you lose some. All
for a good cause.” Alessandro squeezed Adam’s shoulders. “You are
truly my son. I’m proud of you, Adamo. Now, when will I be bouncing
my first grandchild on my knees?”

“Our first grandchild,” Paul corrected from
Adam’s other side.

“In eight and a half months, my wife just
informed me,” Adam said, his heart racing and his flesh warming as
he looked at his mother and his wife—the two most important women
in his life—walking arm in arm in front of him.

The grandfathers-to-be slapped Adam on the
back. “Congratulations, son,” they said in unison.

“And I hear there’s a grand wedding in our
future. Four brides for four grooms,” Alessandro continued.

“Yes, sir,” Paul relied. “And I cannot wait
to give my daughter away to my dearest, most trusted friend.” He
squeezed Adam’s shoulder.

“It’s an honor and a blessing to have her,
Paul. Thank you for creating her, and for sending her to me.” Adam
threw his arm around Paul’s shoulder. He really loved this man.

“Have you told your wife why your mother and
I are in Granite Falls?” Alessandro asked as the butler opened the
door that led to the porch.

Adam smiled. “Later, Dad, I’ll tell her of
your generous gift to take over the company for a whole month while
we honeymoon on
L’isola di Andreas
in the
Mediterranean.”

Satisfied, Alessandro turned his enquiries to
Paul as they descended the steps to the terrace. “Paul, I heard on
the news that Boris Sokolov and his accomplice, a Leon Tidwell,
were fatally shot while trying to escape arrest from the local
police, last evening.”

“That’s exactly what I heard, too,” Paul
replied, matter-of-factly.

“Hmm. And where will the rest of that
organization be vacationing after their trials?”

“As soon as I get the word, I’ll let you
know, Alessandro.”

The End

One year later on a rainy night.

From the door of the nursery, Adam watched
his infant son nursing at his mother’s left breast, his little pink
mouth clamped tight, and a smile of sheer joy was spread across his
ruddy little face. Adam knew exactly how he felt, the pleasure he
was getting from sucking at her breast.

Adamo Alessandro Christopher Andreas, The
Third—Alex—for short, was a beautiful healthy boy with dark curly
hair and his mother’s gorgeous, emerald eyes—exactly as he’d seen
him in Tashi’s eyes. “Didn’t I predict our firstborn would be a
boy?” he asked, walking over to tower over his little family.

“Yes,” Tashi said, smiling up at him. “And
now Mom and I have to redo the nursery,” she added, glancing around
the room with silk wallpaper with little ballerinas in tutus
floating in midair. “Michelle and I should switch nurseries.”

“You ladies tried to prove me wrong. Perhaps
you’ll believe that our second bundle of joy will be a gorgeous
baby girl with red hair and blue eyes.” Adam knelt down on the
other side of the nursing chair. He leaned over and kissed his
son’s cheek as he removed his chubby little hand from his mother’s
right breast and clasped it in his own.

Adam swore the boy winked at him as he
slipped the forefinger of his other hand beneath the strap of
Tashi’s white cotton gown. They’d played this game of “suckling
from the fountain of love” many times before, and they would be
playing it for many more months in the future. It was a game they
all enjoyed.

Adam held Tashi’s gaze as he eased the strap
down her shoulder until her rosy nipple and full delectable breast,
bursting with nourishment, was in full view. His mouth watered as
he felt the familiar stirring in his groin. “Hmm,” he said, dipping
his head to close his mouth over her juicy bell of love.

“Oh, God,” Tashi moaned as a series of
shocking waves ripped through her abdomen and settled into the core
of her womanhood. She tightened one arm around her son and the
other around her husband and gave herself over to the pleasure of
feeding them her love…