Christmas Secrets

“Not the morning you had in mind,” she asked from behind him.

He turned, already smiling. “Oddly, it feels like the perfect morning. Shall I pick up some bagels while I’m out?”

She rose from the other side of the bed, gloriously naked and indescribably beautiful. “Make mine blueberry.”

“You got it.” He forced himself to look away and pulled on his jeans.

Otis’s leash was at the front door, along with Cole’s jacket. They took the elevator, and once they were on the sidewalk, they headed to the park.

Cole let the fresh air clear his brain. While they walked, he formulated and discarded several versions of a speech to Amber. Should he plunge in with the fact that he was Samuel’s long-lost son? Or should he go about it chronologically, outline his motivation and rationale before hitting her with his real identity?

He didn’t want to upset her. He didn’t want to worry her. And he certainly didn’t want to make her distrust or dislike him any more than he already had. But last night had been too amazing for anything less than complete honesty.

He and Otis ended up on the opposite side of the park. They made their way down the block to a bakery Cole had found a couple of days ago. He left Otis outside and chose a variety of bagels, then they started back to the penthouse.

He found himself wondering what Zachary ate. Would he like to try a bit of bagel? Or did he stick to pureed foods?

Cole knew absolutely nothing about babies or toddlers. All he knew was that Zachary was adorable, and that he was curious about the stages of development to come. He hoped once he told Amber the truth, she’d be willing to send him pictures and videos. Maybe he could even come back occasionally and check up on Zachary.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized acknowledging their blood relationship was the right thing to do. He wasn’t sure why he waited so long.

Nearly an hour had gone by before he returned to the penthouse. Amber had given him her spare key, so he let himself in, wondering if Zachary would have finished his bottle and might be having a morning bath. He hoped he wasn’t being fussy for Amber.

When Cole opened the door, he did hear Zachary’s cries. But they were interspersed with adult voices. At first he assumed Isabel had arrived. But it was a man speaking, then another answering.

Cole and Otis rounded the corner to the living room to see Roth Calvin and four other men standing with Amber in the middle of the room. Two of the men were on cell phones, while Amber was holding a crying Zachary. Cole reflexively moved forward to take the baby.

“What’s going on?” he asked, worried that something had gone wrong in the court battle.

“Thank you,” whispered Amber as Zachary’s cries quieted. “Isabel’s running late, and we’ve got a problem.”

Cole glanced at the other four men. “What’s wrong?”

“A Coast Eagle flight is in trouble,” said one of them.

Cole went instantly on alert. “What kind of trouble?”

“Hydraulic failure,” said the shortest of the three. “The landing gear won’t come down.”

“What’s he doing here?” Roth demanded, ending his call, seeming to have just recognized Cole.

“I brought bagels,” said Cole.

“Zachary likes him,” said Amber.

“What kind of plane?” Cole asked.

“We’ve got work to do here,” said a large, rotund, fiftysomething man with gray hair and a bulbous nose.

“Cole,” said Amber. “This is Max Cutter. He’s our interim president. This is Sidney Raines and Julius Fonteno, both vice presidents. You know Roth.”

“What kind of plane?” Cole repeated. The size of the plane dictated the scale of the problem.

Julius, the large man, frowned. “Shouldn’t you go change a diaper or something?”

Cole braced his feet apart. “It’ll be faster if you just answer the question.”

“Boonsome 300 over LAX,” said Sidney, the shorter, younger man, glancing up from the screen of his phone. “They’re reporting twenty minutes of fuel left.”

Cole’s stomach sank. A Boonsome 300 was a passenger jet. There were up to two hundred souls on board.

Max Cutter ended his own call. “The pilot’s leaving the holding pattern and bringing her in.”

Cole looked to Amber. She was still and pale.

“Are you a pilot?” he asked Sidney.

“Yes.”

“They’ve checked the pump circuit breakers?” Cole knew the answer would be yes. But he couldn’t help going through the diagnostics in his mind.

Sidney gave a nod.

“Any visible leaks?”

“None,” said Sidney. “Foam’s down on the runway.”

“They’ll cycle the gear again?”

“They will.”

Cole stepped closer to Amber, wishing he could reach out and take her hand. A belly landing in a plane that size was incredibly risky.

“Gear’s down,” said Sidney, grasping the back of the sofa even as he uttered the words. “They cycled the gear one last time. They’ve got hydraulic pressure back.”

Relief rushed through Cole.

Amber dropped into an armchair, a slight tremor in her hands. “Thank goodness.”

“They’re on short final,” said Sidney, putting his phone to his ear. “Tower’s patched me in.”

They all waited, watching Sidney closely until he gave the thumbs-up. “Wheels down. It’s all good.”

“Yes,” hissed Max.

“Relief valve, do you think?” Cole posed the question to Sidney.

“They’ll have to go through the whole system.”

Roth spoke up. “Amber, get the communications director on the phone.”

Cole bristled at Roth’s abrupt tone, but Amber moved to the landline.

Roth continued talking. “We’ll call it a minor delay in the deployment of the landing gear. All safety procedures were followed, and it was an isolated incident.”

Amber stopped, looking back over her shoulder. “An isolated incident?”

“Yes.”

“We know this how?”

“Because we’ve been flying the Boonsomes for nearly ten years, and it’s never happened before.”

“I don’t like the word isolated,” said Amber.

Roth’s eyes narrowed.

“I’d suggest replacing that clause with everyone on board is safe, and there were no injuries. Once we’ve confirmed that’s the case.”

Roth squared his shoulders. “The whole point of a press release is to reassure the public—”

“I agree with Amber,” said Max.

“Of course you agree with Amber,” said Roth. “You’re her appointee.”

“I agree with Amber, too,” said Sidney.

Roth set his jaw.

“I have to side with Roth on this,” said Julius. “The more reassurance we can give our passengers, the better.”

“It’s early days,” said Cole. “Better to mitigate your words until the investigation is complete.”

“Who let this guy in here?” asked Julius.

“I’m an airline pilot,” said Cole. He might not be a Coast Airlines employee, but he knew the industry.

“Bully for you,” said Julius.

“It might be better if you excused us,” Roth said to Cole.

Cole looked to Amber. He could go or he could stay, but he was taking his cue from her, not from Roth.

“What about the other Boonsome 300s in service?” asked Max. He was scrolling through the screen on his phone. “Here. Midpoint Airlines just grounded theirs.”

“That was fast,” said Sidney.

“Kneejerk,” said Julius. “It’s not like there’s a pattern.”

“They’ve got a total of three Boonsomes,” said Roth. “It’s an easy decision for them to make.”

“It puts pressure on us,” said Sidney.

“We’re not caving to pressure,” said Roth. “We’ve got twenty-four Boonsomes. It’s a quarter of our fleet.”

Amber’s hand was resting on the telephone. “We could have lost two hundred passengers.”

“We didn’t,” said Julius.

“We’re not considering this,” said Roth with finality. “Unless the federal regulator orders us, we are not grounding twenty-four airplanes.”

“It’s a publicity grab from Midpoint,” said Julius.

Cole couldn’t help jumping in. “Depending on the problem.”

“We’ll find the problem,” said Roth. “And we’ll fix it. Nobody’s suggesting we send that particular plane up again without a thorough overhaul.”

“And if something happens with another Boonsome?” asked Sidney.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” said Roth.

“You’re playing the odds,” said Amber.

“I play the odds every time I get out of bed,” said Roth. “You want one hundred percent certainty? We lose a million dollars a day with those planes on the ground. That’s a certainty. It’ll take two weeks minimum to get any answers on an investigation. Anybody want to do the math?”

Max looked to Amber. “What are your thoughts?”

“That’s a lot of money,” she said. “But it’s a lot of lives to risk, too.” Her gaze moved to Cole.

Julius gestured to Amber, disdain in his tone. “This is our leader?”

“She’s looking for input,” said Max. “I’m looking for input, too.”

Roth’s face twisted into a sneer. “My input is don’t bankrupt the company while you’re temporarily in charge.”

Cole clamped his jaw to stop himself from speaking.

“The plane is at the gate,” said Sidney. “And the terminal is full of reporters.”

“We have to put out a statement,” said Roth.

“We have to make a decision,” Amber told him.

“We don’t have a choice,” said Julius. “Nobody’s giving up a million dollars a day.”

“Say that again after we lose a plane full of passengers,” said Sidney.

“Do you want my opinion?” Cole asked Amber.

“Yes.”

Roth let out an inarticulate exclamation.

Cole ignored him. “Ask yourself this. Before the inspectors identify the problem, would you risk putting Zachary on a Boonsome 300?”

Amber shook her head.

“We ground the planes,” said Max.

“Have you lost your minds?” asked Julius.

Amber squared her shoulders and gave Max a sharp nod of agreement.

Pride swelled up inside Cole’s chest.

“This is amateur hour,” Roth spat. “Believe me, you haven’t heard the last of it.”

“We’ll request an expedited investigation,” said Max. “But for now the decision is final.”

Amber focused in on Cole, moving closer to speak in an undertone. “I have to go to the office.”

“I know.” He realized their conversation about Samuel would have to wait.

“Can you stay with Zachary until Isabel gets here? She thought maybe noon.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay.”

Relief flooded her eyes. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Talk to you later?”

“I’ll call you.”

“Good luck.”

“Everyone’s safe. That’s a whole lot of luck already.”

The group moved toward the door, Amber grabbing her purse and throwing a coat over her slacks and sweater. When the last of them left and the door latched shut, Cole turned his attention to Zachary.

The baby was sucking on the sleeve of his stretchy one-piece suit.

“You like bagels?” Cole asked.

“Gak baw,” said Zachary, grabbing at Cole’s nose.

Amber’s day went from frightening to stressful to downright infuriating. At six o’clock, Destiny was sitting across from her at her compact office meeting table.

“That’s how Roth spent his day?” she asked Destiny.

Destiny pushed a sheaf of papers across the table. “I don’t know how they did it, but they got an emergency court date. The custody hearing starts at nine tomorrow morning.”

“I thought we’d have weeks to get ready.” Amber gave the paperwork a passing glance, but she trusted Destiny’s assessment.

“We have hours to get ready.”

“Can we do it?”

“Not as well as I’d like. But we can work hard tonight. And Roth’s side is under the same deadline.”

Amber’s cell phone rang.

“Remember,” said Destiny, “the fundamentals remain the same. Coco’s codicil is legal and valid. They have to prove you’re not a fit guardian.”

Amber didn’t recognize the calling number. “Hello?”

“Amber, it’s Cole.”

She glanced to Destiny, feeling a small spike of guilt about last night. “Hi, Cole.”

Destiny’s interest obviously perked up.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

“Is it Zachary?”

“No, no. He’s fine. At least, he was fine when I left him with Isabel this afternoon. Can you meet me for dinner?”

She wished she could. “I’m afraid not. Destiny and I are going to be busy.”

There was silence on his end. “It’s kind of important.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Maybe later?”

“Tonight’s not going to be good. We’ll be working really late.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” She hesitated. “No.” She knew she shouldn’t share, since she barely knew him. But she felt like she owed him an explanation. “It’s actually not okay. Roth’s convinced the judge to hold an emergency hearing tomorrow morning. He’s going after custody.”

“Tomorrow morning?”

“He’s going to use my decision on the Boonsome 300s as proof I’m unfit to control Coast Eagle.”

“He’ll lose, Amber.”

“I hope so.” Her stomach was already beginning to cramp up.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Ask me out again in a few days?”

Destiny’s brows went up.

“Happy to,” he answered. Then his tone changed. “I really wish I could see you now. Even for a short time.”

“That would be nice. But we’re pretty much pulling an all-nighter here. I’m about to call Isabel and arrange for her to stay over.”

“I could stay at your place, wait for you there.”

“Not necessary.” She wasn’t going to let herself presume any more on Cole’s good graces. He didn’t come to Atlanta to be a babysitter.

He was quiet again. Then he blew out a breath. “Okay. A couple of days, then.”

“Thanks.”

“Nothing to thank me for. Good luck.”

“Thanks for that.” She’d take every scrap of luck she could get. “Bye, Cole.”

“Bye.”

She pressed the end button and set down the phone.

Destiny spoke. “We’re going to take thirty seconds of our valuable time here, and you’re going to tell me what’s going on with Cole. Then I’m putting it completely out of my mind until after the hearing.” She glanced at her watch. “Go.”

“I like him. He likes me. We went skating last night, then we drank killer hot chocolate. We went back to my place, slept together, which was pretty killer, too. Then he stayed over, went out for bagels and then all hell broke loose. He wanted to see me again tonight, but…” She spread her arms.

“Holy cow,” said Destiny in obvious awe. “We are definitely going to talk more about this. But right now we’ve got a whole lot of work to do.”

Seven

Cole and Luca slipped into the back of the courtroom. Word had obviously gotten out about the hearing, because the room was packed with reporters and onlookers. He couldn’t help but feel bad for Amber. It was stressful enough to have Zachary’s custody on the line without an audience of one hundred.

Predictably, Roth’s side attacked Coco. They started by disparaging her motivations in marrying an older, wealthy man, then they called witness after witness, painting an unflattering picture of her intellect. Cole knew from conversations with Amber that Coco was emotional and sometimes erratic, but the witnesses made her sound unstable, unprincipled, even dishonest.

Luca tipped his head closer to Cole. “How much do you think is true?”

“She did marry a billionaire nearly three times her age. And I don’t think she was a rocket scientist.”

Cole imagined a lot of what was being said about Coco’s temper and her behavior at parties was accurate. Then again, if she’d been at a frat party like most nineteen-year-olds, instead of at a posh charity function or the opening of an art museum, nobody would have raised an eyebrow.

“Doesn’t mean she wasn’t a good mother,” said Luca.

“And it doesn’t mean her wishes shouldn’t be respected.” Nothing Cole had heard so far would indicate mental incompetence on the part of Coco.

Roth took the stand, and the gallery’s attention seemed to heighten. Cole guessed most people here knew the pivotal players in the drama.

Roth’s own lawyer questioned him first.

“Did you and Samuel Henderson ever discuss his future plans for Coast Eagle Airlines?” the lawyer asked.

“Extensively and on many occasions,” Roth answered.

“Did he ask your advice?”

“Yes, he did.”

“To your knowledge, did he ever ask his wife, Coco Henderson’s, advice on Coast Eagle Airlines?”

Roth smirked. “Never.”

“You’re certain?”

“Positive.”

“Objection,” said Destiny.

“Sustained,” said the judge.

“I’ll rephrase,” said the lawyer. “Did Samuel ever say anything directly to you regarding his opinion of his wife’s advice on Coast Eagle?”

“He told me she knew nothing about business. He said he never discussed it with her.”

The lawyer gave a satisfied nod. “Did Samuel Henderson indicate to you that he wanted his son to one day take over the business?”

“Yes. Samuel loved his son deeply. I’ve never seen him so happy as when Zachary was born. He talked about keeping the airline in the family for another generation. It was his fondest wish that Coast Eagle be protected and preserved for his son.”

Destiny rose again. “Objection. The witness is not in a position to know Samuel Henderson’s fondest wish.”

“That’s what he said to me,” said Roth.

“Overruled,” said the judge.

“Did Samuel ever speak to you about his wife having any kind of a hand in running Coast Eagle Airlines in the event of his death?”

“He did,” said Roth, and an odd expression flicked in his eyes.

Cole found himself doubting Roth’s honesty on the question.

Roth answered, “He said the only people he trusted with Coast Eagle and with his son were Dryden Dunsmore and me. He said someone needed to control Coco because she had the decision-making ability of a twelve-year-old.”

“He said that directly to you? Those were his words?”

“Yes. And they’re supported by his will, which included both Dryden and I in guardianship or controlling positions in Coast Eagle.”

“A little too convenient,” Cole whispered to Luca.

“I can’t tell if the judge is buying it or not.”

Destiny cross-examined but wasn’t able to poke holes in Roth’s story. Cole and Luca slipped out at the lunch break, picking a restaurant several blocks away to avoid being seen by Amber or Destiny. By late afternoon, Amber was the only witness left.

Roth’s lawyer started with Amber’s competence at Coast Eagle. It went as expected. There was no getting around her lack of experience, but Cole thought she held her own, particularly on yesterday’s decision to ground the Boonsome jets. Yes, it was a financial loss, but risking passenger lives was too dangerous.

Unfortunately, it then came to light that their closest competitor had not grounded their Boonsomes, and Amber’s decision had, at least in the short term, put Coast Eagle at a competitive disadvantage. The lawyers successfully framed her decision as emotional and even brought Cole into the equation, accusing Amber of taking advice from a competitor on a confidential corporate matter.

It wasn’t going well for Amber’s side.

“You were ten years older than your stepsister?” the lawyer then asked her.

The question obviously surprised Amber, and it seemed to take her a moment to regroup. “Yes.”

“And you left home when she was eight years old?”

“I did.”

“How often did you see her after that?”

“Not often.”

“Once a week, once a month, once a year?”

“Maybe once a year,” Amber admitted, causing a small flurry of whispers in the courtroom.

“Until you introduced her to Samuel Henderson.”

“Yes,” said Amber.

“And why did you introduce them to each other?”

“Coco was in town. When I mentioned the corporate Christmas party at Coast Eagle, she asked to go with me.”

“She asked to go with you?”

“Coco enjoyed parties.”

“Yes, I think we’ve established that already.”

“Objection,” said Destiny.

“I withdraw the comment,” said the lawyer. “After she began dating Samuel Henderson, would you say you and your stepsister grew closer?”

“We did.”

“And you saw each other how often then?”

“A couple of times a month. She was busy. And she was newly married. And she had a lot of obligations.”

Cole wanted to tell Amber to stop talking. She was sounding defensive, as if she was embarrassed that they weren’t closer.

“Tell me, Ms. Welsley, how did Coco feel about her baby?”

“She loved Zachary very much.”

“As mothers do.”

Amber didn’t answer.

Cole applauded that decision.

“What about before he was born?”

She went still, and her face paled a shade. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t like this,” Cole muttered beneath his breath. Something was clearly wrong.

“Before Zachary was born. How did Coco feel about being pregnant?”

“She was healthy. There were no particular problems, morning sickness or anything.”

“I’m not talking about her physical health, Ms. Welsley. I’m talking about her emotional health.”

Again, Amber stayed silent.

“Was your stepsister happy to be pregnant with Zachary?”

Cole got a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“She was surprised,” said Amber. “She hadn’t planned on it happening so soon.”

“Surprised or upset?”

Amber paused. “She was upset at first.”

“Upset enough to get an abortion?”

Amber’s hesitation said it all.

“Damn it,” Cole ground out.

“She didn’t get an abortion,” said Amber.

“Did she want an abortion?”

“Objection,” said Destiny.

“I’ll rephrase,” said the lawyer. “Did she ever tell you she wanted an abortion?”

The silence was unfortunately long.

“Once,” Amber admitted.

“Did you talk her out of getting an abortion?”

“I gave her my opinion.”

“Which was?”

“That babies were always good news. And that she was going to be a wonderful mother.”

“Is it fair to say you changed her mind?”

Amber didn’t answer.

“Ms. Welsley? Is it fair to say you changed your stepsister’s mind, talked her out of getting the abortion she desired?”

“She wasn’t serious,” said Amber. “She was upset. She was newly married, and being pregnant came as a shock to her.”

“Did she make an appointment at an abortion clinic?”

“No.”

The lawyer waited.

“She didn’t.”

“Perhaps not to the best of your knowledge. But I can tell you she did make an appointment at an abortion clinic.”

A collective gasp went up in the gallery, followed by whispered comments.

The judge pounded his gavel, and the room returned to quiet.

The lawyer returned to his table, lifting a piece of paper with a flourish. “I have here a copy of an appointment card for Coco Henderson for the Women’s Central Health Clinic.”

“Where did you get that?”

“From the Women’s Central Health Clinic.”

“Coco obviously did not have an abortion.”

“Because you talked her out of it. Like so many of your stepsister’s childish, ill-informed impulses, had you not been there to persuade her otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic. She would have had an abortion, and Zachary would never have been born.”

The sick feeling of defeat was written across Amber’s face. Cole fought an urge to go to her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he couldn’t. And it wasn’t.