He hadn't walked away from her in horror. He hadn't withdrawn the help he'd offered.
Instead, he'd said her family's crimes weren't her fault.
Then he'd dazzled her with his kiss.
She still didn't feel she deserved his unconditional acceptance. Nor did it feel right to love anything half as much as she loved Daniel's kisses.
She had so much to make up for--and so much more courage to find within herself. Which was why she had to step away from him now, though every cell in her body craved his closeness. It was why a kiss that beautiful could never happen again.
But at least she wasn't living under a cloud of lies anymore.
Now, she had another test, another act of bravery. She had to face his friends' reactions to the truth. Evan certainly hadn't been pleased when he'd found the damning evidence about her father and brother. He couldn't be anything but furious to find her wrapped so cozily around Daniel.
As though he could read her mind, Daniel tightened his hold on her, not allowing even an inch of space between them.
"It's not their business," he said softly. "It's your story and your right to keep it to yourself."
"I need to tell them everything, just like I told you." She'd been weak for so long, she had to step up now, no matter how scary it was.
"We're heading down to the big house to get some dinner and wondered if you two wanted to come along." Sebastian's comment was the world's most subtle way of saying, It would be nice if one of you told us what the hell is going on.
Tasha's heart was beating like hummingbird wings, but she pushed the words out. "I've just told Daniel who I am and why I'm here. Now I want to tell all of you." She looked straight at Evan. "You're his best friends, and I know how much you care about him. I didn't set out to hurt anyone--"
"Tasha." Daniel's voice was warm and gentle. "They're not going to judge you for what your family did."
But she couldn't let him speak for his friends. Without further preamble, she told them everything, exactly as she'd told Daniel.
When she finally took a breath, Evan closed the distance to stand in front of her. "I spent the past hour up on the roof knowing there had to be more to your story than what I found online. But it was my own history that made me paint things in black and white, without even knowing what the hell I was talking about." His eyes were shadowed, anger with himself marring the curve of his mouth. "Forgive me for being an ass, Tasha."
Before she could tell him he didn't need her forgiveness for anything--who could blame him for wanting to protect his friend?--the others chimed in.
"We never thought you were anything but good," said Will.
From Matt, "You don't owe us explanations. Ari and Noah will love you."
And a heartfelt, "Come here and give me a hug," from Sebastian, who, with his arms gentle and accepting around her, whispered, "Sorry we interrupted right when things were getting good between you and Daniel."
The Mavericks were the men she wished her father could have been. The men she wished her brother actually was.
All the while, Daniel stood tall beside her, believing in her.
His unconditional acceptance--and that of his friends--blurred her eyes with tears all over again. She'd dropped her guard and nothing bad had happened. She'd told the truth, and they hadn't snarled like rabid dogs the way Eric had.
She still had so much more to make up for, but she was proud of taking the first step, of confessing her greatest faults to people she respected.
There was so much more to do, a long road of actions she had to take, but first, she needed the Mavericks to know how grateful she was. "I can never thank you all enough for everything you've done." For working on her house. And, more important, for pardoning her terrible mistakes. "I appreciate your help from the bottom of my heart."
Daniel took her hand in his, squeezing her fingers lightly, spreading his warmth through her. "You've got the Mavericks behind you, Tasha." He grinned. "Whether you want us or not."
"I'm starving." Matt's stomach growled right on cue. "Steak for dinner sound good to everyone?"
Tasha couldn't believe they'd forgiven her and, just like that, moved on to practical matters like food and who'd lost the extra box of roofing nails and if the weather would hold out until the new roof was finished tomorrow.
But instead of following them, Tasha said, "I'll be along in a little bit. Don't wait on dinner for me, okay?"
Daniel got that stubborn look, the one she was starting to know quite well, readying himself to insist on staying with her. Until she whispered, "I'm not going to run. I promise. There's just something I need to do." She gave him a small but heartfelt smile.
He left with obvious reluctance--and no small measure of concern for her creasing the corners of his eyes. As soon as the men were walking down the mountain toward his house, Tasha went to her laptop.
She hadn't been into her email for so long that she fumbled her password a couple of times. But if she was brave enough to tell Daniel--and the Mavericks as well--then she couldn't stop there.
It was time, long past time, to find out where Drew and her father had gone.
She sent her brother a quick email. Moments later, she got a domain notice saying the email address didn't exist. Just as she'd thought. She sent a brief note to Barbara, her father's receptionist, saying the usual, Hi, hope all is well, heard from my brother or my dad? Thanks. Who else could she contact? She trolled her history, finding a group email from her brother that included addresses for a couple of his friends. She sent queries their way too. A polite opening, then, Heard anything from my brother?
She stared at the screen, thinking, thinking. Who else? She didn't bother with either of the investigators who'd talked to her. If they'd tracked down her father and Drew, they'd already be in jail. But hadn't there been a lawyer her father had brought in? Tasha pressed her fingers to her temples to try to squeeze a name out of her brain. Nothing came.
Barbara might remember. As soon as the receptionist emailed her back--if she emailed back--Tasha would ask her. Heck, Barbara might know lots of other names to try.
For now, though, Tasha couldn't think of anyone else, which made her realize how pitifully little she knew about her family.
Her heart was beating fast and her fingers trembled slightly on the keys of her laptop as she waited for someone to reply. But her inbox remained glaringly empty. She'd have to wait, hoping someone would have a trail she could follow.
Yet despite the failure to receive any answers, it was good to finally do something constructive. She wasn't running, she wasn't hiding. She was being proactive.
And the person she had to thank for that was Daniel. Because without his touch, his kiss, or his belief in her, she might never have found the courage.
Chapter Sixteen
Two days later, Tasha and Daniel stood together in his driveway, waving as Will backed the SUV out. "Good-bye," Tasha called. "Thank you for everything."
The Mavericks had decided to leave early on Monday so they could spend the rest of the holiday with their loved ones at home. They weren't taking Spanky or Froggy yet, agreeing not to split up the puppies until they were a little older. But Tasha had sent the guys off with a hearty lunch packed in Harper's picnic basket.
When the SUV disappeared around a curve in the road, she turned to smile at Daniel, and the beauty that was a glow around her made his heart leap in his chest. "I'm going to miss them," she said. "And not just for putting on my new roof. I really like your friends."
"They're good guys." The absolute truth, however? He wouldn't miss them today. Not when all he'd craved since Saturday evening was to have Tasha to himself.
He'd walked her back to her place Saturday night, but instead of sharing another kiss, she'd evaded him completely, with yesterday being a repeat.
Yet, no matter how much he wanted her, no matter how frustrated he was in his cold, lonely bed, he didn't want to make a mistake by pushing things too fast. She'd been hu
rt badly by her scum of an ex and by her father's betrayal. In her position, he wouldn't want to leap into a new relationship too quickly either. Especially when they hadn't been alone since she'd told him the truth about her family. There'd been no chance to really talk. She was still wary, holding back, balking at outward displays of affection in front of his friends. He wanted to learn so much more about her, more details about her life. He wanted to get to know her, really know her.
Anyone who knew Daniel also understood that he'd been driven his whole life by one thing: determination. He'd been determined to make it out of the slums. He'd been determined to grow his business to the point where he could take his parents--and the rest of his family--with him. Now, he wanted nothing more than to make Tasha laugh, to bring her completely out of her shell and, most of all, to forgive herself.
Daniel Spencer never failed once he set his mind on something.
And his mind was most definitely set on Tasha.
After her confession to Daniel and his friends, he and the guys had talked privately about her situation. The Mavericks were ready and raring to track down her family, including the bastard ex-boyfriend. They certainly had the resources to do it. But in his opinion, only Tasha had the right to track--and confront--her family.
Of course, the guys couldn't stand to do absolutely nothing, so for now they'd agreed to search out victims of the scam and make sure all of them received restitution. Daniel had already called the Mavericks' private investigator to get that ball rolling. He'd let Tasha know about it if and when there were results.
Yet again, he'd considered telling the Mavericks about his strange conversations with his mother. Only, was there really anything to tell them? No matter how he tried to downplay it, they'd probably put a full-court press on Mom, trying to wring out what was bothering her. They'd feel duty-bound to help her in any way they could. But was that the right thing for her, when she seemed so anxious about whatever the problem was? So he'd decided to say nothing for the time being.
"I have to thank you too." Tasha broke into his thoughts, her voice earnest. "I don't even know where to begin."
"I've enjoyed every moment. We all have." The rest of the materials she'd purchased had been delivered yesterday, but as much as he liked working with hammer and nails, it would do them both a heck of a lot of good to get away for a little while. "You know what we need to do today?"
"Yes," she said. "You've done so much to help me with my place, I want to help you with yours."
It was a generous offer, one he'd happily take her up on later--not only for her excellent building skills, but because he'd take any opportunity to be near her. For now, though, he waved it away with a better idea. "A hike and a picnic."
"A hike and a picnic?" She said the words the way she might have said, You want me to eat big hairy spiders for lunch?
He couldn't help laughing, but he wasn't going to let her hide out in her cabin a minute longer. She enjoyed the work as much as he did, but there was so much more to life, and he wanted to remind her of it.
"We both deserve time off." He led her into his kitchen, where he had a backpack and water bottles waiting. "Plus, I already packed lunch for us. I'm sure you don't want my efforts to go to waste."
She looked suspiciously at the bag. "Please tell me you didn't pack your secret stash of caviar in there."
He slapped a hand to his chest. "Words to strike at a billionaire's heart," he joked. The guys had talked up Will's excellent imported caviar, but Tasha had scrunched her nose. "Even though I know you'll love caviar when you finally try it"--her eyes widened at the word when, but he wanted her to get used to the idea that this feeling growing between them didn't have an end date--"if I promise there's no caviar on the menu today, will you agree to come hiking with me?"
She thought about it for a moment. "I wouldn't want all your hard picnic-making work to go to waste, but we could always eat it when we take a break later today."
"Work, work, work." A smile creased his lips simply from the sweetness of looking at her. "Aren't you ever lazy for just a little while?"
"No," she said. But her eyes lit up, and suddenly she was laughing. "And you never give up on your goals either, do you?"
"No, I don't."
He wouldn't give up on his goal to win her heart, that was for sure.
She held up her hands in surrender. "All right, you win. But what about the puppies?"
"They'll be fine in the pen in the shade. The hike to Grass Lake is too far for them. Plus, we've got to cross some streams. We can leave extra water and plenty of kibble to tide them over until we get back. You're going to have a great time," he promised her. "I won't let you down."
With those words, he was asking her to trust him. He understood it was a huge deal for her, with so many more implications than a mere hike. After all, her family had let her down in the worst of ways.
But Daniel meant every word, and he refused to hold back any more than absolutely necessary. Not when Tasha was everything he'd given up hope of finding--smart, independent, compassionate, and oh-so-sexy.
"All right," she said at last. "I'll put on my hiking boots."
At her house, she plopped on a pink ball cap, pulling her hair through and letting her ponytail cascade down her back. His fingers itched to tangle themselves in the silk.
He laughed when she turned, pointing at the stitching. "That's a good sign."
Tracing the letters, she smiled, turning his heart as soft as the center of a chocolate creme. "Not adulting today." She shrugged. "Very millennial, I know."
"I for one am glad you're not adulting today." He wanted her carefree and happy, without the shadows she'd lived under for so long.
They took care of the puppies, then hit the trailhead, climbing to the lake along the fire road, passing waterfalls gushing with the last of the snowmelt. She walked slightly in front of him, and he enjoyed the mesmerizing sway of her ponytail and the strength in her calves.
"You're a great hiker."
"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Dad and Drew and I used to--" Her smile fell halfway through her sentence. "I've always loved hiking," she said instead of whatever family tidbit she'd been about to reveal.
He wished she'd feel comfortable sharing more, but who was he to judge when he hadn't shared his concerns about his conversations with his mother with anyone? Yet he still didn't feel it was right to saddle Tasha with his stuff when he didn't even have his facts straight.
"Anyway," she continued, "I've been dying to know, how did the Mavericks meet their wives?"
He saw the question for what it was, a way to take the focus off her and her family. But his answer could, if used skillfully, draw her out. Let her get to know him until she didn't notice she was revealing more about herself too.
He wasn't giving up. Not by a long shot.
*
They talked the entire time they hiked up the trail. And Tasha loved all the stories about his family.
"Will met Harper through her brother, Jeremy, who was majorly into Will's classic car collection. But honestly, I think Will fell for him first. He's a great kid. So happy all the time." He told her about Jeremy's accident, and her heartstrings twanged for the boy. "Will and Harper got married on New Year's Eve, and Jeremy gave her away. It even made me cry." He mimed wiping his eyes.
"What about Sebastian?" Tasha had already heard what a fabulous artist Charlie Ballard was. Sebastian's praise had been nonstop. Tasha had looked up her work online, and it was truly stunning--as was Charlie herself.
"He was looking for an artist to create something for his new headquarters. He went crazy for her work--but he totally went off the deep end for Charlie herself. Plus, you've got to love her mom, Francine. That little lady walks a mile a day despite her crippling arthritis. She's amazing."
Tasha adored listening to him--to the love that laced his words, to his deep, beautiful voice that made something sing inside her. She'd loved her father and brother, but nothing had ever see
med as exquisite as Daniel's heartfelt stories about his family.
Thinking about her own family reminded her she needed to send out more emails. Though having heard nothing themselves, Barbara and Drew's friends had written back to give her more names to contact. She had so much more to do, but for today, she would let herself bask in the sweetness of being out in nature with Daniel.
"And Matt?" she prompted him, pushing back the bill of her cap as she glanced over her shoulder at him. The day was warm, but not grindingly hot.
"He's done such a great job of raising his son alone. Noah is the best. He's so smart, so interested in everything. Ari was his nanny, but she and Matt were always meant to be together, and they're getting married later this year."
"It's wonderful that they've all had such happy endings."
"It really is," he agreed. "Take Paige and Evan. They've known each other forever--she's his ex-wife's younger sister--and they're a match made in heaven. He actually met Paige first--it just took him a heck of a long time to recognize that real love was there in front of him all along."
She was glad Daniel's friends had all found a second chance. Even if she still wasn't sure she deserved one herself. After all, while most of the Mavericks' parents had been truly evil, the Mavericks themselves hadn't been complicit.
"The guys have come a long way from Chicago," Daniel said. "And let me tell you, none of them had it easy. They ran the gamut from alcoholic parents, to abuse, to abandonment."
Her foot slipped on a rock, but she caught herself before Daniel could touch her. They hadn't kissed again, not like that perfect moment in the cabin. Despite how marvelous he'd been about her huge confession, she was still on tenterhooks around him. Yet at the same time, she was so ready for his touch, his kiss, his heat, even as impossible as that was.
It was an effort to keep walking and talking instead of turning around and throwing herself at him. "You must have had it hard too, since you came from the same neighborhood."
"My parents made sure there was always enough love to go around and enough food on the table, even if we didn't have the finer things of life."