Claiming His Secret Heir

Gabe stalked back toward him, his expression stark. In contrast, Jason kicked and drooled, gumming one finger while he grinned.

“Wake up, brother.” Gabe spoke the words just inches from Damon’s face before he leaned back. “None of that matters. Or if it does, count yourself lucky you got another chance with someone who loves you right now. Today. That’s a whole lot more than most people get.”

There was a wealth of feeling behind the words, making Damon wonder what kinds of hell his brother had dealt with that he knew nothing about.

That was a conversation for another day, though. Right now, Damon needed to head into the office for the professional battle of his life. With any luck, the police would be there afterward to ask his father-in-law all the questions about their investigation he’d avoided while he was overseas.

It was probably too much to hope that Stephan Degraff would be dragged off to jail then and there for giving false statements to the police. But if it came to seeing Stephan behind bars or keeping Caroline, Damon knew what he would choose.

Because his brother was right. Damon might not deserve a second chance with her, but since he’d been fortunate enough to get one, he needed to try and convince her they were worth it.

He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

* * *

Caroline paced outside the penthouse boardroom of the Transparent building later that morning, trying to time her entrance to the most important business meeting of her husband’s life.

Her husband. For now.

She stopped short, her gaze moving from the stunning view of the Santa Cruz Mountains outside the reception area windows down to the wedding band set on her fingers. Pausing at one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, Caroline indulged herself for a moment, staring at the diamond, tilting it this way and that to catch the best light and refract it so that little rainbow squares danced across the polished bamboo floors.

Damon needed her help today, even if he didn’t know it. He’d allowed her to ride into the office with him and his brother, Gabe, although he’d insisted she wait outside the meeting with her bodyguards. They’d brought two, knowing that her father would be in attendance. But Damon had asked her not to sit in on the contentious conference, even though her former job title would have given her every right to do so.

She understood that he might see her as a distraction today when he needed to be on top of his game to outmaneuver her father. What Damon didn’t understand was that he had no chance of beating Stephan Degraff without her help. Her father was hellbent on revenge. She saw that now. Stephan would do anything to thwart Damon if only for the sake of proving to her that Damon wasn’t worth her time.

Her love.

Her father was wrong about that. Damon was the worthiest man in the world for that honor. If only he loved her back.

Yet to help make things right for her husband, she would have to be the one to maneuver her father. She could convince him to sign that paper and give Damon the ultimate win. But Damon wasn’t going to like it one bit.

Not that it should matter now. He’d already broken her heart with his profound silence following her declaration of love. Except, foolishly perhaps, she didn’t want to hurt him any more than she already had. Keeping his child a secret from him had been more than he should have to bear.

Behind her, the elevator chimed. Her bodyguards didn’t move, and yet she could feel their readiness for anything.

“Mrs. McNeill?” A familiar police officer stepped off the elevator onto the top floor, his dark jacket and plain blue tie setting him apart from most of the staffers at Transparent. From the coders to the front office workers, the company embraced a more relaxed, West Coast vibe.

“Officer Downey.” She strode forward to shake his hand. “My husband made sure I wasn’t in the building when my father entered, but he’s in the boardroom now.” She pointed to the meeting space where Damon had been joined by his brothers Jager and Gabe, plus his half brother, Cameron.

Beyond the McNeill men, there were five other attendees, including her dad. An administrative assistant sat off to one side, taking notes. They could see the proceedings through the clear glass wall on one side that gave the meeting room a mountain view, but still allowed the light to spill into the interior reception area.

Fortunately, her father’s back was to her.

She needed to steel herself to face the man who had ruined her marriage and tried to keep Damon from his child.

“We’ve spoken at length with the man who asked for your husband at the Los Altos Hills house a few days back,” the officer informed her, peeling off his aviator shades and tucking them in his pocket. “We have some good leads on two of the suspects we believe served as your captors in Mexico. Once we speak to your father, we’ll know more. But I will warn you, it appears your father has business ties to both of them, as well.”