She laughed. “I will. I promise. But to be honest, there won’t be any more guys for a long time. I need to focus on me getting better and getting my career on track. That’s my top priority. Everything else can wait.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“Friends?” she asked.
“Forever.” I smiled.
“I hope one day you can forgive me for everything that happened when I left for Italy.”
“You’re already forgiven.” I reached over and gave her a hug.
“Thanks, Collin. That means a lot to me.”
“I better get home. Amelia’s waiting for me. I asked her to come, but she thought that maybe we should talk alone.”
“Tell her I said thank you for everything.”
“You can tell her yourself when she comes to visit you. We’ll stop by this weekend if that’s okay with you?”
“I’d love that.”
“Take care, Hailey,” I said as I kissed her head.
“You too, Collin, and thanks for coming.”
We walked back to the lobby, said goodbye, and she went back to her room. I climbed in the Range Rover and headed home to my wife. A feeling of contentment flowed through me knowing that Hailey was going to be all right.
Chapter 37
Connor
After my dinner with Lou, I went home and found Ellery taking a bath. I walked into the bathroom and she looked at me and smiled.
“Did you have a nice dinner with Lou?”
“Yeah. May I join you?” I asked as I pulled my shirt over my head.
“Of course.”
She scooted up and I climbed in behind her, wrapping my arms around her silky smooth body as she rested her head against my chest.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“It’s about Lucas, isn’t it?”
“How did you know?”
“I’m your wife. I know you, Connor, and that dinner with Lou was about him, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. His blood type is the same as Julia’s. He lives in Vegas and I’m flying there tomorrow. Do you want to go with me?”
She softly kissed my arm. “I would love to go, but I think this is something you need to do on your own.”
“Are you sure, baby?”
“I’m positive. You’re not telling Julia, are you?”
“No. I’m not telling anyone. Not until I get some answers.”
“Good.”
“There’s another thing I found out. Charlotte gave him our last name.”
“Really? I’m surprised your father allowed that.”
“I am too. I have a feeling there’s a whole lot we don’t know.”
****
I opened the door to the Presidential Suite at the Bellagio Hotel and the bellhop brought my luggage in.
“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Black, and it’s nice to see you again.” He smiled.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “Thank you, Ed. I intend to.”
I unpacked my suitcase and pulled out the file folder that held the information about Lucas Black. I sighed as I stared at the address of his residence. I thought about calling him first, but I was sure he’d just hang up on me. So instead, I hired the same car service and driver I had for years drive me to his apartment. I made my way up to the second floor and found apartment 2D. Lightly knocking on the door, my nerves were running wild throughout my body. I stood there for a moment and waited for him to answer. But there was no answer. It was obvious he wasn’t home. I turned around and headed down the hallway to the stairs. As I turned the corner, and pulled my phone from my pocket, I ran into someone. When I looked up, it was him. The six foot tall, sandy blonde, blue-eyed man that was the same person I spoke to at my father’s funeral. His eyes widened when he saw me and he gulped. We both stood there for a moment in silence, neither one of us knowing what to say.
“Lucas?”
He began to walk away.
“I’m—”
“I know who you are, Connor. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you need to leave and leave me alone.” He headed down the hallway and I followed.
“Wait. Please. I know you’re my brother.”
He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Just because we have the same blood running through us doesn’t make us family.” He walked to his apartment and inserted the key.
“I know he was an asshole. Believe me. But you were at his funeral. Why?”
“Because it’s what my mother would have wanted. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He opened the door.
“Lucas, I need to talk to you. Please. Will you just give me a chance? I’m sure it’s what your mother would have wanted. For you to get to know your family.”
The anger in his eyes erupted as he stood there and stared at me. “You have no right talking about my mother and I don’t want to get to know any of you, especially if you’re just like him.” He walked in his apartment and shut the door.
Shit. I placed my hand on the back of my neck and sighed. How was I going to get him to talk to me and hear me out? I needed to devise a plan. A plan that would get his attention. I went back to the hotel and opened up the file on Lucas to see if there was anything else about him I could use to my advantage. Something interesting caught my attention. I pulled out my phone and dialed Ellery.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hi, baby.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“Kind of. He pretty much slammed the door in my face. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything, Connor.”
“Apparently, he offers private cooking lessons on his nights off from the restaurant. I want you to call him and arrange a lesson. Tell him you’re staying in the Presidential Suite at the Bellagio and give him your maiden name. Tell him he was recommended to you by a friend and you’re only in Vegas for a short time.”
I rattled off his phone number that was listed in the file and told her to call me back. About ten minutes later, my phone rang, and it was Ellery.
“Hey, baby.”
“Your private cooking lesson is set for tomorrow night at six o’clock. It’s a two-hour session and it’s costing you $2,000. So pay attention because I want you to show me what you learned to prepare when you come home.” She laughed.
“Thank you, Elle.”
“You’re welcome, darling. I miss you already.”
“I miss you too, baby. I’ll talk to you soon.”
****
It was morning and I headed downstairs to the Café Bellagio for breakfast. As I was sipping my coffee and reading the New York Times, someone spoke to me.
“Excuse me, but you’re one hell of a sexy man, and I’d love to have breakfast with you.”
I looked up and a wide grin graced my face as I saw Ellery standing there.
“Baby, what are you doing here?” I got up from my seat, gave her a kiss, and pulled out the chair for her.
“I got to thinking last night that when you open the door to let Lucas in, he’s might just bolt and that would be the end of that. So I decided to fly out here and give you a little help.”
“You’re amazing. I didn’t even think of that.”
“I figured that I would answer the door, let him get all set up, and then you could walk in, and I’d leave the two of you alone. I brought Peyton with me, so while you’re getting to know your brother, we’re going to do some gambling.”
I sat there and shook my head at her. “I love you. Where is Peyton?”
“She’s in her room lying down. She had one too many mimosas on the way here.” She laughed. “I went up to the penthouse and, when there was no answer, I figured you’d be here eating breakfast. Now let me see that menu. I’m starving.”
After enjoying a wonderful breakfast with my wife, we went up to the suite, made love, and then the three of us spent the day shopping and hanging out by the pool.
****
Ellery
We were sitting by the p
ool sipping margaritas when Peyton had a thought.
“You know, Elle. What if Lucas recognizes you from the funeral? In fact, if he already knew who Connor was, who’s to say he doesn’t know you.”
“Shit, Peyton. I didn’t think about that.” I looked over at Connor and he sighed.
“No worries. I’ll just pretend to be you. He wouldn’t have clue who I am. You can wait for me down at the casino and when Connor makes his grand entrance, I’ll meet you down there.”
“Good idea, Peyton. I’m glad I brought you.” I winked as I held up my glass to hers.
After enjoying the poolside, we headed upstairs to get ready for the evening.
“I’ll be up to your suite around 5:30,” Peyton said as she got off the elevator.
****
Connor
Ellery left the suite and Peyton and I waited for Lucas to show up. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. After our encounter yesterday, I was sure once he showed up, things were only going to get worse. There was a knock at the door and Peyton pushed me into the bedroom. Once she let him in, talked his ear off, and he got settled, I walked out of the room. He looked at me and slowly shook his head.
“What the fuck is going on here?” he asked in irritation.
I stood a few feet away from him with my hands in my pockets, studying his reaction.
“This was the only way to get you to meet me.”
“No way, man.” He began to pack up his things.
“Hold it right there, mister,” Peyton said as she placed her hand up. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’re going to provide Connor with the service that he’s paying you for. You’re going to sit down and the two of you are going to talk whether you like it or not. You may not like each other, but you’re going to hear one another out. You both share the same father and, from what I can tell, you are just as stubborn as he is.” She pointed at me. “Now, I’m sorry, Lucas, that we had to trick you into coming here, but if you would have put your big boy pants on yesterday and just listened to Connor, we wouldn’t be doing this right now. In fact, I’d be home cuddled up with my sexy husband, sipping champagne and eating chocolate-covered strawberries while he tells me about his long day at the hospital.”
“Wait a minute. Aren’t you his wife?” Lucas asked.
“No. I’m the best friend, Peyton. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She held out her hand and he hesitantly shook it. “Now pop open a beer or have a scotch, in Connor’s case, and talk like men do. If you’ll excuse me, there’s money to be won downstairs.” She turned on her heels and walked out the door.
Lucas looked at me with a small smile. “I have to say, I’m kind of glad she’s not your wife. She seems like a handful.”
“You have no idea.”
“Okay, Connor. You want to talk? So talk. But I’ll warn you right now that I have nothing to say. I don’t want to get to know the family that my father abandoned me and my mother for. Can you understand that?”
“I can, Lucas. I fully understand it. What is your preferred drink of choice?” I asked as I walked over to the bar.
“That Peyton chick said something about scotch. I like scotch.”
“Me too. There’s two things we have in common.”
Chapter 38
Connor
“So, am I to assume you don’t want a cooking lesson?” he asked.
I chuckled. “No. That’s okay. I’ll still pay you for your time.” I handed him his scotch and took a seat in the black leather chair across from the couch.
“I’m on limited time here, so why don’t you say what you have to say and we can go about our business.”
As I sat back in the chair and stared at him, I realized that he reminded me so much of Collin. Not my son, but my twin brother. When I saw him at the funeral, his eyes were the first thing I noticed. I kept thinking that there was something about them that gripped me. Now that I was sitting across from him, I realized just what it was.
“I’m sorry about what our father did to you and your mother. He wasn’t always a genuine caring man. He was a liar and a cheat.”
“I came to terms with that a long time ago. See, the difference is I already knew about you and your sister. I obsessed over the fact that my father abandoned me. I came to terms that I would never be good enough for him, even though I carried his name. He had two other children that were more important and I was never allowed to become a part of that life. I was nothing but a secret; a bastard that would ruin his reputation if it ever got out that I existed.”
The bitterness and anger that emerged from him was understandable. “I’m sorry, Lucas. All I can tell you is what you already know: he was an asshole. An asshole that the community worshiped. He put on an amazing façade. But I saw right through him.”
“I am curious to know how you found out about me.” He took a sip of his scotch.
“After he died, I was cleaning out his home office and found this picture.” I pulled the picture from my pocket and handed it to him. “I knew that child wasn’t me or Cassidy. I also found the purchase agreement for your house in Cherry Hill in a locked drawer of my father’s desk. My son, Collin, and I took a ride there and that’s when we met Flora. She told me everything.”
“Ah, Flora.” His lips gave way to a small smile. “She was like a grandmother to me. How is she?”
“She seemed well. She said that you moved away after your mother passed when you were eighteen.”
He looked down and set his drink on the table as he got up from the couch. “Father paid me a visit the day of my mother’s funeral. It was only the third time in my life that I’d seen him. He gave me his condolences and a check for one hundred thousand dollars to go start somewhere new because he was going to sell the house. He was afraid, now that my mother was gone, that I was going to come forth as his son. He made me sick standing there, pretending that he cared about my mother. I told him if he wanted me to go away, then he better up the offer to two hundred thousand and he’d never have to worry about me again.”
I held up my glass to him. “I would have gone for more. But you did well.”
“He gave it to me, I took it, and hopped on the next plane to Paris. I used the money to attend one of the finest culinary schools there. I studied, learned, and took odd jobs for about six years before moving back here and starting as a line cook at Sage. Because of my talent and what I learned in Paris, I was promoted to Executive Chef a couple of years later.”
“Have you ever considered opening your own restaurant?” I asked.
“All the time. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. Unfortunately, opening a restaurant costs a lot of money, something I don’t have. I don’t want to open a cheap diner or nothing. I want to be the owner of a five-star restaurant.”
His dreams were big and I liked that about him. He had ownership in his blood. I could help him make his dream come true if he’d help me, but I needed to be very careful with Lucas. I got the impression he was a ticking time bomb.
“I would like you to come and meet my family back in New York. Your family. You have a sister, niece, two nephews, and a great-nephew. And I know they’d want to meet you.”
He took in a deep breath as he stared at me like he was prey and I was the great white shark, ready to strike.
“Thanks for the offer, Connor, but like I said earlier, I don’t want to meet any more Blacks. You’re lucky I even gave you the time I did. I know all about you, big brother. I’ve been watching you for years. You and your multibillion dollar company, Black Enterprises. A company that I should have some stake in, considering I’m one of the Black sons. But I was banished from your family. So go back to New York to your family, to your life and stay the fuck out of mine.” He walked towards the door.
I stood up from my chair. “My daughter is ill and you’re the only one who can help her,” I yelled from across the room.
He stopped, slowly turned his head, and looked at me. The anger in his eyes grew.
br /> “You didn’t come here because you wanted to get to know me. You said earlier that you found the picture of me right after the funeral. That was three months ago. You never had any intention of finding me or else you would have done it then. You only came here out of desperation for your daughter.”
“I was angry!” I yelled. “Angry at him and angry at you. I was pissed as hell that you existed because it reminded me just how much of a bastard he was! How he hurt my mother. He hurt both our mothers! You’re my brother and you have a right to know your family!”
“I buried my family ten years ago. We’re done here. I’m sorry about your daughter, but there’s nothing I can do.”
“You’re throwing away the opportunity to own your restaurant. No cost is too great when it comes to my family. I can give you everything you need.”
“Why can’t you understand that I don’t want anything from you? Just leave me alone. And the fact that you would try to buy me off makes you no better than him.”
“The Black men don’t turn their backs on people in need!”
“Funny you should say that because I know one who did. Good bye, Connor.” He walked out the door.
I picked up my glass from the table and threw it against the wall. He was my last hope for Julia.
Chapter 39
Ellery
When I came back to the suite last night, I found Connor sitting on the balcony, staring out into the brightly lit city. He was hurting and so was I when he told me the conversation he had with Lucas. My emotions were at an all-time high as I sat on his lap and we held each other, thinking about Julia.
“We’re leaving Vegas tomorrow. There’s no reason for us to be here anymore.”
“What time?”
“The plane will be here around one.”
“Peyton and I are going to do some shopping first thing in the morning. She wants to pick up a few things for Hailey.”
“That’s fine. Just make sure you’re back in time.”
“It’s our plane, Connor. He’s not going anywhere until we board.”