Sipping coffee while looking over the final set of blueprints to approve for a local contracting firm, Trevor leaned back in his chair and spun around to look out the windows of his posh corner office. He liked this job, but sometimes he wondered what it would be like to have his own company like his dad.
His Dad. He'd be a hell of a lot happier if Dad stopped riding his case about Caroline so much. Why did he care when they got married? Nothing in it for him.
Each time Trevor thought of his trip to Louisiana, his stomach churned. When that chick, April, called him, he thought it was a wrong number. But when she mentioned who she was married to and physically described Caroline, she had his full attention. Her words echoed in his head.
"You may want to make a special trip down here to check on your little blushing bride before she ruins everything. She's making nice with the gardener, and I saw them in bed together the other night."
Like a tuning fork, sheer rage vibrated through him, and he couldn't concentrate on anything but confronting her and pounding the gardener. Trevor touched his busted lip, wincing at the still-present sting. The nightmare he had right after Caroline left for that godforsaken state still haunted him. He'd regretted sending her down there ever since. Now this. . .
All the times they'd gotten hot and heavy with just kissing and petting, he could only fantasize what it would be like to go even further with her. Every time, every single time, she stopped him. It was getting old, and he was tired of taking cold showers. But Caroline was worth waiting for. Something about her was different. Special. Just one glimpse of her could drive him wild.
He smiled imagining their wedding night. The things he had planned for her were sure to unleash the freak hidden within her. Caroline was feisty out of the bed, he couldn't wait to see how she would be in the bed. He'd already had a little taste, albeit it was tiny because that's all she'd allow, but he'd seen a glimpse of her passionate reactions to his touch. That's why he couldn't stand the mere thought of her even sitting on the same bed with another man, much less having sex with him. Just thinking about it sent fits of burning fury shooting through Trevor's heart.
Jealousy was one thing, but his inability to physically control his temper with Caroline worried him. He'd never in his life raised a hand or used his strength against a woman. Yet, while in Louisiana with her, it was like someone else controlled his arms, his thoughts. He felt terrible about hurting her, and, just as he was about to rush to her side to apologize for throwing her on the ground, that home-wrecking redneck jumped in front of him. The dude's surprising capability to fight shocked Trevor. Of course, he was a gardener, and physical labor and heavy lifting were a daily routine for him. Still, the boy had skills that were learned, not inherited.
Either way, it didn't sit well with Trevor to have another man, especially an attractive one, rushing to Caroline's defense. Who did he think he was? The dude tried convincing him that they were just friends. Trevor had been in a fraternity, he knew the type. They didn't generally put themselves in the line of fire unless there was something in it for them. Guys like him don't fight for valor, they fight because they're getting laid. It's raw male nature. Had Caroline not turned him down so many times sexually, Trevor would never have believed she and the gardener hadn't been intimate. If she could resist him, Trevor knew the gardner didn't get anywhere.
Trevor recalled a peculiar conversation he'd had with his dad two-and-a-half years ago after successfully completing a large job with a Fortune 500 company in Chicago.
Son, I want you to introduce yourself to Caroline Fontenot. She's going to be a junior next semester, and I need you to make her fall in love with you. Do you think you can handle that?"
Trevor had quite a reputation for being a ladies' man, and loved a good challenge, but when he questioned why, Kenneth wouldn't explain. He just insisted it would be worth it for Trevor in the long run for him to sweep her off her feet. The thought of that had not excited Trevor, considering he had no idea what she looked like. For all he knew, she was an ugly chick who couldn't get a date to save her life. He certainly didn't need his dad's assistance in finding a woman. But curiosity prevailed, and he decided to see what all the fuss was about.
Trevor's friend in campus administration got Caroline's information so he could just happen to run into her. He finally saw her at the grocery store, frustrated because she couldn't fit all of her groceries into her car with the furniture and other supplies she had already purchased for her apartment. Irritated and angry, and breathtakingly beautiful, he took one look at her and instantly became smitten. Amused by her red-hot temper, Trevor helped her fit everything in the vehicle, and used that opportunity to make his move. Unsure why his dad wanted him to meet her, for once he was thankful for the nosy, unsolicited request.
Trevor chuckled at how cute Caroline was when angry. The past two years with his beautiful little spitfire had been amazing. He would do whatever it took to make sure he didn't lose her. Whatever it took.
Trevor's office phone rang, jerking him away from his thoughts. He rubbed his face and cleared his throat to answer the phone.
"Trevor Callahan."
"Hello, Son."
"Hello, Dad. How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. Did you have a pleasant weekend?"
"Pleasant enough, yes. You?"
"How's Caroline making out in Louisiana?"
He snorted a laugh at the irony of his choice of words. "She's making out fine, I suppose. She and her dad seem to have hit it off okay. Better than I expected them to."
"Is this going to be a problem for you?"
Trevor seethed. "No, Dad, I think I can handle it."
"Good. See that you do. We don't want that sweet little girl to change her mind about marrying you, do we?"
"What exactly is that supposed to mean, Dad? Why are you so concerned about my marriage to Caroline, and why do you care about her relationship with her dad?"
"Nothing you need to worry about yet, son. I just don't want you to miss out on getting a piece of the pie, that's all."
Trevor grew annoyed with his dad speaking in riddles. "What pie would that be? What is it about Eddie Fontenot that has you so driven? Do you even know him?"
"No, I don't personally know him, I only know of him and his family's business."
"Okay, well I met him personally, and he was extremely unpleasant. He didn't seem like a typical friendly Southerner to me."
"Meet me for lunch today at the sandwich shop around the corner from your building and I'll explain everything to you. I don't want to talk about it over the phone."
What could possibly be so secret that he couldn't talk about it over the phone? This should be interesting.
The sandwich shop bustled with people, most getting their orders to go. Trevor chose a table in the back corner and waited for his dad to arrive.
Kenneth Callahan was a moderately tall, husky man who wore his jet black hair shaggy to compensate for a receding hairline. His pale skin, which contrasted greatly with his dark locks, was heavily lined with stress and age. His father was probably quite handsome in his youth, but the years had not been kind to him. Despite the weather, his dad usually wore a long, dark coat and a matching hat, very noir gangster, Al Capone.
Kenneth walked in and casually glanced around the room. When he spotted Trevor in the back corner, he grinned and made his way to the table.
"Good choice in seating, son. I almost didn't see you way back here."
"Well, it sounded like our lunch conversation wasn't necessarily going to be public record, so I figured it was best to remain inconspicuous."
Kenneth smiled as he waved over a waitress. "Order what you want, son, my treat."
This was unusual behavior. His dad rarely wanted to meet him for lunch, and, when he did, he never paid for anyone other than himself.
"Thanks. You don't have to do that. I can get my own lunch."
"Don't be ridiculous. It's my pleasure. We have much to discuss, so order anything you'd like
. We may be here for a while."
That wasn't what he expected to hear. "Sure, no problem. I don't have any appointments until later this afternoon, anyway."
They ordered their food and waited until the waitress walked away before continuing their conversation.
"Listen," Kenneth kept his voice low. "It's time I fill you in on our family's history. After all, it's impossible to know where you're going unless you know where you've been, right?"
Trevor's guard flew up, but he was curious to hear what his dad wanted to disclose.
Kenneth leaned across the table, speaking just above a whisper. "Okay, I'm just going to cut to the chase here. Our family hasn't always been wealthy. In fact, just the opposite. We've all had to work very hard for what we have. We also haven't always been from New York. Your great, great, great, great grandfather, Peter Callahan, was raised in Southeast Louisiana."
Trevor's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Why haven't I heard of this before now? He stared at his dad, waiting for him to continue with the story, when the waitress brought their food to the table.
"This may get somewhat confusing so try to keep up. Peter was in business with a man named Jefferson. They were partners in a business called Gulf Coast Import and Trading Company. They had huge success during that time and it was beginning to become more than they could handle, just the two of them. Each of them had a son approximately the same age, so they agreed to allow their sons to be the primary owners whenever they were of age to accept responsibility and take over the company. This way the old guys could be there to help if needed, but they could enjoy the benefits from the company without the work."
Trevor nodded. "I'm following you, but I don't understand where Caroline or her father fits into this story."
"Just shut up and listen, would ya? I'm getting there." Trevor bit his tongue in anger. He hated the way his father spoke down to him.
Kenneth Callahan was well known for his explosive, violent temper. Too many times growing up, Trevor would hear his parents in the other room arguing and suddenly his mom would scream and start bawling. The next day he would see a purple bruise across her cheek or a black eye. As he got older there were times his mom would disappear for a few days only to show up wearing a long sleeve shirt on a hot summer day. She became quite good at masquerading as the quiet, supportive wife, but Trevor knew better. That's why his loss of control with Caroline in Louisiana scared him so badly. He didn't want to be an abusive husband like his dad.
"So, when Peter's son, George, was only a teenager, Peter became very sick with pneumonia. Back then, medicine was nowhere near what it is today. Even with the best medical care money could buy, he ended up dying from the disease before George was of age to officially take over his share of the company. Things went as planned with Jefferson keeping to his word. Jackson and George were still intended to run the company once they reached the age and learned the trade. However, Jefferson's son, Jackson, became engaged to a lovely young lady named Rachel, to whom George had a serious attraction." Kenneth snorted. "Hmpf, leave it to a woman to ruin things."
Trevor rolled his eyes at his dad's chauvinistic view of women and took a large bite of his sandwich. Ken noticed and disregarded it as he continued. "As an engagement present, Jefferson and his wife built this huge mansion on their enormous plot of land for his son and his soon-to-be wife. Jackson and Rachel got married and she immediately got pregnant. By immediately, I mean on the honeymoon."
Trevor shrugged. "So, what's the problem with that? Happens all the time."
"George had the Callahan temper, which I'm sure you are familiar with." Trevor shifted uncomfortably. "He was already insanely jealous of Jackson because he married the woman George wanted, and she had his baby—a boy named Joseph. Once Jefferson had a grandson to carry on the family name, he backed out on his longstanding agreement with Peter and made it strictly a family owned company. Instead of leaving the rightful share of his company to George, as he had promised, he changed the legal paperwork to state the rightful heirs to the company would be his son, Jackson, and grandson, Joseph."
"How could he do that?"
"George wasn't of age yet, but Jackson was. He was a year older, and once he had legal ability to take over, Jefferson threw the verbal agreement out the window. There wasn't a damn thing George could do. . .not legally anyway."
Trevor leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed. "So George, who was my great, great, great grandfather, got double-crossed by his father's partner and his partner's son?"
"Precisely. Like I said, there was nothing George could do about it because in lieu of Peter's death, Jefferson became the sole owner of the company, therefore inheriting all legal rights to change anything he wanted. This launched a huge war between these two families. If only Peter had been there to defend his son, Jefferson and Jackson wouldn't have been successful with their conniving double-cross. Things would have worked out entirely different and much better for our family." Kenneth slurped the last bit of soda from his glass and obnoxiously waved it to catch the waitress's eye.
"George lost it. He snapped. He moved to New York to start his life over and get as far away from Jefferson, Jackson, and Joseph as he could. That's where he met his wife and started his family in their new life. He vowed to teach every male in his family how to run a business, and, rather than imports or trading, he took a vested interest in contract construction and real estate. This knowledge has been handed down throughout the generations, and here we sit. I own a real estate investment company and you are a successful architect."
"So what happened to Rachel? You didn't mention him wanting to get away from her."
"Apparently after she had the baby, she suffered from postpartum depression or psychosis, or something. They didn't even know what that was back then, much less how to treat it. Everyone just thought she'd gone crazy. She wound up killing herself by jumping off a building."
"That's a very interesting story, Dad, but you still didn't tell me what that has to do with Caroline."
Kenneth leaned even further into the table, momentarily interrupted by the waitress bringing his drink back, and stared at his son with serious, focused eyes. "Peter Callahan's business partner who ruined everything we stood to inherit was Jefferson Fontenot, Caroline's great, great, great, great grandfather. Her dear old dad, Edward Fontenot, still owns the Gulf Coast Import and Trading Company and lives in the plantation house Jefferson built for his son."
Trevor choked on the gulp of water he'd taken. He carefully placed his glass back on the table and swallowed.
"I need you to clarify exactly what this has to do with me. . .just so I'm not confused."
"Once you and Caroline are married, you will legally inherit what she does if her father dies, as long as she is included in his legal last will and testament. If she is included in his inheritance and something happens to him before you're married, you get nothing. If something happens to him after you’re married, but she's not in his will, then you get nothing. Now do you see why I've been pushing you to marry her and get her to make nice with her pops?"
"Excuse me? This war you just spoke of between two families was between the Callahan's and the Fontenot's? My future in-laws? You are the reason I even met her." The gross realization of the truth swept over Trevor and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "That was planned from the very beginning, wasn't it? You needed me to make her fall in love with me so we would get married and I would 'get a piece of the pie.' Am I right?"
Kenneth smiled, obviously proud of Trevor's ability to put the pieces together, and took another bite of his sandwich. He spoke while chewing, smacking in between sentences. "Absolutely. It's fool proof. Assuming you don't go and screw it up."
"That's why you insisted I send her to Louisiana to make amends with her estranged father." Trevor couldn't believe what he was saying. The pieces were falling into place of a puzzle he didn't want to be a part of and couldn't see a way out of without hurting himself or Caroline. I'm
such a fool.
Still smiling, Kenneth replied, "And from what I heard this morning, it's working out beautifully. Right?"
Rather than being amused, Trevor was furious. He'd been betrayed by his own father. "Does it not matter to you that I actually love the woman I marry? How could you just assume I would fall for and propose to the one person whose family, from over a century ago I might add, you wanted to get revenge upon?"
"Of course it matters to me, that's why I let you be with her so long and decide to propose on your own before I told you the whole story. It's the patient snake that gets the mouse, you know. If she had dumped you or something, I would have found a way to intervene, but I had no doubt in your skills. You are quite talented with the ladies, I've noticed." He winked at Trevor as he called the waitress over for yet another a drink refill.
Disgusted, Trevor shook his head. Knowing the whole story, it seemed underhanded and sneaky to marry Caroline. "You didn't even know these people, these ancestors you're declaring revenge upon, why do you care what happens to their business or fortune?"
"Because it was our inheritance that their family stole. We deserve to have what the Fontenot's have enjoyed for so long, and only now we are in the position to acquire it. What did you think I was talking about when I mentioned your piece of the pie?"
"I thought. . .I assumed it had something to do with my inheritance from you. A gift you'd give me early as a wedding gift, not some. . .ridiculous revenge plot!" Trevor thrust his hand through his now-unruly hair. "Besides, I'm sure the story has been distorted over time. And this has nothing to do with Caroline or her father." He shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe you've forced me to put her in this position."
"Trevor, you are doing nothing wrong here. You love her, she loves you, you're getting married. The only thing I did was help you two cross paths."
He had a good point. "I just wish you had told me all this sooner."
"Would you have participated then? Probably not."
Trevor thought about it, and his dad was right. If he had known of any possibility that Caroline would get hurt, he would have backed out before things had gone too far. But now he really was in love with and engaged to her. Trevor desperately wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. To wake up next to her every morning. Even more, to go to bed with her every night.
"So what exactly is it you want me to do now?"
"Just make sure that girl marries you. The sooner, the better."
"Dad, I can't just present her with a deadline and say be there or else. Caroline would never go for that."
"Well, you're the man, make her do it."
Once again, Trevor rolled his eyes at his pig of a father. "Dad, it doesn't quite work like that. Caroline is a very intelligent, strong-willed, independent woman. If I tried to make her do something like that, she'd throw my ring back in my face and tell me to get lost. I'll take care of it. I just need some time to digest this new. . .enlightening information."
"Good. That's what I like to hear."
"There's only one major thing I don't understand. For one thing, Edward Fontenot is in perfect health, so I don't see him dying any time soon. Anyway, he has two other children and a much younger wife. I'm sure they are also included in his will. How do you plan to get past them?"
Kenneth stared into his cup and shook the ice around. "Yeah, when I learned about them, it created a few speed bumps in my plan. The kids aren't biological, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Don't worry about the minor details, I'll handle that part. I'll take care of them and Edward Fontenot. I've already spoken to his wife and she's ready."
Trevor nearly jumped out of his seat. "What! You are the reason she called me and stirred up so much trouble? Do you know what you almost caused me to do?"
Kenneth glared, speaking slowly and quietly. A warning. "Easy, boy. Don't you raise your voice to me. I did what I had to do to handle the situation. I knew you wouldn't go down there and handle things if you didn't have a good reason."
"I almost ruined everything! If Caroline wasn't so understanding and forgiving, I very well could have."
"What in Pete's name did she have to forgive you for? She's the one who can't keep her legs closed! If anything, she should be begging you for forgiveness!"
That was all Trevor could stand. He stood and tossed a twenty dollar bill on the table. "I watched you physically and verbally abuse Mom my entire life. I will not stand around and allow you to talk about my fiancée in that manner. This lunch is over."
"Trevor. . .sit down. Don't you dare walk away from me, boy. I'm not finished talking to you," Kenneth warned.
"No, Dad. I'm done taking orders. You're on your own for revenge. Leave Caroline and me out of this."
Trevor walked out and didn't look back. Even if she had done something wrong while in Louisiana, it didn't give his dad the right to insult her—his future wife, the mother of his future child. . .or children, if she had her way. Regardless, his underhanded father tampered with Trevor's family. He had to find a way to protect his own investment from Kenneth Callahan.
Thirty-Three