I love you, baby girl. And I am so damned proud of you. Your mother would have been, too. You are easily the best thing Mary Elizabeth and I ever did together and the best parts of both of us combined.
Your father,
Everett Kincaid
Nadia blinked furiously to clear her vision. A blur of white passed in front of her eyes. Lucas’s handkerchief. She’d become quite fond of those little white monogrammed squares and the games they played with them over the past months.
She accepted it and blotted her wet face. “My mother and father loved me. You can’t know how many times I wondered.”
Lucas’s arm tightened around her. “I told you it was impossible not to love you, princess.”
“But Daddy didn’t explain that clause concerning Mardi Gras. Why would he choose you over his own children?”
“Maybe my letter has the answer.” He opened the envelope and withdrew a single sheet.
Stone,
I wronged each of my children. But I wronged you even more. And in doing so, I almost lost my daughter.
Ironic, isn’t it? In trying to crush you I almost destroyed the person who meant the world to me, my baby girl, the spitting image of my Mary Elizabeth and the apple of her mother’s eye.
I’ve followed your progress over the years. I guess I was hoping you’d prove I’d done the right thing in getting rid of your ass. But you didn’t. You made me eat crow every time I turned around. Not my favorite diet, I’ll tell you.
Stone, you have more chutzpah than me. Honest to God, I don’t know another person I can say that to. Your ambition and intelligence remind me of myself at your age. But you’re smarter, more patient. And since your good-for-nothing father (yes, I know about the bastard) isn’t around to say it, let me say it. You are one hell of a man. Remember, it’s not who your daddy is that matters. It’s who you are that counts.
In putting your family first (hell yes, I know why you took my money), you showed me my mistake in tearing you and Nadia apart. But I was stubborn. I stuck to my guns. And then you multiplied my money and turned around and used it against me. Damnation, man, that takes balls. My hat is off to you.
I have no doubt that if I hadn’t been watching you like a hawk you would have eventually launched a sneak attack on KCL and taken us down. I’ve made enough mistakes to give you footholds. You’re good. Since I wasn’t going to be around to see it happen I decided I’d reward you for your cunning. But I won’t deny I’m hoping my kids have enough of me in them to spike your guns.
Gotta love a good fair fight.
If you learned the terms of my will (and I’m sure you did), you know how easily you could have won by cheating. If you’re reading this, then you played straight. I gave you a second chance to choose between my money and my daughter. You did the right thing. I have to respect a man whose moral code is strong enough to keep him from taking the easy road.
I didn’t play fair with you last time, Stone, and for that I apologize. You’ll notice I did this time. I didn’t give my family advance warning of your identity and your intent. To the victor goes the spoils and all that crap.
I sure did love watching you and Nadia sparring with that Andvari mess. Proved to me once and for all that the two of you were evenly matched. Good God, that girl has what my daddy called gumption. Stuck it to you, didn’t she? It was a pure joy to watch the two of you dancing around the ring.
I wish I could be around to see how this battle ends, because I’ll bet it’s going to be one hell of a show.
Take care of my daughter, Stone. Love her and any children you might adopt until your last breath. If you don’t, I’m going to come back and haunt your ass.
Respectfully yours,
Everett Kincaid
The last line of the letter startled a burst of laughter from Nadia. She blotted more tears, but she was smiling. “That sounds exactly like my father.”
“He knew it was me the entire time.”
Only one line of the letter bothered her. “He thinks we’re going to adopt.”
“Princess, I’m happy with just you.”
“We always wanted a family. You’d be such a good father.”
“Then we’ll get goldfish or dogs.”
She took a deep breath, rolling the words she’d been privately thinking around in her head. “I—I think I’d like to raise children with you.”
His sharp breath told him she’d surprised him.
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “Maybe we could hire a surrogate to carry your baby. Or check into adoption.”
He stroked her cheek with a gentle hand, but it was the love in his eyes that cocooned her. “We’ll do whatever you want. But remember, as long as I have you I have all I need.”