The Marriage Promise (Billionaire Games Book 4) Read online

  “No, no...” Deidra said, shaking her head. “That’s over.”

  “Why? What happened.”

  “Well, to make a long story short...I sided with his daughter, and he didn’t like it.”

  “What do you mean you sided with his daughter?”

  “She wanted to get her hair streaked like mine. From out of nowhere, he turned into this controlling ass.” Deidra shook her head and tried to tamp her anger back down into her gut. “When I mentioned that it was only hair, that it’d grow back, he went from control freak to asinine jerk. He basically told me to butt out. That his children were none of my business.”

  “Oh my...”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Just because his wife died, and he has to be both mother and father now,” Lecie said. “That doesn’t give him the right to bite your head off for offering a little well-meant, albeit unsolicited, advice.”

  That was the thing about Lecie. She could point out the other person’s view while still maintaining support for the person she was talking to. But no matter how right Lecie was, it didn’t change the fact that John had made it clear...he would never allow her to be a mother to his children. And it wasn’t like they had a mother to turn to. She was gone. Long gone. The way Deidra saw it, there was no future for her and John.

  “Well it’s all a moot point now.” Deidra shrugged.

  “Why is that?”

  It took Deidra a moment to gather her thoughts so she could explain what the last week had done to her. “Spending the last week with John and his children, being a confidant to the girls, being entrusted with their care...it changed me.”

  “Okay, so clearly you became attached to his children. But what about him?”

  Deidra shook her head. “No, that’s not what I mean.” She sucked in a breath. “It made me want to be in love, and married, and to be somebody’s mother.”

  “Ohhhh....” The word lingered on Lecie’s tone like she’d just discovered some state secret.

  “So now, all I have to do is find a man to fall in love with.” Deidra laughed helplessly. “Next time I’d better pick one who wants the same thing.”

  “Next time?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “You know what I think?”

  No, but Deidra was sure she was about to find out. “What’s that?” she asked, half-afraid that Lecie’s advice would involve Deidra, in some form or fashion, crawling back to John.

  “You need to talk to John.”

  “Why? That bridge has burned.”

  “You need to tell him that you are sorry for butting in. That you only put yourself in the girl’s shoes—”

  “Amy. Her name is Amy.”

  “Amy’s shoes.” Lecie didn’t let the interruption or correction disrupt her advice. “Because you care about her. And while you know that your advice was unsolicited, you couldn’t help offering it because you can identify with Amy, as you know what it’s like to lose one’s mother.” Lecie was silent for a few seconds. “And then, tell him again that you’re sorry for butting in, and you’ll try not to do it again.”

  “He wants something completely different than I do. What’s the point in trying to repair the rift between us?”

  “You have to, Deidra,” Lecie said. “If you don’t part on good terms, I’m afraid this will ruin your ability to find someone else, someone who does want the same things as you. Deidra, I want you to be happy.”

  Happy? Was it possible for Deidra to find her happily-ever-after? Like Lecie, Tasha, and Camille had?

  A couple of days ago, she thought she’d found it. Today, she feared her one and only chance had slipped through her fingers.

  CHAPTER 11

  DEIDRA MADE IT TO THE Honolulu airport bright and early Monday morning to catch her flight back to the mainland. The sooner she left Hawaii, the better. But she wouldn’t mind coming back. Oahu was beautiful, and she was curious about the other islands. Maybe she would return someday. Just not while John Sinclair was here.

  The announcement came for all first class passengers to board, so Deidra claimed a place in line. While she waited her turn, her cell phone chimed. She glanced at the display. Amy.

  Deidra thought about letting it go to voice mail, but she couldn’t be that cruel to the girl. She gave in to the urge to answer the call. “Hello.”

  “Deidra.” It was John. “Please don’t hang up on me. I’m looking for Emily. Is she with you?”

  Alarm rushed through Deidra, and she forgot about the surprise that had enveloped her the second she heard his voice. “No. Why would you think she’s with me?”

  “She’s gone. She was very upset last night. I thought she might’ve come to your hotel room.” There was desperation in his voice, and it made Deidra want to cry.

  “No, she didn’t come to my hotel room before I checked out this morning.”

  “You checked out?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I’m returning to the mainland today.”

  “I don’t want to keep you. I was just hoping she was with you. That would’ve meant she was safe.”

  Safe? He considered Deidra to be a safe caregiver? “John, I’ll be right there.” Deidra stepped out of the line. “I’ll phone you when I get back to Waikiki.”

  “Thank you.”

  Deidra disconnected the call and headed for ground transportation. Her luggage was probably still at the hotel, as she used a service to ship it home so she didn’t have to deal with it. She thought about postponing the shipment, but decided against it. She was only going to stay long enough to find Emily and make sure she was okay. If that rolled over into tomorrow—God forbid—well, there were plenty of shops where she could buy a dress or two.

  She flagged down a taxi and headed back to Waikiki.

  John Sinclair paced the covered entry of Trump Tower, waiting for the police to arrive. He and the staff had searched the hotel. He’d gone down to the beach, and then to the Embassy Suites. One of the bellhops thought he’d seen Emily earlier in the morning. A desk clerk confirmed it. Emily had been there asking about Deidra. John could only surmise that Emily had left once they told her Deidra had checked out. Where she could’ve gone next, John hadn’t a clue.

  He had traversed Kalia between Saratoga and Lewers, then he ran up Lewers and back down the Beach Walk. She wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere.

  Now all he could do was wait for the police and hope they’d find her unharmed.

  The taxi rolled to a stop in front of Trump Tower. An attendant opened the car door for Deidra. She shoved some bills into the driver’s hand and climbed out.

  The attendant’s eyes lit with recognition. “Ms. Ferguson,” he said with a smile.

  “I’m looking for Mr. Sinclair.”

  “He left about ten minutes ago with the police.”

  Deidra’s heart thumped against her chest. “Have they found Emily?”

  “Not yet.”

  Deidra glanced around, her eyes focusing on the nearby couch and chairs. She looked back at the attendant and pointed toward the furniture. “I’ll just wait here for Mr. Sinclair then.”

  The young man nodded and turned away.

  Before Deidra went to an empty chair, she glanced around. Her gaze settled on Fort DeRussy across the street while her thoughts concentrated on Emily. Where was she? Where could she have disappeared to?

  Deidra propped her hands on her hips. Where had Emily ran off to? How could she hide so effectively in a place where there were thousands of tourists milling around?

  Hide.

  Hide?

  Oh my God! Deidra ran down the driveway. She didn’t wait for the traffic signals to turn in her favor. She simply darted across the street with horns blaring in her wake.

  Deidra ran along the sidewalk between the Waikiki Shore Hotel and the beachside of Ft. DeRussy Park.

  Thoughts of that day at the beach, when she and Emily had built a sandcastle. Emily had shown Deidra a glimpse of the playful world inside her
imagination after they’d spotted the ship for the Pirate Adventure on its morning excursion.

  A momentary smile came to Deidra as she recalled the fun they’d had, but it was quickly overshadowed by the fact that Emily was now missing. And Deidra couldn’t help feeling at least partly responsible.

  A flicker of hope fueled her to run faster.

  Could she be there, hiding in the shrubs behind the public restrooms?

  Deidra followed the winding path that cut through the edge of the park. If she followed it toward the beach, she might be able to find a way through the shrubbery to see if Emily was crouched down there. If she was there, it was no wonder that John and the police hadn’t been able to find her.

  With no cut-through path available to her, Deidra pushed her way between two leafy plants, ignoring the stinging scratches to her legs. Once in the small path-like clearing between the shrubs and the building, she rushed around the corner toward the back side and found Emily on the ground, curled up against the shrubs. She appeared to be sleeping.

  Deidra knelt at her side. “Emily,” she said softly, shaking her gently.

  Emily’s eyes batted open. “Miss Deidra?” she asked, as if she might be dreaming. She sat up, wrapped her arms around Deidra, and started sobbing.

  Deidra embraced Emily, overcome with joy that she was safe. “Sweetie, don’t cry.” She kept Emily hugged close with one arm and used her free hand to access her cell phone. “I’m going to call your dad. He’s very worried about you.”

  “I went to your hotel this morning,” Emily said between her sobbing. “They said you’d left.”

  “I did,” she said, fiddling with her phone. “But your daddy called me and told me he couldn’t find you. So I came right back. I couldn’t leave knowing you might be in danger.”

  Emily sat up and stared at Deidra. “Did I do something bad?”

  “You shouldn’t have run off like that without telling your dad. You scared us both.”

  “No, I mean...” Emily shook her head. “Did I do something to make you not want to be around us anymore?”

  Deidra hugged Emily and fought the urge to cry. “No, sweetie. It’s just time for us all to go home, and unfortunately I live in a different place than you.”

  “But my dad asked you to come see us,” she said. “Will you?”

  Deidra found John’s number and set the call. “I would love to come see you,” Deidra told Emily. But she couldn’t give the child false hope. How could she explain the hurdles of relationships to a nine-year-old? “It’s complicated.”

  “That’s what my dad said.”

  So true. Deidra laughed a little, but only inside.

  “Deidra...?” John’s voice poured from her phone.

  “Yes, I—”

  She couldn’t get out the word found before John cut her off. “Are you at the hotel? I’m with the police. We can’t find her anywhere.” He rattled away in a frantic tone.

  “John!” Deidra said sharply. “I found her. She’s down by the beach.”

  “Thank God. Is she okay?” John muttered. Deidra could hear the concern in his voice.

  “Yes. She’s a little upset, but she’s fine.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “Look for us behind the public restrooms.”

  Deidra disconnected the call and pulled Emily into her lap. “You gave us quite the scare, young lady.” But she said it in such a way that Emily would know Deidra wasn’t mad at her.

  Emily draped her arms around Deidra’s neck. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said softly.

  “All is forgiven,” Deidra said, hugging her close.

  They sat silently for what seemed only a few moments before John came charging through the shrubbery. “Emily!”

  Deidra expected him to yank Emily away from her, and was surprised when he knelt down and enveloped both of them in his arms.

  An hour later, John stood on the lanai of his suite with Deidra at his side. Emily had crashed a little while ago, and Amy was in the living area watching TV. He looked at Deidra. Every so often, a gentle breeze would blow strands of her hair across her face and she’d reach up to tug them back behind her ear.

  “I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am that you came back.”

  “Well, I couldn’t leave while she was missing.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled, shook his head, and then threw his hands in the air. “I never would’ve found her. How did you know where to look for her?”

  Deidra laughed. “That day on the beach, when we were building the sandcastle—” She shrugged. “—we started playing this little game about pirates.”

  “You were pirates?” he asked, amused.

  “No.” She shook her head. “We had to find a place to hide the kingdom’s treasure from the pirates.”

  “I see.”

  “After much deliberation, we determined that between the shrubbery and the back of the restroom facility was the ideal place.” Deidra shrugged. “It was a lucky guess.”

  “Well, I for one am grateful,” John said. Deidra had done exactly what Jessica would’ve done. She’d gone out and found Emily. Deidra was so in tune with Emily that she knew exactly where to find her. Something John had failed miserably at. Deidra’s actions were that of a mother.

  “Do you think she’s going to be okay now?”

  “She’ll survive.” But there would be hell to pay until she got over it. Emily wanted something that just wasn’t going to happen now that John had alienated Deidra, but there was no use in reminding her of that. The last thing he wanted was to lay blame at Deidra’s feet. If anybody was to blame, it was him.

  “It breaks my heart to see her upset,” Deidra said softly.

  “You are the hero here.” John turned to her. More than anything, he wanted to pull Deidra into his arms and kiss her, but he doubted she’d be as receptive now as she would’ve been a few days ago. “I’m sorry we caused you to miss your flight.”

  “Well, I’m sure that I can get another one tomorrow. Maybe even tonight.” She was starting to look a little uncomfortable, and John didn’t want that. He wanted her to feel at home with him and the girls. He wanted to believe there was still a chance.

  “We’re leaving this afternoon. Why don’t you let us give you a ride back to the mainland?”

  “Us?”

  “It’s a family jet.”

  “Ah,” she said as she nodded. She didn’t look surprised, but she didn’t appear shocked either.

  “The girls would…” he said, astonished at how he was stumbling around the words. “We would be delighted to have you accompany us on the flight.”

  She nodded and said, “All right.” But the words came reluctantly. “What time should I meet you at the airport?”

  “Why don’t you just hang out here with us? We’ll all go to the airport together.”

  She appeared to be considering it, so John tried to tip the scales in his favor. “I’m sure the girls would enjoy it.” She needed a reason to stay, other than him. No matter how much he wanted it, he got the feeling she wasn’t ready to forgive him. He was starting to doubt she ever would.

  But if there was the slightest chance he could make that happen, he’d find a way.

  CHAPTER 12

  JOHN DROPPED DEIDRA OFF at LAX. When she disembarked from his private jet, he’d merely thanked her again for her help, gave her a sweet smile and turned away. There were no declarations of “I can’t live without you” or anything like that, so Deidra simply hailed a taxi and went home.

  She’d gone to see Lecie the next day. They’d had a grand time as Deidra shared the details of her adventures with John and his children. But Lecie had grown tired and fallen asleep, so Deidra left. Nearing her six month, carrying twins was beginning to take its toll on Lecie, Deidra thought.

  Back at her house (about three blocks from Lecie’s), Deidra poured a glass of iced tea, dropped in a packet of Splenda, and headed out back to the patio beyond the pool, whe
re she had a lovely view of the Pacific. After she sat down on her favorite lawn chair, she set her glass on the table and gazed out over the ocean. She’d always thought it was a gorgeous view, but now she realized that the Pacific wasn’t nearly as engaging here as it was in Hawaii.

  “Spin it any way you want, Deidra,” she told herself softly. She knew the appeal hadn’t been the tropical island so much as John and his children.

  She’d thought there might be something between them—her and John—but he’d kept his distance ever since their disagreement at the luau. Maybe she’d just been imagining their attraction. Maybe he was only up for a little island flirtation, but wasn’t interested in any long-term commitments.

  Whatever the reason, Deidra was in southern California, while John and his children were in northern Nevada. And she’d never felt so alone in her life. Not even right after her parents died. Now that she’d had a taste of what it was like to be someone’s wife and someone’s mother, she wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything. Oh, she knew she and John had never even come close to moving in that direction, but there had been times in Hawaii when she’d felt it enough that she could almost touch it. Like the dinner cruise. The photographer had referred to Deidra and John as “mom and dad.” Even though the photographer saying it didn’t make it true, it’d felt good.

  Deidra now knew her life’s dream was to be part of her very own family. She wanted to be someone’s wife, and she needed to be someone’s mother.

  John Sinclair questioned himself for the umpteenth time about what he was doing here as he strolled up the walkway to Deidra Ferguson’s home north of Malibu.

  His eyes pored over the attentively-groomed grounds and brick-lined driveway. The house was grand and reminded him of a Tuscan Villa. Taking all this in, John realized that Deidra—or at least her family—had to have money.

  He stepped up to the door and rang the bell. After a few seconds, a man in his late forties or early fifties opened the door. Was this Deidra’s father? No, she said her father was dead. Maybe an uncle?