‘Have you told your mother about your marriage?’ he asked.
‘Not yet. She’s off touring at the moment and we’ve only just returned from our honeymoon. Nick wants to hold a big celebration party once we’ve got this house in order. I’ll break it to her before the invitations go out.’
‘Bound to create a sensation the moment you go public on it.’
‘Yes, but it shouldn’t last long. And it’s easier to ride with a fait accompli, don’t you think?’
‘What’s done is done,’ he intoned dryly. ‘And since we’ve now had our private tête-à-tête, where is your husband with my grandson?’
She heard the belligerent note edging his voice again and sensed it heralded a demand for a face to face meeting with Nick who had insisted on the same thing, conceding her only half an hour alone with her father before he barged in on them. The image of two bulls locking horns agitated her mind as she glanced nervously towards the flight of steps leading down from the garden level to the pool terrace.
Her gaze was caught and held by Nick’s head rising into view as he mounted the steps—his shoulders, then Zack in the carry pouch harnessed to his father’s chest, little baby legs happily kicking, Nick smiling down at him, having the usual one-sided conversation he had with their son, which Zack adored, lapping up being the focus of loving vocal attention.
‘He cares about his son,’ came the gruff observation from her father.
‘Very much.’
‘And you, Tessa…’ The tone sharpened. ‘…how much does he care about you?’
She hesitated, not wanting to sound negative, yet having no real knowledge of the answer. ‘More than I expected,’ she said. ‘He keeps…surprising me.’ Which was absolutely true.
But she was very much on tenterhooks again as Nick approached, the good humour on his face fading into a tense on guard look, green eyes watching and acutely assessing the body language of the man whose financial power and influential connections could become a force to be reckoned with in their lives.
Her father pushed back his chair, rose to his feet, and for her sake—Tess knew—moved to make peace, not war, thrusting out his hand for Nick to take if he was willing.
‘You no longer carry my name,’ he started, referring to the eighteen years before the surname of Steele was legally changed to Ramirez. ‘I respect the integrity behind publicly correcting that lie and proclaiming your true bloodline. However, my daughter tells me you are now my son-in-law, the father of my grandson, and those two circumstances unquestionably makes you family. Right?’
‘Right!’ Nick affirmed, grasping the offered hand and eyeballing her father with a charge of dynamic energy that encompassed all of them as he added, ‘And let it be clear we would have been family much sooner if Tess had told me she was pregnant with my child.’
Her father nodded an acknowledgement that truth was being spoken on that point, too, though he very deliberately posed the question—‘Difficult situation when choices seem…forced…don’t you think?’
The reply was instant. ‘I don’t blame Tess for the decisions she made. Given her viewpoint, she had just cause for them, though I would have told her differently, given the chance. I deeply regret that I wasn’t at her side, sharing what should have been shared.’
‘I’d like to think you were up for it,’ her father said testingly. ‘Don’t know if she told you but Tessa had a real bad time giving birth. Damned doctors were slow to act on a Caesarean in my opinion. Put stress on Tessa and on Zack. Then getting an infection from the operation…’
‘Dad, that’s over,’ Tess broke in insistently, seeing Nick’s face tightening up and frightened of any threat to the rather fragile peace-making.
‘Yes, she did tell me,’ Nick bit out, ignoring her interruption as he concentrated unrelentingly on her father. ‘You have my respect…and deep gratitude…for answering her needs, for ensuring Tess was not alone while she was giving birth to my child. You were there for her, supporting her, and I thank you for it very sincerely.’
‘She’s my daughter…’
‘And now my wife,’ Nick sliced back, his voice gathering a fierce vehemence as he went on. ‘Believe me…you will not be required to sit in my place again.’ He withdrew his hand from her father’s clasp to curl it possessively around Zack. ‘Nor will you be required to stand in for me any time in the future where my wife or son is concerned.’
Pride blazed from him and Tess held her breath as her father’s eyes narrowed, denying pride any power whatsoever.
‘Make good on those words, Nick Ramirez, and you’ll never have a quarrel with me,’ he punched out.
‘I am not my father, Brian Steele. Don’t make the mistake of dressing me with his character,’ came the swift counter-stroke. ‘I took his name because it belonged to me, but I am my own man and one thing you can be absolutely certain of…I will always fight for what belongs to me.’
‘So will I. I wouldn’t forget who your wife is, if I were you.’
‘Dad…’ Tess leapt to her feet, her hands begging her father to listen, to hear, to realise…‘Threats won’t make good things happen. Don’t do this. Please? It’s my choice, my risk, my life…’
‘Our life!’ Nick sharply corrected, moving to put his free arm around her shoulders and tuck her right next to him. ‘Tess and I are working it out together. We have a child. We’re going to make a good home, be a family. You can be part of it…’
‘Please, Dad?’ Tess leapt in, her heart hammering with a wild, joyful hope in the powerful flow of emotion pouring from Nick. ‘Let it be good?’
Her father heaved a big sigh, visibly putting aside the suspicions and animosity. He gave Nick a challenging glare then dropped his gaze to the table. ‘Cup of tea would have gone cold by now,’ he growled. ‘And I haven’t even had a nurse of my grandson. Better start making good on that…both of you. I get invited over here and all you’re giving me is aggravation.’
As fast as the tension had escalated between the two men, it eased. Her father slid into a conversation about acquiring property. Nick joined him in sitting down at the table, contributing to the neutral topic while gently lifting Zack out of the carry pouch and passing him over to his grandfather.