Claiming His Secret Son (The Billionaires of Blackcastle 4)

She still struggled to smile as she received her treasured friend and colleague. Rose returned her kiss on the cheek before she pulled back, her blue-gray eyes filled with suppressed questions. She must be bursting to have her suspicion about Richard validated.

“Everything okay at home?”

In spite of the concern lacing the question, and the text message she’d sent her last night, Isabella believed Rose hadn’t bought her excuse for running out yesterday one bit.

But Rose always made it clear that she was there for anything Isabella needed, and left it up to her to reveal any problems or worries. Isabella had never told her anything. Until now.

After she’d held it all in all these years, now that her family and those she’d struggled to help were safe, she could allow herself to consider her own needs. And now that the one she’d shared her innermost turmoil with had exited her life forever, she needed another confidante. Someone who wouldn’t only listen in silence, offering not a word of sympathy or support, as Richard had. The only one who fit the bill was Rose.

She sat her down. “I need to tell you something—important. A lot of things, actually. About my past.”

The worry hovering in Rose’s eyes mushroomed into anxiety. “I always knew you were hiding something big, kept wishing you’d tell me.”

Isabella reached for Rose’s hands. “Before I do, I want you to promise to act according only to your and your family’s best interests.”

Rose grimaced. “Shut up and tell me everything, Izzy!”

And she did. Everything minus Richard.

All through her account, Rose’s expressive face displayed her shock, horror, anguish and outrage on her behalf in minute detail. Her tears came at one point and wouldn’t stop until Isabella fell silent and she hurled herself at her and crushed her in a nonending, breath-depleting hug.

“God, Izzy, you should have told me!” Rose sobbed between hard squeezes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Isabella’s tears flowed, too, as she surrendered to Rose’s searing empathy. This...this was what she’d needed all these years, what she’d deprived herself of.

She thankfully let Rose inundate her with frantic reprimands before she finally pulled away, her tremulous smile teasing. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. I was afraid you’d drown me and flood the practice. Like you’re doing now. When we’ve just finished decorating.”

Rose burst out laughing. “God, Izzy, how dare you make me laugh after what you just told me?”

“Because it’s all in the past. I just needed you to know everything about me, needed to share what I can’t share with even my mother. But it is really all behind me.”

Rose’s resurging tears suddenly froze, her face filling with reproof again. “What did you mean by that prefacing warning? If you thought it a possibility this would change anything between us, you’re stark raving mad!”

Isabella’s heart expanded at the proof of her friend’s magnanimity and benevolence. Then it compressed again. “Don’t make any decisions now. Take time to think about it.”

“The only thing I’ll do with time is fume for months that you didn’t come to me with this years ago!”

Isabella’s lips spread at her friend’s steel conviction. “At least wait until you see what Jeffrey thinks.”

Rose’s eyes widened. “You want me to tell Jeffrey?”

“I just assumed you would tell him.”

Rose looked terminally affronted. “Of course I won’t tell him!”

Isabella reached a hand out to hers. “I want you to tell him.”

Rose snatched her hand, fisted it at her chest. “No.”

It was Isabella’s turn to burst out laughing at the growling finality in Rose’s usually gentle, cheerful voice and the furiously obstinate expression that gripped her gorgeous if good-natured face. She looked like a tigress defending her cub. Isabella’s laughter made her crankier.

Isabella tried to suppress her smiles. “I consider Jeffrey part of you. Not to mention a part of us, our team.”

“I said no. You told me because you needed to purge the burden from your system by sharing it with someone who’s strong enough to carry it with you, someone you fully trust.”

“That’s absolutely right, but Jeffrey—”

Rose cut her off. “You also needed to have someone fully appreciate what made you the wonderful human being you are.”