Destiny Undone 4 Read online

  Contents

  Book Description

  Chapter One — Gabe

  Chapter Two — Pepper

  Chapter Three — Gabe

  Chapter Four — Pepper

  Chapter Five — Gabe

  Chapter Six — Pepper

  Chapter Seven — Gabe

  Chapter Eight — Pepper

  Chapter Nine — Gabe

  Chapter Ten — Pepper

  All Series from Amanda Heartley

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Amanda Heartley

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  © 2015 Amanda Heartley

  Published by Heartley Publishing

  Book Description

  Gabe and Pepper have been to hell and back and their love only grows stronger. Pepper tries to make peace with her past until her so-called mother, Evangeline, goes all out on National TV to ruin Pepper’s life—and all hell breaks loose! Enter Mills, her loving, doting sister who takes to social media to run some damage control.

  Ready to start a new chapter in their life, Gabe is determined that nothing will come between them—not even Sophie’s stolen kiss in the dark.

  All series from Amanda Heartley

  Fueled Obsession Box Set

  Oceans Apart Box Set

  Southern Heat Box Set

  Destiny Undone Series

  Fueled Obsession Series

  Oceans Apart Series

  Southern Heat Series

  Chapter One — Gabe

  It was now or never.

  My parents were on the terrace, sipping mixed drinks and discussing their next philanthropic trip. Having them both in town at the same time was a rare occurrence, one I needed to take advantage of no matter how anxious I was about their reaction to what I was about to ask of them.

  They both perked up as I stepped outside. “Hey, son! How about a drink?” I could tell my dad had already had a few. I hoped the small buzz would help them accept what I was about to say. I sure as hell didn’t want it to backfire.

  “No thanks, Dad. Actually, I’d like to talk to the both of you if you have a minute.”

  “Sure. Are we in trouble?” Mom joked.

  I pulled over a chair and sat down in front of them. “No, Mom, you guys aren’t in trouble.” I smiled and added, “You’re never home long enough to cause any.”

  “Ouch!” Mom replied, a scowl on her face. I hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but my thoughts of how to start this conversation were ping-ponging around in my head, distracting me. Maybe I was over-thinking it, but right or wrong, I was nervous. I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to take what I had to say.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sorry, that wasn’t supposed to hurt.”

  “Forgiven.” Mom’s face softened again.

  Dad took another sip and set his glass down on the side table. “Okay, son, what is it? Are you in trouble?”

  “No, Dad, it’s about Pepper.”

  “Is she pregnant?” Mom interrupted.

  “No! Guys, can I please talk?”

  “Thank God for that!”

  “Mom! Please!”

  They both looked at each other and Dad finally answered, “Yes, son, please, go ahead.”

  “Okay, but no more interruptions.” As if it wasn’t hard enough to talk to these two. “Pepper’s been going through a lot lately. What with dealing with the adoption, struggling with how she feels, who she is—”

  “Yes, I can see where that would be disturbing to her. Wonder what made them tell her now? Isn’t that all water under the bridge?” Dad sat up in his lounge chair and slid his sunglasses up. “I mean, there were rumors years ago that Doug had adopted her, but I just thought that meant she was Evangeline’s child and he’d adopted her. Not that they found her in an orphanage.”

  “Dad, she didn’t come from an orphanage. She’s Evangeline’s cousin’s daughter. They both adopted her, but that’s not the point.”

  My mother broke into the conversation. “Oh, my God! You’re going to marry her, aren’t you?” I loved my mother but she could take a conversation and twist the words so many times, by the time you were finished, it was totally different than what you’d started with.

  “No, Mom. I mean, I don’t know, but that’s not what I want to talk to you about—”

  “I like her. It’s your mother that has a problem.” Dad slid his glasses back down over his eyes and ignored the scowl that had returned to Mom’s face.

  “Thanks, jerk. I don’t have a problem with her. I just think she could be a little more… modest. Lady-like comes to mind,” Mom scoffed and took another drink.

  “Wow, you guys are amazing. I came out here to ask a favor—one I don’t feel I should ask because I am a grown man—and now you’ve turned it into a circus. Damn.” I got up from my chair and thought about going out to the boat to see Pepper. These guys were obviously a little too wasted to have an intelligent conversation with. Apparently, right now wasn’t the time to ask them for anything.

  My mom spoke first. “Gabriel, sit back down, we’ll listen. What do you need?”

  I turned and looked at her, ignoring her pointed glance at the chair I’d just abandoned. “Do you really want to know?”

  They both stared up at me, looking puzzled, as if they had no idea why I was so agitated.

  “I want Pepper to come stay here for a few days, but you two can’t stop drinking or stay quiet long enough to listen to me. Forget it.”

  “What are you saying? You want to live together? Here?” I could hear the discontent in her voice. Dad slid his glasses back up and looked at Mom then back at me.

  “No, I don’t mean live together. Just let her stay for a couple of days so she can get her head clear.”

  “What’s wrong with the boat?” Dad asked, then took another sip of his drink.

  “Nothing’s wrong with the boat but I want her with me. She needs a friend right now and I want to be there for her.”

  “Gabriel, she’s a wealthy girl. Can’t she just buy a condo like everyone else her age? Or a house or an apartment somewhere? It’s not like she doesn’t have options. Why does this have to fall on you?” Mom looked over at Dad for support on her point.

  “Mom, everything’s up in the air at the minute. Doug’s been great—he’d never deny her anything—but she doesn’t want to be there right now, not in light of everything she knows. She’s hurt, feels really alone, and for the record, this wasn’t her idea, it was mine. I want her with me but I guess if your…” I put my fingers up in air quotes, “scruples won’t allow that, I’ll just go stay on the boat with her instead.” I turned to leave again but Mom called me back.

  “Gabe, please don’t walk away. I didn’t say no. I’m just asking questions. First you say you want me to like her then you want her to move in. I know it’s just a few days, but it’s still living together and I don’t know how I feel about you two living like a married couple here.”

  “So, I should marry her, then?” I knew that wasn’t what she meant, but I wanted her to see the flaw in her logic.

  “Stop that. You know that’s not what I meant. If that’s what you really want, then fine. It’s your space. You can move in anyone you like, I suppose. Just please let us know if you plan on skinny-dipping in our pool.”

  “Yes, please do!” Dad grinned and finished off his drink.

  “Would you two please stop it? And Dad, I think you’ve had enough to drink. Should
n’t you be checking your email for something?”

  “Happy to see you happy, son. Tell Pepper she’s welcome here. All jokes aside, I do mean that.” He set his glass down and patted my shoulder then wandered back to his office in a less than straight line.

  “You see why I keep him so busy? If he didn’t have something to do, he’d be in trouble all the time.”

  I laughed and held Mom’s hand. “Thanks for understanding about Pepper. I owe you one.”

  “It’s fine, son. I guess I’m just old and set in my ways.”

  “You’re hardly old but set in your ways? Yeah, you are.”

  Mom stared at me for a beat then added, “If she makes you happy, I’m happy. Let me get to know her. Why don’t you invite her to dinner tomorrow night? I can whip up something. Or order out. I’d like to talk with her, maybe make up for my bitchiness to her the last time.”

  I smiled and felt more relaxed. “That would be nice. I’ll do that.” With my mind back on Pepper, I turned to leave and imagined the smile she’d give me when I told her the news. I stopped and turned around as a new thought came into my head. “By the way, where are you two off to this time? Another plague-stricken nation?”

  “No, actually, we’re doing an orphanage tour. We’ve had to put off the trip to Africa indefinitely but thankfully, the vaccines were delivered,” Mom replied.

  “Where are these orphanages?”

  “Mostly in Russia and some in Eastern Europe. Don’t worry, we’re not adopting but your dad’s been asked to go and assess the facilities. I’m just tagging along for the ride and to keep him from getting lost.”

  “Sounds interesting… and maybe less dangerous than Africa?”

  She smiled, “Maybe, we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.”

  I leaned over and hugged her. “I love you. Thanks for everything, Mom.”

  “Love you, too, son. By the way, Kwan left you something delicious in the refrigerator. I love that man. He’s not a chef—he’s a food magician.”

  I laughed at her colorful description. Kwan came a few times a week to cook for us. The Destiny Beach crowd loved his Mediterranean-American fusion style, and he was in high demand. “Thanks, I’m starving.” I wandered into the kitchen and found a beautifully-presented plate of food in the refrigerator. I couldn’t readily identify anything on it, but it looked like a piece of art. Seemed a shame to ruin it but I removed the lid and grabbed a fork. I had no idea what I was eating, but it tasted amazing.

  I rummaged through my mail as I ate and thought about Pepper. I thought I’d probably surprise her on the boat but first, I knew it was important to give her some time to herself, whether she wanted it or not. She needed it and as much as I wanted to see her again, it would be best if she had some time to decompress and process everything for a little while without me.

  After I’d devoured Kwan’s creation, I showered and hung out in the living room. My phone rang and Pepper’s pretty face came up on my screen. “Hey, babe. Is this a booty call?” I joked, but she didn’t laugh.

  She sighed, “I wish. I could use a booty call right now.” I sat up straighter on the couch.

  “What’s up?”

  “No other way to say it. Mills is pregnant.”

  “What?” My stomach turned. More drama I didn’t need, especially after the previous conversation with my mom. “Is she sure? I mean—”

  “Yeah, we’re pretty sure. Nobody knows yet, not even Fallon. He’s the father-to-be. We’re supposed to go talk to him in about an hour.”

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say. Are you guys okay?”

  “Yes, I’m okay. I miss you. I wish you were here.”

  “I miss you, too.” I paused for a second and wondered how much of my plan to have her come stay with me I should reveal. This latest bombshell certainly threw a wrench into things. “So I was thinking… if you can, I’d like you to have dinner with us tomorrow night. My parents want to get to know you, but, I totally understand if this isn’t the right time to talk about dinner.”

  “I’d love to!” Her voice brightened and a smile crept onto my face, too.

  “Are you going to be okay tonight?” I wanted to be with her, but in light of the pregnancy news, I had second thoughts. Maybe she’d want to stay with Mills tonight, but either way, I’d call her after their conversation with Fallon and see what was up. I really wanted to kiss her face tonight. Truthfully, I wanted a lot more than that, but it was best to keep those thoughts at bay for the time being.

  “Oh, Gabe, I’ll be fine. Talk tomorrow?” She sounded less stressed than when she first called me. Maybe a booty call was what she needed.

  “Call if you need anything.”

  “I will. I’m pretty sure Fallon is a decent guy. I guess I’ll find out soon.”

  For Mills’ sake, I silently echoed the sentiment.

  “All right, beautiful… I’m here if you need me.”

  “Thanks, babe. Night,” she replied, and then hung up the phone. I leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh. If it wasn’t one shit-storm, it was another with these girls. Oh well, could be worse. At least Pepper wasn’t the one who was pregnant.

  Chapter Two — Pepper

  “Are you ready for this?” I stroked Mills’ arm. She was a nervous wreck and I couldn’t blame her—she was just a kid. We sat in Fallon and Aven’s driveway for at least twenty minutes, trying to summon up the courage to walk in there and tell Fallon he was going to be a father. The news was still hitting me in waves as I continued to process everything. I couldn’t imagine how Mills must have been feeling.

  I looked over at her as she stared blankly up at the front door. I wondered what she was thinking. I could have yelled at her but what good would that have done? She was likely to get more than enough scolding down the road—most likely from our mother. Wait, her mother. It was still sinking in that Evangeline wasn’t my biological mother—not that she was much of an adoptive mother to me, either.

  I pushed those feelings to the back of my mind. I had enough on my plate and I didn’t need to unpack all those unresolved adoption feelings, too. Although, one fleeting thought brought a smile to my face—the thought of Evangeline as a grandmother. She was going to freak the hell out. For whatever reason, she still pretended she was in her twenties—an image that would be much harder to maintain when your child was going to have a child of her own.

  “I wonder how your mother’s going to feel about this,” I blurted out. I knew Mills really didn’t need one more thing to think about, but my internal musing had popped out before I could stop myself.

  Mills shot me a dirty look. “She’s your mother, too, Pepper, and I don’t want to get into that right now.”

  I stroked her hair. “I know, I’m sorry. I just really wish I could be a fly on the wall when you tell her.”

  “Pepper, stop! I’m already freaking out and you’re not helping. It’s not good for the baby!”

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” I looked at Mills and squeezed her hand. “Should we go in?”

  “Okay.” She let out a long sigh. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  I nodded, and we got out of the car and walked up the steps to Fallon’s door. Mills fidgeted and I felt really bad for her. She’d assured me she and Fallon were really in love and their relationship wasn’t just a fling, but I also knew that didn’t necessarily translate into being ready to be parents.

  After a few silent moments, Mills took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The housekeeper let us in and led us through the massive house to Fallon, who was in his studio, mixing music with some friends. Fallon thought of himself as a musician/producer but I’d never heard him play an instrument, or sing a song for that matter. He did know all the local talent, though and he’d helped me find a rocking DJ for Mills’ party, so maybe he had some promise. I glanced at Mills. She looked like she was about to throw up, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with morning sickness.

  I’d always been pro
tective of her and in that moment, she looked so grown up, but also so small and fragile at the same time. She had her oversized Coach purse on her arm and tottered in her stacked heels. She wore a slate gray mini dress that had a silky, black ribbon along the bottom and absently, I thought, “Hey, she looks pretty good in my dress,” but, now wasn’t the time to get territorial about some clothing.

  She found her voice as Fallon looked surprised as he turned to greet us. “Hey, Fallon. I need to talk to you… privately.”

  “Sure, just a second, babe. Hey, Pepper! Didn’t see you there. What’s up?” Fallon nodded his head along to the beat playing over his mixer and his small posse of four friends bounced along with him, giving us friendly nods. All I could think of was how disrespectful kids had become. If I’d ever nodded to our guests at home, Daddy would’ve been so disappointed. Daddy. Well, he never really was my daddy now.

  I straightened up, swallowed hard and steeled myself before stepping up to Fallon. “She wants to talk to you now, Fallon. It’s important. We need to talk now.”

  He shot me a questioning look, then turned back to his pack of buddies. “Okay, okay. Be back in a minute, guys.”

  He dropped a quick peck to Mills’ cheek then took her hand and weaved through the house to the terrace. He glanced back at me following them, as though silently wondering why I was here but I kept my cool and didn’t give any indication of what was going on. This was Mills’ moment of truth. Not mine.

  Fallon took us outside onto the back deck off the living room that overlooked a series of three swimming pools. The first was Olympic-sized, the next a training pool with an endless wave and finally, a kind of lagoon pool with a floating bar. I’d seen the view before, but it still struck me as beautiful in that moment as I stared out and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.

  I tried not to watch over them but I’d promised Mills I’d stay close by. He looked over at me nervously and I heard him ask, “What’s happening? Is this about your sister?”

  “No, it’s about me and you. I asked her to be here.”

  “So… are you breaking up with me?” Fallon had gorgeous, dark hair, like his sister, with big, dark eyes and perfect, olive-toned skin. He was quite a handsome guy. I couldn’t help but wonder what their baby would look like.