Chapter 7: Beauty and the Beast

Rhyne tried to relax as her belly stiffened once more. It wasn’t a contraction, at least not the labour kind. She was sure of that. She looked around the room and at the four pairs of eyes staring back at her. She was especially trying to avoid the gaze of one of them. He kept looking at her as if she were Mecca, or the Holy Trinity, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. Yes, sure, Rhyne would have felt the same way if she still wasn’t in a state of shock. That morning, all she’d expected was Duke’s arrival that afternoon. He had gone for a one-day business trip, and she was anxious about his return. She missed him. Plus, they had left their conversation at a weird stopping place, the day before.

A knock on the door had her struggling out of her chair.

“I’ll get it,” Reno offered.

“No, please let me.” Rhyne didn’t have to get the door. One of the staff could have done it. However, none were in sight, and she needed to get out of the spotlight for a moment.

It had been twenty minutes since Danny’s brothers had come into her home and announced that she was their long-lost sister. Kat and AJ were with them, too. But Kat didn’t look like she wanted to be in that situation. It might have been because Duke wasn’t there with them. As she reached the door, she hoped it would be Duke, maybe having forgotten his keys and needing to be let in. But it wasn’t. Jake stood there with a bouquet of roses in his hand. Rhyne was a little confused as to why he was there, but he was definitely a welcome distraction.

“Hi…what’s with the face?” He asked.

“No face,” she mumbled. Rhyne led him into the living room and made him sit next to her.

Now that Jake was there, a familiar person, she felt comfortable enough to engage the strangers who had walked into her home, claiming to be family. “Let me catch you up, Jake. This is Adrian and Katherine Ross.”

“I know Mrs. Henry—Ross—I used to work for their family, remember?” Jake cut in as he nodded his salutations.

“Ha! Yes, right. So, these two—”

“I know them. They are Daniela’s brothers.”

“Yes. What you don’t know, what I didn’t know, is that they are also my brothers.”

Silence covered the room like a thick, wet blanket. Everyone else seemed to be adapting to the news just fine, including Jake. Apparently, she was the only one who felt water-boarded at that moment.

“I see the resemblance between you and Mr. Kent,” Jake said.

“Which Mr. Kent?” Rhyne sighed. She turned to her brothers, not sure what to say. She had searched for her brother for so long, ’til she gave up. Now she had two and a sister. She had finally settled into her new life, trying to make it as uncomplicated as possible. Rhyne was just trying to make her family with Duke work. They had already been through so much and here was something else to be thrown into the mixing bowl. So yes, she was happy she’d found her family. Immediately, the unknown part of her was known. But this discovery put weight on the insecure part of her. Was Duke going to send her away, now that she had family? What, exactly, would be his reaction to finding out that she had a billionaire father, a stepmother, and siblings? Rhyne was now part of two of the most affluent families in New York, but she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Maybe she should be happy. Just for now. Then when Duke came back, she would figure out what to do.

“I remember you,” she said to Reno. That, at least, made the worry lines creasing his face ease up. “But you aren’t this tall and big in my memories.”

“I thought you would have forgotten about me.” Reno stood up from his seat and crouched in front of her. That made her nervous. But she stilled herself, willing her body not to retreat. He isn’t your enemy. He is your brother.

“How could I? I’m not sure you know this, but RD’s full name is Reno Duke. I thought I would name him after the most important men in my life.”

Rhyne didn’t fail to catch the happy smile, as well as the angry frown, that flashed across Reno’s face when she explained her son’s names. Didn’t he like it?

“Or we could just make it Reno Dennis, after his favorite uncle and grandfather,” Dennis said.

“I’m sure we could add Dennis to his names if that’s what you and your father would prefer. We’d have to ask Duke, though.” All of a sudden, she felt guilty about not giving her son a name of two people she hadn’t known about until today. “I remember you as well. You came for Daniela the day we thought Christian was dead.”

“We looked everywhere for you. And you were right in front of us,” DJ said in disbelief.

Rhyne stared at her two hands that were now clasped within Reno’s. She smiled as a hot tear stung her eyes and warmth filled her heart. Familiarity. It really was Reno.

“I left the island a long time ago with Nola. We went to Vegas and that’s where I met Duke.” Rhyne felt a smile creep across her lips as she said his name. And once again anger flashed on Reno’s face. What the hell was up with this dude? “Did you find out what we did to Duke?”

“Yes, we did.” DJ chuckled. “Kat told us all about your switcheroo game. I just never thought a man like Duke could be fooled like that. I guess he isn’t as smart as we all thought.”

“Or as honourable,” Reno added.

“Okay,” Rhyne said as she pulled away her hands. Her defences went up immediately because Duke was being attacked.

“You told me that you would speak to them.” Kat bit the words out at AJ.

“I did, but I didn’t promise they would do what I asked. You need to understand what they are feeling right now,” AJ said. “Their sister had been knowingly kept from them.”

“By Nola and not by Duke,” Kat said with a thrust of her chin.

“By Duke too,” AJ responded.

Rhyne kept up with the back-and-forth well enough to understand that Nola knew who her real family was, and apparently so did Duke. “Since the two of you seem to know what’s going on, do you mind explaining it to me?”

“There is nothing to explain. They are saying that Duke kept you from your family. The bastard,” Jake cut in.

At that moment, Rhyne understood the dislike Duke had for Jake. Jake seemed quite passionate about things that involved her. Plus, who brought their platonic friend red roses? Rhyne stood up and moved to the other side of the room. She just needed to think on her own for a second. It was obvious why Nola hadn’t told her the truth. The moment Rhyne went back to her family, RD would immediately stop being her cash cow, and Duke her golden goose. What she didn’t understand was why Duke hadn’t told her.

Kat spoke up. “When you and Danny came in for your ultrasounds, Duke had me test your blood against Danny’s. Nola had said something to him, actually used this information, to get something else from my brother.”

“That was a month ago,” Rhyne mumbled.

“I’m sure he had his reasons for not telling you.”

“He always has a reason,” Jake chimed in.

Rhyne didn’t appreciate him being part of the mob, but she couldn’t deny she’d wanted to ask that very question. Why, exactly, would he keep this a secret from her? Did he also not want her to find out who her family was? But why? It wasn’t like the Kents were a threat to the Henrys. Rhyne turned to the only other person who could answer her: his sister.

“Why?” But in response all she got from Kat was a shake of the head.

“It doesn’t matter why. I want you and RD to come home with us. Danny and father are waiting for you,” Reno said.

Rhyne nodded in response, her head making decisions on its own without consulting her heart.

“Where exactly do you think you are going?”

Everyone turned toward the voice, but Rhyne didn’t have to. She already knew it was Duke. She was quite familiar with his forbidding tone.

***

Duke hoped to have a relaxing afternoon with his family after the difficult meeting he had just come from. He hadn’t slept, using that time to commute from coast to coast. He didn’t want to be away from his family longer than was necessary. But now, he was walking into what looked a lynch mob, obviously led by Reno Kent—and Rhyne committing to leaving with him.

Duke rolled his eyes at Jake blocking his path to where Rhyne stood. Instead, he turned to the biggest threat in the room. “Where do you think you’re taking her?”

“I’m taking my sister and nephew home with me,” Reno said as DJ moved to his side to back him up.

“Sister,” Duke replied in a hum.

“Yes, sister. Don’t pretend you didn’t know.” Jake shot him an unrepentant grin.

At that moment, Jake thought he had won. But Reno wasn’t one to engage people who were not on his level. He shifted to where his sister cowered behind her husband. “You couldn’t keep your mouth shut, huh?”

“Duke,” she called as she poked her head from her hiding space.

“Shut up, for once. Will you do that for me?”

“Hey, that’s uncalled for,” AJ growled back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rhyne’s feeble voice pierced through the tension in the room.

“And give you another chance to run away? You don’t have the cleanest record, and I was not going to give you an opportunity to run before you gave birth to my daughter.” Duke stated the facts. “After what you and Nola have put me through, forgive me if I don’t blindly trust you.”

“I thought we had already talked about this. That we were already past this!” Rhyne yelled her response.

“First of all, calm down. The stress is not good for my daughter. And second, I just walked into you agreeing to leave me again. How exactly am I supposed to trust you? You run away. That is your M.O.”

“But you knew what I went through looking for my family.”

“And in one month I was going to lead you to them.”

“You actually think what you did was right.”

“I know what I did was right.”

“I’m leaving.”

Duke nodded. He’d known this was going to happen. He would probably fight her on it, but that was before he saw her rub the side of her belly as she winced in pain. There was nothing he could do right now to make the situation better. He didn’t want his daughter born prematurely just because he was being stubborn. “Fine. Wait until RD comes home from school, and we’ll figure it out. You, you’re the lawyer of the family.”

“I also happen to be your lawyer,” DJ replied.

“I don’t think that arrangement will stand for long. Come with me.” Duke led DJ to his study.

“I don’t think we need to take this to court. I’m sure we’ll be able to figure this out,” DJ said as he closed the study door behind him.

“Are you speaking like a lawyer who doesn’t want to lose his biggest client, or as a brother?” Duke asked in amusement.

“Both.”

Duke chuckled as he retrieved the manila envelope from his drawer and handed it to Dennis. “You can sit and read through it while I fix myself a drink. Forgive me if I don’t offer you anything. You did just come into my home to take my children and their mother from me. So, I sure as hell will not be offering you my 72-year-old Macallan.”

Duke sat in his leather chair and stared out the window. He sipped his scotch as he stomped down the rising panic and anger that kept clawing at his calm façade. This time it would be different, he convinced himself. She would be gone but he would know where she was. He wouldn’t have to worry if his children were safe, warm, or fed. They were the grandchildren of a very rich man. They would be fine.

“Are you serious with this?” Dennis asked as he looked up from the papers.

“Yes, and that’s your copy.” Reno stood up and headed toward the door. “Let’s go.”

When Duke entered the living room, there were two large suitcases next to the front door. Jake stood over them as if he was guarding them. Duke couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“Rhyne, if you walk out that door there is no coming back.” Duke stared at the liquid in his glass as he swirled it around. “This will be the third and last time.”

“What do you mean, third?” Kat asked. “She’s not leaving.”

“What do you mean, Kat? I know he’s your brother, but she is my sister,” Reno said, his voice slightly raised.

“Yes, and she is his partner. You have no right to put a wedge in their family. I know he made a mistake, but you can’t leave unless it’s something you both decided on.” Kat kept rambling on. “You know how in baseball you only have three strikes before you’re out? That’s Duke’s philosophy.”

“I don’t care. My sister is coming with me.” Reno grabbed Rhyne’s wrist.

“I’m not one to judge when it comes to these things. I left my pregnant wife for dead in Nice. And I hired an obsessed fan to be my surrogate, who then took off with my unborn child. What I am trying to say is that we all make mistakes, and we shouldn’t get involved in Duke and Rhyne’s problem,” DJ said.

“He hid the truth from her,” Reno pointed out.

“And you hid the truth from Lisette, and she forgave you. Why won’t you give Rhyne that chance?” DJ added.

“Are you looking at this from a business perspective?” Reno asked.

“I’m looking at it from a he-has-sole-custody-of-his-child-perspective. He’ll probably get custody of the baby too the second she gives birth. The kids will come back to live with their father, but Rhyne? We aren’t so sure about her.”

“So, you choose now to be silent, Mr. Loose Lips.” Kat directed her anger at her husband.

Reno couldn’t help but be amused at the show unfolding in front of him.

“It doesn’t matter. You have a powerful family, Rhyne. They’ll help you get custody back,” Jake said.

All this time, Duke had avoided looking in Rhyne’s direction. He was already sure she was wearing her heartbreak all over her face, which would only make him weak. He refused to give in. Yes, part of him still loved her. He wasn’t sure if he was in love with her, but he loved her. And the other part still cradled her betrayal in its arms. He wasn’t going to give her a rope to hang him with. He needed to see if she would dare leave, even after his ultimatum.

“We’ll help you. Your brother is a lawyer,” Reno said to Rhyne in a gentle voice that even Duke couldn’t beat.

“He definitely is.” Duke turned to DJ and said, “I’ll have my new lawyer call you.”

The door clicked open, and they all turned their attention to it. RD walked in, behind him his new nanny, and Kit. The look on Kit’s face quickly took away Duke’s excitement of seeing his son.

RD quickly tossed his bag to the side and ran into Duke’s waiting arms. “Daddy, when did you get back?”

“Just before you.”

“Did you bring me a surprise?” Duke smiled back at his son’s excited face, before looking over his head to where Kit stood. “No, but I bet you brought me one.” Today was not his day, and Duke could feel it in his bones.

“Can I have a sip of that?” RD pointed toward his scotch.

“Let’s have this conversation in twelve years,” Duke said before planting a kiss on RD’s temple, setting him down on his feet and asking his nanny to take him away. Let’s go, he said to himself as he waited for Kit to offload whatever grudge he had.

“When were you going to tell us?” Kit roared.

“Keep your voice down! You are in my home.” Duke responded with the same vehemence.

“When were you going to tell us that Chris was alive?”

“Chris is alive?” Kat’s shocked tone echoed in the room.

“When he was ready to be undead,” Duke responded.

“Why did you keep this from us?” Kat asked.

“The same reason I backed you up when you decided to be a doctor instead of studying finance. The same reason when you decided to be G.I. Joe instead of vice president. You all want to live your lives the way you want, and I make sure you get that!” Duke hadn’t meant to yell or thump on his chest, but he was getting tired of how the day was going. All the fingers seemed to be pointed at him, while everyone else seemed to forget their part in all of it.

“When did you know he wasn’t dead?” Kit asked.

“Immediately. He realized that being dead was expensive. He used his credit card on the third day,” Duke said. He took a gulp of his scotch and dropped into an armchair. “The rest of you can leave. This is a Henry-only conversation.” Duke waited to see if Rhyne would leave with her brothers. She seemed hesitant—that was, until Duke realized what she was waiting for. “RD!”

His son ran into the room and jumped into his lap. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course I did. But I’m going to miss you even more. I have a surprise for you.”

“Yay!”

“You see those two men standing next to your mommy? They are her brothers. They are going to take you to meet your aunties, your cousins, and grandparents.”

“Really?” RD’s eyes were round in excitement.

“Really. You’re going to spend a few days with them, and nanny is going to come with you. Are you excited?”

“Yep! Are you coming too?”

One glance at Reno and Duke knew he wasn’t welcome. “Not right now. Daddy has work. But I’ll have dinner with you tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart. Say bye to Uncle Kit and Aunty Kat,” Duke said, after giving RD a tight hug.

Duke watched in silence as RD said goodbye before skipping out of the room with his mother. That was when he his heart fell into his stomach. Duke didn’t get the chance to recover, as Kat and Kit started badgering him with one question after another. Duke sat there, tuning them out, and started to wonder when everything had become his responsibility in that family and when he could offload it. At least share it with someone.

“You stood there and listened to Mother accuse Danny of killing her son,” Kit said.

“That is why I set her straight,” Duke responded.

“Why wouldn’t you tell us?” Kat asked.

“Because I am tired of being responsible for everyone’s decisions!” Duke yelled. “Chris wants to play dead, so let him. Until when are we going to play these games with him? He left Daniela there on the tracks, as if he didn’t even know she was there with him. Then he runs away to some small town to punish us for supporting you instead of him. Chris wanted us to find him, to give into his demands, so that he can come back.”

“You still should have told us.”

“Then what? You would have given him Danny like you were about to do. Actually, if the two of you were so interested, you should have looked for him and made him come back. I’m done. The both of you can get out of my house now.”

Duke stormed off into his room, his little outburst giving him some sort of relief. He understood as the firstborn, it was his responsibility to take care of his siblings. However, sometimes it just seemed to be too much for him to bear alone. Because they’d run off to follow their dreams, he stayed behind, doing everything that they were supposed to have done. So, Chris wanted to take some time off? Fine. He was going to come back on his own. Duke knew that Chris had missed his timing and that was why it had taken him almost a year to come back. But now that Kit had gone to look for him, he would soon be back and only God knew the disaster he would bring with him.

Years of exhaustion seemed to hit him at that moment. Duke lay down on his bed, stared at the ceiling, and begged for sleep to take him.

***

Rhyne walked into the mansion, RD’s tiny hand clutched in hers and nervous regret bubbling up in her chest. She looked back once more, something she’d been doing ever since they’d left Duke’s apartment building. He wasn’t there. She couldn’t see his car, or a sign that he was even following them. What was his plan, exactly? A night, two days—when was he coming for them? Rhyne left the apartment with the comforting knowledge that Duke would come for them eventually. Sure, she was mad about his keeping her brother a secret from her. However, she knew Duke never acted impulsively; he always had a reason behind every decision. So, there must be a reason why he hadn’t come for her and their children yet.

“Rhyne, let’s go,” Reno said, snapping her out of her internal conflict.

She realized she had been standing at the door frame, with her head turned toward the gates. She nodded and walked right into the foyer, and into the arresting gazes of a group of people. She only recognized two of them, Danny and DJ. The rest…they made her nervous. She wished she could walk around them to the comfortable embrace of her younger sister.

Sister, she thought. I have a sister and two brothers. I have sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, nephews, and nieces. I have a father and a stepmother. I have a family. A smile crept up her lips. It was comforting knowing she was a blood relation of more than half the people in that room. She wasn’t alone anymore.

She fought the urge to take a step back when the man she assumed was her father—by the fact he was the oldest there—took a step toward her. He cupped her jaw and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“You look just like your mother,” he whispered through trembling lips. A tear rolled down his cheek as his crow’s feet pulled tighter the brighter he smiled.

Rhyne let herself lean into that comfort. She wasn’t sure what had happened between her parents. That information was not made available to her and so far, no one had volunteered it. She didn’t know if she was meant to resent this man or love him. She decided to take her cues from Reno, since he was Dennis’ other abandoned child.

“Dad, we should let her sit down,” Reno said.

Dad? So, it’s okay to be nice to him? Rhyne was so confused at how she should feel.

“Here, I’ll help. Evie and DJ, grab the other pregnant woman and help her to a seat. Reno and I will take this one. Hi, I’m Lisette, Reno’s wife. And that’s Evie, DJ’s wife.”

Rhyne couldn’t help but smile when the vivacious woman introduced herself. Anyone could easily tell that Lisette was a unique individual. Very outspoken, the type to say what she meant and not what would be polite to the ears. A little offensive but with a welcome bluntness. A beat-her-own-drum kind of woman. Rhyne was about to politely turn down her offer, but Lisette already had one arm around her back while the other held on to her right forearm.

“I know by now your waist is begging for a time-out. Let’s get you off your feet before any climactic events take place,” Lisette said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

They were just about to walk into the living room when the door opened. Rhyne turned around, excited. However, that was short-lived as the man who entered was Kit and not Duke.

“Where is Duke?” she asked.

“He is keeping secrets in his bat cave,” Kit, responded slightly annoyed.

“Daddy has a bat cave?” RD asked, as his tiny eyes widened, and his mouth formed a startled O. “Is Daddy Batman?”

“With the number of secrets he keeps, he might as well be.” Kit reached down and scooped RD into his arms.

“If Daddy is Batman, does that make you Robin?”

“We are all Robin when it comes to your dad, champ.”

“But our last name is Henry, not Wayne.” RD scratched the bottom of his chin.

Rhyne could just imagine the number of thoughts swirling around in his inquisitive mind.

“Duke wouldn’t dare come here,” Reno said as he helped ease her into a chair.

“Why? Is he not welcome?”

“That, and a number of other things, like me flattening his nose,” Reno grumbled.

“I doubt it,” Rhyne said without thinking.

“Are you taking his side? He kept us from you.”

“Yes, for a month.”

“That doesn’t excuse—”

“Excuses?” Rhyne couldn’t believe it even though she heard herself. Her voice raised, she sounded angry and defensive. Her meek self was holding her own against her older brother. “What’s his excuse?” She signalled towards Dennis Senior, “He abandoned us when we were babies and yet you call him Dad. He hid the fact that he had two illegitimate children, two—born hours apart from each other, and yet she still calls him husband.”

It hadn’t escaped her that Isadora maintained a clear distance from her ever since her father had announced she looked just like her mother. It was either her stepmother didn’t like her, or feared facing the other woman, the first woman in a way. The side stares were making her uncomfortable and the baby inside her could feel it too. The baby hadn’t stopped kicking since Rhyne had walked into the mansion.

Rhyne’s kept a close eye on Dennis as he walked up to RD, still cuddled in Kit’s arms. “Hi, I’m your grandfather. Can I hold you?”

“Daddy doesn’t like it when strangers carry me. Right, Mommy?” RD answered innocently.

Every eye in the room turned to her to approve the contact between grandfather and grandson, and how could she say no?

“Come here.” RD bolted into her arms as soon as Kit set him on his feet. “I want to introduce you to the other side of your family. You know Daddy’s family. Now you are meeting Mommy’s family.” One by one, starting with Reno, she introduced her son to the Kents. His little, confused face lit up when she got to Kit and Danny, the only familiar people in the room. Rhyne finished with her father and Isadora because she honestly didn’t know how the woman would be comfortable being addressed.

“This is your grandpa Dennis and grandma Isadora.”

“Nonna,” Isadora corrected, as both she and Dennis got to RD’s eye level. “Can Nonna get a hug?”

RD looked back at her for permission, which she freely gave. RD dove into his grandparents’ arms and hugged them.

“Nonna is going to take you to the playroom with your cousins. Grandpa is going to talk to your mommy for a little bit,” Dennis said.

“Okay.” RD obeyed and followed Isadora and the other children out of her sight.

“We obviously need to talk, but we can get to that after you have rested,” Dennis said. “Your bags have been taken to your room upstairs—”

“Wait, what? No. Duke will be here soon. We’ll go back home once he gets here,” Rhyne said.

“What makes you so sure he’ll come?” Reno asked.

“Because he always does.”

“He’s not coming. I know my brother. He didn’t mention you once after you left with your brothers,” Kit filled in.

Those words made her heart fall to the pit of her stomach, which was now shoved up to her rib cage. “No, he always comes.”

“How many times have you done this, exactly?”

“Done what? Leave?”

“Yes, leave.”

“Three times.”

Rhyne didn’t expect much of a reaction from Kit. But his furrowed brows, his gaze turning to his shuffling feet, told her something wasn’t right.

“Ever watch baseball, Rhyne, when the batter misses the ball three times? Duke has a three-strike rule.” The note of regret in Kit’s tone raised her anxiety.

“What? Three strikes and you’re out,” DJ joked.

“Exactly. Rhyne, he won’t come for you. His children, yes, but you no. If you had any hope of having a relationship with my brother that went beyond co-parenting, you need to forget about that.”

In searching for her birth family Rhyne had lost the only family she knew. What was she going to do now? Having two of his children had comforted her in a way, given her a security blanket that she now just realized was about as formidable as wet tissue. Although she was terrified, she was angry at Duke. Why hadn’t she been given his user manual? Rules and regulations to follow while in a confusing relationship with Harry Duke Henry. For all these years she’d engaged with a man whose life followed an unwritten guideline. Kit and Kat, the nutty bars, just watched her walk out of her home without briefing her of the situation. Rhyne dug her fingers into the armchair as her world began spinning out of control. “I have to go home,” she said as she stumbled to her feet. “I love him. I can’t lose him.”

As Rhyne took a step toward the exit, her spinning world went dark.