Daredevil's Mistress

Chapter 35

Her mother squeezed her hand. “It took a lot of convincing and endless discussion. Your father has finally realized his daughter is every bit as stubborn as he is. Papa decided if you were adamant about pursuing Cody and not returning home, it has to be with our blessing.”

Despite her mother’s words of assurance, she didn’t have the stomach to face her father now. “I’m not sure I’m up for this, Mom.”

“Sweetheart, give him a chance please. Papa’s making amends. If anything, listen to what he has to say then decide.”

“Okay.” Samantha wanted this to work out for the best. Leaving her mother with Freda, she ventured out onto the porch. “Hello, Papa.”

Her father turned at the sound of her voice. “Hello, Sam. Nice place isn’t it?” He gestured toward the corrals, his voice tinged with apparent admiration. “Yes, it is,” Samantha replied. She recognized an odd edginess to his usual arrogance. “Come inside, Pa—”

“Listen, Sam,” he interrupted her and leaned back against the porch rail. “I’ve been a fool—”

“No, Papa.”

He held up a hand. “Let me finish, please.”

Not a man who gave in easily, this endeavor appeared to be hard for him, and she read the imploring in his gaze.

“I was a fool, a big one actually. All this time I assumed money would make my wife and daughter happy, but I only estranged both of you. Instead of caring for you like a parent should, I substituted real love with material love. Your mother’s been the best thing in my life and if it weren’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be today. Yet for all my dictatorial glory, she stood by my side without a nasty word. That’s one resilient woman.” He uttered a soft laugh. One Samantha didn’t think she’d ever heard before. “As for my daughter, the one true piece of me, I gave her up for some stupid business deal. When in reality, she’s the only gem I really need to keep me a rich, old man for a long time. I’m sorry, Sam.”

Samantha eyes flooded. “I—I…” Appropriate words failed her at this important moment.

“I know it isn’t easy but please find it in your heart to forgive an old fool who didn’t know any better.”

Despite the anger she’d suffered over the last few days, Samantha had hoped for this outcome. Now that it stared her in the face, she wasn’t about to let it go. The anguish in his words melted her heart. “Oh, Papa.” She rushed into his outstretched arms and welcomed the fatherly hug. When she finally stepped back, her tummy did a little jig of happiness. For the first time, Samantha witnessed her father’s eyes fill with true outright affection. Magically, the arrogant ruler was dethroned and replaced with an upright father shrouded in a gentle demeanor. One she never had the pleasure of meeting before. Seems Mom was right. Her father did have a warmer side. What she missed in her home was now here, genuinely here, without hindrance of any sort. Her body swelled with joy.

Her life was now complete. “I love you, Papa.” She cried within the circle of his warm embrace.

“Samantha?”

“Yes?” She wiped away the tears and stepped back. “I must speak to Cody, please.”

“I’ll get him.” Samantha left him on the porch, headed indoors and hoped for a favorable response from Cody. Given his first meeting with her father didn’t go well.

Walking past the living room, her mother winked; a far cry from the timid woman just two months ago. Samantha believed her mother finally found the courage and willpower to make Papa understand she belonged at his side and not behind.

Upstairs, Cody lay sprawled across the bed and jerked upright when she entered. “Where were you?” he asked, concerned. “Hey, why the long face. Sam, is everythin’ all right?”

Samantha plopped herself on the bed. “Uh-huh.” “Lady, are you going to tell me what’s happenin’ or do I sit here in suspense?”

Samantha laughed at his boyish expression of impatience. “My Mom has finally unleashed some of her Irish spirit on my father and he’s had a sudden change of heart.”

“Irish?”

“Yes. I didn’t tell you, my mother’s half Irish, half English.”

“English, Irish and Indian, that’s one heck of a mix.” Cody grinned wickedly. “Hell, I’m in for it. And all this time I assumed you were tenacious as your father. Now I know you get your feisty mannerisms from your mother.”

“Cody, you’re awful.” She hit him with a pillow.

“I reckon forewarned is forearmed. Don’t you agree darlin’?” With a throaty laugh, he yanked her against his chest and kissed her greedily.

When he finally released her, she scooted to the bottom of the bed. “Cody, are you willing to speak with my father?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Huh?” Samantha blinked. Maybe he didn’t want to speak with Papa. His experience with her father probably left a sour taste in his mouth. “Hungry? Aren’t we discussing my father?”

“Why don’t you get your pretty little butt over here and unleash some of your Irish spirit on me. C’mon, darlin’ feed this ravenous man of yours.”

“You’re insatiable.”

“No, Lady, you made me starve for two whole months and it’s time for payback. Anyway, if you think this is bad wait ’til you marry me. Every waking moment of yours is mine and that’s a promise.” Cody reached out and grabbed her then pinned her under his body.

Ticklish from the nips his teeth inflicted on her tummy, Samantha tried to speak amid giggles. “What about my father? He wants to apologize…”

“We’ll deal with him later. Right now I wanna deal with somethin’ more important…”

“Cody, Papa’s downstairs.”

“What?” He jumped off her, his eyes wide with shock.

“My parents are downstairs.” “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“Er…I was a little distracted if you hadn’t noticed.” Her gaze glided over his naked body with a suggestive smile.

His lips dipped at the corners. “Later. Now we go meet the parents.” He hopped off the bed and strolled toward the shower. At the door Cody stopped. “Join me?”

Samantha threw a pillow. Chuckling, he ducked into the bathroom.

****

Ten minutes later, Cody made his way downstairs with Samantha in tow. They entered the living room as Samantha’s mother rose from her seat. “Mom, this is Cody.”

“Hello, Cody, pleasure meeting you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine, ma’am.” Cody accepted her petite hand in a soft shake.

Her mother, he decided, apart from the hair color, resembled a beautiful older version of Samantha with the same glittery green eyes and vivacious smile.

Embarrassed, Diane chuckled. “Oh, Sam I like him already.” She shifted her gaze toward her daughter.

“Mom.” Samantha playfully scolded.

Cody laughed as her father entered the room.

“Mr. Bentley.” Samantha’s father proffered a hand. Cody extended an arm and accepted the older man’s hand in a firm shake. “Please, call me Cody,” he said and caught the nervous flick of Samantha’s gaze. The awkward manner in which she stood indicated her inner apprehension. With a quick smile of reassurance to her, Cody shifted his attention back to her father.

“Please, sit.”

“If it’s okay with you, could we speak in private?” Deven asked. “Out on the porch? If you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” Cody offered. With a wink at Samantha, he trudged outside followed by Deven. On the porch, they sat down on the wicker chairs as Freda placed coffee on the table. “Thank you, Freda. Coffee, Mr. Harman?”

“Please call me Deven. Yes, please. Black, no sugar.”

Cody poured coffee for the two of them and handed Deven a mug.

He nodded his thanks. “Nice spread you have here.”

“Thank you,” Cody said. He picked up on the other man’s tension. Idle conversation seemed to ease his rigidity. In all his glory as the head of the house, Deven probably didn’t know how to say sorry.

Hadn’t he displayed the identical stubbornness toward Deborah and her relationship with Steven? He understood the older man’s anxiety. This was probably all new.

“Listen, Cody,” Deven said at last. “We started off on the wrong foot. I may not be the easiest of people to deal with but I’m an honest man so trust me when I say this. I’ve seen the error of my ways and my apology is sincerely heartfelt. Instead of support and acceptance, I became an imperious officer of sorts than an actual father.”

“I agree. You were a little harsh.” Cody didn’t see any reason to lie. This old man needed to know some people were equally strong willed.

“Where my daughter is concerned, I made a terrible mistake. One, a father should find difficult asking for mercy. I’ve, however, asked my daughter’s forgiveness. With you, I think I almost took away a special piece, both love and life and I don’t expect your compassion. My hope, though, is it will come with time.”

Silently, Cody scrutinized the older man. Though his face remained expressionless, he read the pain and misery in Deven’s eyes. An emotion enhanced by the dejected slump of his shoulders. A proud man, it probably pained Samantha’s father to know he almost lost his daughter out of sheer stupidity.

Thinking back, Cody winced inwardly. His arrogance had almost placed his relationship with Deborah in jeopardy. The idiocies of cocky men, he shook his head. He related well to the older man’s despair.

“Deven, like you I don’t forgive or forget easily but…” Cody trailed off for emphasis and sat back in his seat. “The love I possess for your daughter is stronger than anythin’ I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Its strength is so potent that it alone will allow me to forgive you. I hope for you and your family’s sake you’ve righted a wrong long overdue. ’Cause I promise you, Samantha will never be short on both love and happiness. I made stupid mistakes which almost cost me my relationship with her and I don’t intend repeating them.”

Deven’s lips curved and Cody noticed the genuine friendliness. “Thank you. For what it’s worth, I’m glad my daughter had the sense to fight me tooth and nail on this. I rarely compliment people, Cody and from where I’m sitting, I think she couldn’t have made a better choice. I wish you both all the blessings a parent could bestow upon his children.”

“Thank you, Deven.”

“Welcome to the family?” Sam’s father offered a pleasant smile. No tricks or derision, just plain openness.

Cody looked at his outstretched hand in silent contemplation then laughed and accepted the handshake. “Thank you.” He stood. “Now, I think we better go in. If I know Samantha by now, she’s probably paced my floor clean off its tile.” He grinned and Deven laughed as he stood then followed Cody inside.\

Epilogue

“Hustle up you two, what’s taking so long? I’m about to be an uncle and that’s a very important job,” Reece said as Samantha and Cody settled in the pick- up.

Forty-five minutes later, they swung into the hospital parking lot. A very excited Freda and Jace met them outside the delivery room.

“Is everythin’ all right? How’s Deborah doin’?” Cody asked.

“She’s fine, dear boy. They are in there right now, seems the little fellow is eager to greet this world.” Freda pointed at the delivery room. “Good thing we have a future doctor in the family. He kept her calm until we got to the hospital.” The old woman patted an embarrassed Jace on the back with a motherly cluck.

Twenty minutes later, the family stood around an exhausted Deborah and her bundle of joy as they passed him eagerly from hand to hand. Samantha grinned as his uncles gushed excitedly over their first nephew. The baby with his cap of auburn hair, like his mother, kept his eyes shut until Cody took him in his arms. Then he opened them for the very first time and stared up at Cody intently.

“Hey, that ain’t fair, why didn’t he look at me when I carried him,” Reece wailed playfully.

“Maybe he senses Cody’s going to be a daddy soon,” Deborah teased.

Samantha traded an expressive smile with Cody. “Let me tell you, girl, whoever said giving birth is easy, they’re probably from another planet. It’s one heck of a ride. Make that a damn uncomfortable one,” Deborah said. “And that nonsense about natural birth is best without an epidural, pure crap. Make sure your doctor gives you all the drugs, you’ll need it, trust me.”

Samantha laughed. “Not if I have Cody by my side,” she said quietly and peered over his arm at the baby.

“Don’t be fooled, Cody if these scars are anything to go by, trust me, you’re in for a rough time.” Steven showed them the fingernail marks on his hands. “Every time a damn contraction hit, I felt it.”

“Are you complainin’, husband dearest.” Deborah’s brow shot up quickly.

“Not in the least, sweetheart,” Steven muttered with sugary sweetness, his expression rueful.

Samantha giggled, and the others joined in. Again, Samantha caught Cody’s gaze and smiled as Jace took the baby from him.

****

Later, engrossed in the beauty of the ranch and its mountainous backdrop, Samantha stood at the corral where she and Cody shared their first kiss. She inhaled the cool night air with a sense of lethargic contentment. Her gaze dropped to her rounded belly with a smile. There was nothing more she wanted. Everything and everyone she needed was in her life right now.

The sudden nudge at her back made her giggle. Daredevil dropped his head against her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. “Yes, boy, you too,” she whispered and rubbed his nose. Nuzzling her open hand, he gave a soft whinny. Daredevil definitely played an important part in inadvertently uniting her with Cody; a dark horse with the same strength, power, and arrogance as his owner, yet both beautiful to behold.

Granted, marriage was the furthest thing from her mind when she came on holiday it ultimately worked for the best. Both she and her father got their wishes. A married daughter he could be proud of and, she, married to the man she fell in love with wholeheartedly. Part of a bigger family now, she became Mrs. Bentley five months ago. Her father presented her with two gorgeous weddings. A traditional Indian ceremony filled with bright colors, dancing, and music on the coast in South Africa, and a beautiful white church wedding in Trinity. It culminated in a honeymoon at the beautiful Bora Bora Island where she and Cody got to know each other a little better. At her mother’s insistence, her father hired an Executive to run his company while he took his wife on a much-needed world tour. Yes, life was beautiful.

****

That night Samantha stirred in the silken comfort of Cody’s arms. “My sleeping beauty awakes.” His head dipped to stroke her bare shoulder with his tongue. “I like watching you sleep.”

Samantha colored and tugged the sheet over her body.

“You’re beautiful, darlin’ and I’ll never tire of looking at you,” he whispered and slid the sheet off her body.

“Nor I you.”

Cody placed a hand over her tummy and gently caressed its smoothness then replaced his hand with his mouth. “Do you think the baby hears us?”

Samantha giggled. “Uh-huh. The baby is listening to his father.”

“What makes you think it’s a boy?” “I don’t know, lucky guess maybe.” “And what if it’s a girl?”

“I don’t really care, as long as he or she is healthy,” she said.

“If it’s a girl, she must have glorious green eyes and a fiery spirit like her mother.” He trailed soft kisses along her body.

“And if it’s a boy, he must have brilliant blue eyes and a gorgeous dimple like his father.” She inhaled deeply as he gingerly took one rosy bud in his mouth and suckled gently. “Dear God, Cody, I can’t get enough of you.”

He left her nipple, trailed his tongue up her neck, and traced the outline of her lips. “I told you. Your love is like a drug and I’ll always be addicted. I love you, darlin’,” he declared and continued his trail of kisses to the outer edge of her ear.

Waves of pleasure filled Samantha and she whispered, “I love you too, sweetheart.”

Cody claimed her mouth, and she surrendered to the heavenly rapture encapsulating them. Nothing else mattered except their love filled with everything they desired, if not more.