For The Sake Of His Heir. Joanne Rock

       Four

      She’d said yes.

      An hour later, Gabe had to remind himself of the fact as he peered over at Brianne beside him in the limousine. Her expression was tense. She didn’t look like a woman who had any reason to celebrate as the lights from the bridge flashed on her face while they crossed the East River and headed into Brooklyn. The drive from the airport had been quick thanks to light traffic, and Gabe had sent Nadine and Jason ahead to the apartment in midtown Manhattan in a separate vehicle so the baby could have some rest after the long trip.

      Which left Gabe and Brianne alone for this next leg of the journey. Their first trip as an engaged couple.

      The drive into Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood was a far cry from how he’d celebrated his first wedding proposal. He’d taken Theresa to Paris to propose over dinner—a romantic night he’d wanted for a woman who adored being romanced. In the long run, what had it meant to her? While he regretted that he hadn’t even given Brianne a ring with his proposal, he still felt relieved that this marriage agreement was nothing like the first one. They both knew what they were getting into. There would be a prenuptial agreement. Clear terms for the future. He’d messaged his attorney’s office from the plane after Brianne agreed to his plan and she’d seemed content to let him make the arrangements.

      No one needed to be disappointed. On the contrary, they could both enjoy the peace of mind that came with knowing their interests were well protected. That they were helping one another.

      So why did Brianne’s dark expression make her look like she’d just made a deal with the devil?

      “Are you okay?” he asked, laying a hand on her arm hidden inside the cashmere wrap she’d worn in place of a jacket.

      The clothes were plenty warm for Martinique in February. Not so much for New York. He’d have to see about having a winter wardrobe delivered for her. He wished he could put her at ease, but maybe she was just keyed up about her grandmother. No doubt she was worried.

      “I didn’t realize how strange it would feel to come home.” She stared out the limousine window into a dark and silent park as they sped deeper into Brooklyn. “I was so sure I didn’t miss this place, and yet now...” She shook her head. “I have so many memories here. Not all of them bad, though.”

      “You’ve never really said why your grandmother sent you away.” He hoped maybe talking would help her relax. Or at least distract her from worrying about her grandmother. He’d called a private health-care service to meet them at the Brooklyn address in case Brianne needed help moving her grandmother. She hadn’t protested when he made the call now that they’d agreed to the marriage deal.

      For his part, Gabe was glad to focus on helping her. Maybe that would alleviate the twinge of guilt over how he hadn’t mentioned that a marriage might help him with custody if Theresa decided to revisit the terms they’d agreed to previously.

      “My family life was complicated even before my father remarried.” She turned to stare at an all-night diner lit up in bright pink lights. “Then, once he brought Wendy home, I was the odd one out.”

      Something her father should have never allowed to happen. Gabe wouldn’t let anyone near his son who didn’t care about the boy. Jason had already been abandoned by his mother.

      “You two didn’t get along?” Gabe asked, trying to envision her life as a kid.

      Brianne had told him once that her mother had a long-term problem with prescription painkillers and had run off with her dealer when Brianne was only eight, leaving her in the care of a disinterested father. Even then, the grandmother had been Brianne’s role model, the woman who kept her family together.

      “Something like that.” She glanced up at the high, neon vacancy sign flashing on a nearby hotel. “My stepmother had a jealous streak. She didn’t see me as a threat when I was nine, and gladly ignored me. But once I hit puberty, she turned vicious if anyone noticed me.”

      Defensiveness for the girl she’d been had him straightening in his seat. He was angry on her behalf.

      “Vicious how?” he asked, keeping his voice even. “Did she hit you?”

      “No. Not quite.” She pivoted her shoulders toward him, dragging her attention from the window. “Some shoving once or twice. Mostly, she raged at me to keep my, um, breasts to myself while trying to wrench my too-small clothes around me to cover more.” She shook her head, dragging weary fingers through her thick waves. “A real class act.”

      And Brianne had been just a kid. Damn.

      His hand found her wrist, and he squeezed gently.

      “No wonder your grandmother wanted you out of there.” He hated to think about an adult manhandling her like that when she was a child. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”

      “I’ve heard Wendy is on medication now for some of her issues.” She crossed her legs, her foot swinging with the motion of the limousine as it made a sudden stop for a red light. “She was taking reasonable care of Nana and helping out with the rent up until a couple of months ago.”

      He sincerely hoped he didn’t run into the woman who’d treated Brianne that way.

      “Where’s your father these days? He doesn’t participate in caring for his family?” Gabe would trade almost anything to have his mom back. Losing her to cancer while he was a teen had devastated him far more than when his father quit showing up.