“Do you think that’s—”
Tabitha cleared her throat and gave Craig a pointedlook. Craig nodded. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’d love some sweet tea if you have it. If not, water would be fine.”
“We have tea. Craig? Would you like something?” Tessa offered.
“I’m good for now. Thank you, Tessa.”
“One sweet tea, coming right up.”
Daniel looked between Tessa and Tabitha. “Sisters?”
“No, she’s my mother. She just looks young.”
“You weren’t kidding about that?” Craig asked. “And Gregor? He’s really your father?”
“He is. Come on. Let’s get out of the doorway.” Tabitha led them toward the kitchen while Major and Zane remained to speak quietly. Tabitha took the glass from her mom and handed it over to Daniel. “Take all the time you need. Dad’s cooking supper, but if you aren’t finished talking by the time it’s ready, we’ll keep a plate warm for you.”
“Thank you, Tabitha.” Craig inclined his head to his brother, and the two disappeared down the hallway toward the library.
Major and Zane moved from the front of the house and met the others in the kitchen. “Zane West, this is Tabitha Stone and her parents, Gregor and Tessa. I’m not sure if you two ever met Rev and Bethany, but they’re Zane’s parents.”
Gregor stepped forward to shake Zane’s hand. “We’ve never had the pleasure of meeting them, though we have heard about them. Good to meet you, Son.”
Zane grasped Gregor’s hand, then bowed his head slightly to Tessa. “The pleasure’s mine. And Tabitha, I feel like I already know you. This one hasn’t shut upabout you since you stopped by the office.” Zane thumped Major on the stomach with the back of his hand.
Instead of being embarrassed, Major shrugged. “What can I say? She made an impression, and now I know why. She’s my mate.”
Zane gripped Major’s shoulder. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
“Would you like something to drink?” Tessa offered.
“Beer if you have it.” Zane moved farther into the kitchen and took the bottle from Tessa when she handed it over. She then retrieved one for the rest of them.
“Give us your perspective of Daniel,” Tabitha requested.
Zane took a long pull off his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That is one sad human. I almost felt bad for voicing him, but I needed to know the whole truth in case it helped figure out who’s after Craig. Not only did he lose Carmen and their baby, but he lost his first love and child all those years ago. Hell, if I were him, I’d be a drunk, bitter man too. One thing Brad Campbell’s foster brother got wrong is that Daniel never told Carmen anything but the truth, or the truth as society knows it. He didn’t pretend to be Craig, and she never assumed he was. She told him the first time they met she could tell the difference, and she thought he was the more handsome of the two.”
Major wrapped his free arm around Tabitha’s waist. “Then why did Carmen tell Toby the baby’s father was someone famous?”
Tabitha bumped her mate’s hip. “She didn’t say famous. She said important. There’s a big difference.”
“Yes, you’re right. I wonder why he never told Craig he was in a relationship.”
Zane waved his bottle in the direction of the library. “He said he was afraid Craig would let it slip to their parents that he’d found happiness, and their father would take Carmen away from him the way he did his first girlfriend and child.”
Major tensed. “He might have a point. I overheard Craig talking to their father on the phone at the rental in Stone Mountain. He told their father thathewas acting stranger than usual, and Tabby and I assumed he was referring to Daniel. Their father reminded Craig it was his responsibility to keep Daniel in line.”
Tabitha downed half her beer and expelled a small burp. “Their father knows. Craig called him yesterday to ask if he had contacts in the States that could help with Cabretti, and he’d admitted that Daniel had gotten someone pregnant. I don’t think Craig would have told him if he knew how much Carmen meant to Daniel.”
“Are you sure about that?” Major asked. “He’s been pissed all these years that he’s been Daniel’s caretaker. Daniel’s the reason Craig had to change his identity and move to a new country.”
“True, but look at Craig’s life. He’s living the dream.”
Tessa set her empty bottle on the island and leaned her forearms on the granite. “He might be an A-list actor, but that man is not happy. While you and Major were outside, Craig admitted that he and Olivia have been trying to start a family for years. They’ve tried IVF a couple of times, but each time it failed. I think he looks at his brother who, in Craig’s words, is a fuck-up, and has managed to get not one but two women pregnant.Then you have Craig, a successful actor, and his wife, a successful doctor, and they can’t have what they want most in the world.”
Tabitha leaned into Major, seeking her mate’s comfort. “Okay, so Craig’s bitter, but that still doesn’t answer who is after him.”
