14. Raina

H er mother was right—it was a relief that Dad finally knew what they were up against. Blake came back, with coffee for all, and Raina met him outside the office to give him a heads-up that Rex had been briefed.

"Is he okay?" he asked, his first question clearly showing where his heart was. "I don't want this to throw his health."

"He's as fine as can be expected," she said, taking the decaf he'd brought for her. "Do you have news?"

"I do," he said. "But it's next-level frustrating. You?"

"Come on, I'll fill you in."

Together, they walked into the office to find Dad and Suze at the conference table, looking ready to attack the problem.

"Aw, Rex," Blake said, putting the coffee down so they could share a man hug. "I'm sorry you're dealing with this."

"I'm sorry you're involved," Rex said. "After all, this whole thing involves your biological grandmother."

Blake pulled back, emotion etched on his face. "The only family I have are Wingates. And that was just proven by my last conversation with my, uh, dad."

"You talked to him?" Raina asked, surprised and hopeful.

"I did, after more than a year." He dropped into the empty seat and ran his fingers through his close-cropped golden-brown hair, a sad shadow in his eyes. "He's not ready to, uh, move on."

"Oh, Blake." Raina put a hand on his arm, her heart tugging. It was just wrong that this wonderful young man's father simply couldn't see beyond his personal prejudices and appreciate the terrific man Blake was. "Still? After all this time?"

He nodded. "But I did talk to him, so that was progress."

"How did you think he could help?" Rex asked. "When I met your father, he indicated that he had no desire to talk to Doreen."

Blake sighed, clearly affected by it all. "When you met him, it was because I'd done all the digging and homework to discover who his biological parents were. And you know why. Because my family couldn't accept me when I came out—specifically, my father—and I hoped that somewhere, a family would love and not judge me." He gave a tight smile, looking from person to person. "And you all did, for which I'm eternally grateful. And that's one of the many reasons I'm determined to help."

He took a sip of his coffee and they all waited for him to continue.

"But, as you know, once I shared your name with my father—I guess it was my last-ditch effort to show him how important family is to me—he merely saw you as a gravy train, not a biological father ripe for a reunion."

Rex shrugged. "I would have liked to have a relationship with my only son," he said. "But I don't. His choice. For one thing, I'm blessed with the best seven daughters in the world, so there's no hole in my heart. For another, now I have you." He reached over and patted Blake's back. "And you more than make up for him."

Blake smiled at him. "Same, my dear grandfather. Same. Anyway, he used you as a bank."

Again, Rex lifted a shoulder, as if the "gift" he'd given Brad Young was nothing—even though Raina knew it was half a million dollars. "I helped him save a family farm."

"But he lied to you when he said he hadn't seen Doreen," Blake added softly. "Because he did go to see her and she…"

They all leaned forward an inch as he paused.

"She gave him a lockbox of her journals that recounted her entire experience with you. Apparently she was quite the writer, or fancied herself as one."

"What?" They all gasped and asked the question in perfect unison.

"And he…threw it away."

"No!" Raina shot forward. "Why would he do that? Did he read the journals? Can he shed any light on…"

Her voice trailed off as Blake shook his head. "He opened the box and looked for cash. He didn't say that's what he was looking for, but I know my dad. And he said he tossed the journals in the trash after a quick perusal. He said they read like a ‘cheap dime store novel' and he was offended." He snorted. "My dad is easily offended, I'm afraid."

Raina fell back with a thud of disappointment.

"I can't believe that." In fact, it made no sense to her, a woman who'd lost her own biological mother at birth. She'd give anything to have journals from Charlotte Wingate, no matter how they read. "Whatever Doreen wrote," she added softly, "could have completely exonerated Dad and sent Ivy Button on her way."

Her father dropped his head into his hands, muttering softly, "The truth is, I don't know what ‘experience' with me could have filled three journals."

"The one in her imagination," Raina said.

"Amen to that," Susannah agreed.

Blake turned to Raina. "And you finally got the ear of someone at the county clerk's office, right? But no luck?"

"Not yet," she said, reaching into the tote bag that carried the letters and documents she had. "But I'm not ready to quit. There is a notary name and commission number on the stamp, but no record of that name or number in the files. They even pulled out the microfiche to search."

She opened a file of notary records she'd picked up today. "And this county, unfortunately, only goes back fifty years on commission numbers, and this was fifty-five years ago."

Rex groaned. "I can't believe you've been doing all this, Raina. With two babies, and about to be married."

"Dad." She swiveled her head to gaze at him. "I'd do anything for you. We all would, and you know that."

"But this is too much."

"This has to be handled," Raina insisted. "And the next steps are a little more complicated. We'll have to hire a forensic expert to determine if the paper is really from that era and then look at similar documents from the same time. We'd need proof that would…" She made a face. "Hold up in court."

"Surely we're not going to court!" Rex exclaimed.

"Well, you're not handing her the keys and deed to Wingate House without a fight," Raina countered.

"No, I am not."

Susannah sighed. "Then she's going to ruin your reputation."

He winced at the thought.

"There has to be a way," Susannah said. "There has to be an answer."

Raina inched closer to all of them, letting her gaze move over their faces, settling on Dad before she dropped her little bomb.

"There is." She put her hand over his. "We bring in the whole family," she said softly. "All the great Wingate minds can surely come up with a way to save us."

He just stared at her, silent.

"Dad, I know you don't want to do that, but we have Adam, for one thing. He has access to FBI files, to the forensic expert I need, to law enforcement information that might help us figure out who Ivy Button really is. And we have eyes and ears all over town. Maybe someone has seen her lurking about, planning this attack. The more minds on this issue, the better. And none are better than Wingates."

He huffed out a breath. "I don't want everyone discussing it."

"Well, they sure will want to know why you handed over the jewel of your empire to that horrible stranger and her mother," Raina said. "So, one way or another, Dad, the family is going to know. But no one—absolutely no one—is going to believe her. This is your family and we all want to support and help you."

He let his head fall back, eyes closed, a wounded man, a hand to his chest. The sight made Raina bite back a whimper and Susannah reach for his hand.

"Your heart, Rex?" Susannah asked.

"There's no pain, Suze," he said. "It was just a little heartburn. But this ticker is going to break if a single one of my daughters thinks—"

"We won't," Raina insisted. "We don't. We can't. But we also can't solve this problem without using the brain trust that is our family."

After a moment, he nodded. "Get everyone to our house this evening. Well, the adults. Not Rose's kids or Tori's," he added. "Not Nikki or anyone too young to understand."

"Just the married couples?" Susannah asked.

"Or engaged," Raina said. "Because Chase already knows."

"Tell everyone," Dad agreed. "And that means Chloe can bring Travis and Sadie should include Scout. Those men are undoubtedly going to be part of the family, so they should know it's not all sunshine and rainbows for Wingates."

Raina nodded, fully agreeing with that decision.

"We'll put all the kids at my house for a party, with Zach and Kenzie in charge," she said, knowing that the two oldest cousins could easily handle the younger kids. "I'll bring the babies, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Susannah said. "You know this is the right thing to do, Rex."

He nodded, looking as though the very idea pained him.

"Dad," Raina said softly. "Your family will surround you, support you, and figure out a solution to this problem. I promise you."

His eyes brimmed with tears. "Thank you." He reached out to take Susannah and Blake's hands, his dark gaze on Raina. "I believe in you all."

"And we believe in you, Dad."

He smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek and Raina prayed she was right. Because if they didn't fix this problem, Rex might not survive the next stroke.

It didn't take long for everyone gathered at Rex and Susannah's beach house that evening to realize the subject matter was serious, the stakes were high, and their much-adored patriarch was at the center of it all.

He insisted on being the one to relate the whole story, and Raina knew that no matter how carefully he chose his words, the discussion would pain him.

A little uncertain of why they were there, her sisters and the men they loved arrived, asking questions, but somehow understanding that this wasn't a happy surprise.

No, this wasn't like the day Madeline had gathered them to announce she'd be marrying Adam that same week. Nor was this a birthday celebration, news of a new baby in the family, or something fun that would end in laughter and champagne toasts.

After greeting each other with hugs and a few whispers of, "What's going on?" they took seats in the main living area in front of the wide open French doors that let in the ocean breeze.

When Sadie came in with Scout, she greeted her mother, and then stepped over to join Raina and Chase.

"You don't look as confused as the rest of us," Sadie observed, pointing to Raina.

"I'm not, but Dad will explain everything." Raina took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "And, sadly, he's not going to announce that we've found your missing cat."

"Oh, we found him," Sadie said, looking sideways at Scout, who was still talking to Susannah. "He's been appropriated by a very sweet old man and, somehow, we have to break his heart or Kitty's. At the moment, we're letting the old man keep him, but we're going to have to steal him back."

"An old man stole him?" Chase asked on a choke. "Seriously?"

As Sadie filled them in, Raina glanced at her father, who seemed—understandably so—tense. He talked quietly with Justin, getting a comforting pat on the back from his neurologist and soon-to-be son-in-law.

After that, Dad cleared his throat and that was all they needed to get settled and pay attention. As he walked to the center of the room, he patted Blake's shoulder and took Susannah's hand, bringing her with him. Then he stood in front of them and let his gaze slide over every beloved face in the room before he spoke.

"Someone," he started, his voice soft enough that no one breathed in case they didn't hear. "Is trying to destroy our family."

Then they breathed—mostly gasps, a few grunts, and a lot of questions.

For the next few minutes, he shared the story from his perspective, including the excruciating details of how a woman they had unfairly called "Dor-mean" had offered herself to him, a nineteen-year-old college kid, and then disappeared to have a baby he didn't know about.

"I realize none of that is news to this family." He looked at Blake, who gave a tight smile. "And it ended up as something—some one —who enriched us and made our lives better."

"God's plan," Isaiah chimed in. "You never know what He's up to."

Rex gave a mirthless laugh at that. "Well, He's up to something, because a woman who claims to be Doreen's niece has arrived on Amelia Island and has a very different story with a very different…plan."

He told them about Ivy, her demands, her allegations, and her threats. With each bomb dropped, the room got quieter, sinking deeper into disbelief.

Not that they didn't believe Rex, because Raina had no doubt that her father wasn't capable of the allegations she'd read in those letters. But the disbelief that they could lose Wingate House and, worse, that Rex's reputation would be questioned by the neighbors, community, friends, and clients he'd spent a lifetime showering with love.

Because people did tend to believe the worst in others, didn't they?

As he finished, Chase leaned down to whisper, "I hear one of the babies crying. You stay here."

She blinked at him, so deep into the situation she hadn't heard the soft cry from the guest suite upstairs where they'd set up two porta-cribs.

"I can come—"

"You stay right here, Raina. This family needs you."

She gave him a grateful smile, just as Dad finished and held up his hands, inviting questions.

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. Surprised at that, Raina looked around, seeing the emotions etched on every face. Love, pain, fury, disbelief, and the unbridled desire to help.

In the shocked silence, Raina stepped forward.

"I believe she's a scam artist," she said. "I have no doubt she's targeted this family somehow and we need to find out who she is and put a stop to her."

Then the questions started, fired fast and furious. And Raina realized they hadn't been holding back out of shock, but out of respect. They didn't want to bombard their father with an interrogation as they struggled to make sense of something so tender and wrong.

Without any explanation, Raina took over, putting a loving hand on Dad's shoulder while she answered one question after another. Before long, the conversation was mostly between Raina and Adam, who firmly agreed this was the work of a con artist.

And coming from a former FBI agent, his position validated and thrilled Raina.

"But the handwriting matches," Susannah said.

"Forgeries can be stunningly accurate," Adam said. "We have to find out who this woman really is."

"How do we do that?" Madeline asked.

"We ID her. Do you have a picture?" When Raina, Susannah, and Rex all shook their heads, he stood, his law enforcement expertise on full display. "I don't suppose you have fingerprints. That would make this so easy, your head will spin."

"She was at Wingate Properties," Blake said. "Sat in the main office, used the bathroom."

"But it's been cleaned since then," Raina said. "Several times. At Wingate House, Suze?"

Her mother frowned, thinking. "She sat outside the one time she was there and, oh, I threw her coffee cup away!" But they all agreed that was understandable.

"Who else has seen this woman?" Adam asked

"Just us," Susannah said. "Raina, Rex, Blake, and me. But she was following me in town today. When we were talking to you, Isaiah. She was up and down Wingate Way, not trying to hide herself."

"She looked vaguely familiar," Rex said. "But I couldn't place her."

"We need a detailed description," Adam said.

"I can describe her," Susannah said. "She's about five-three, with dark hair, bangs, scrawny, beady-eyed, and has filthy sneakers."

"A woman who looked very much like that came into the bookstore the other day," Grace said, leaning forward. "I noticed her sneakers and the bad hair dye."

"Hair dye says she's trying to cover her real identity," Adam said. "But next time, Grace? Try and surreptitiously get a picture, but more important, get a fingerprint."

"How?" Rose asked.

"You might have to be creative, but all we need is one good print, so have her hold anything. Also, I'll run her name through the FBI database."

"She said she's from Minnesota," Raina said. "Though there's no reason to believe that."

"Do any of these so-called letters have envelopes?" Sadie asked. "With addresses?"

Raina shook her head. "You didn't see any, did you, Blake?"

"Not a one."

"What else can we do to help?" Chloe asked as Chase walked in, holding Lily and walking to the fridge for one of the bottles Raina had placed there when they arrived.

"Think of a way to lure her out," he said, proving he could calm a baby, get a bottle, and still participate in the conversation.

"I can lure her," Raina said. "She's waiting to hear from me, to basically say yes or no. That's the answer. I'll meet up with her, think of a way to delay a decision, and get her fingerprints."

"And we'll all watch for her in our stores," Rose said.

"And pray," Isaiah said, standing up and walking toward Rex.

Raina's father looked at his son-in-law with trepidation in his gaze, and she understood that. The men in this room, with the exception of Rose's husband, Gabe, hadn't known Rex for that long. Surely, they could wonder…even for a second…if there was any credence to what Ivy said Doreen claimed.

"I could use your prayers," Rex said to him.

"I know you're innocent of this, sir," Isaiah said. "And I want to pray for justice right now."

It wasn't something they normally did as a family, at least not outside of church. But these circumstances were well beyond extenuating, and they all felt they could use any help they could get.

With his hand on Rex's shoulder, Isaiah's powerful, deep voice filled the room, quietly asking for divine intervention and help from above. As he did, Chase joined Raina, easing a bottle into Lily's tiny mouth.

Raina looked up at him and held his gaze, silent out of respect for the prayer.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her hair and handed her the baby, who'd caught her eye and clearly wanted her mother.

Isaiah finished to a resounding, "Amen!" and they broke into smaller groups to chat about the situation and share thoughts and ideas. As they did, Rex joined Chase and Raina, his expression hard to read.

"You okay, Dad?" she asked.

He gave a whisper of a smile, then looked down at Lily, stroking her tiny chin with his fingers.

"A little overwhelmed," he admitted gruffly.

Raina leaned in and put her head on his shoulder. "You're loved, Daddio."

"I know." He blinked back a tear. "That's why I'm overwhelmed."

She smiled at him, then looked at Chase, who pointed upstairs again. "I hear baby number two."

Without a shred of instruction or encouragement, he walked off.

"Rinse and repeat," she quipped. "He's quite good at it, isn't he?"

Dad smiled in agreement. "He's a keeper. Any news on the adoption front? They came and interviewed me, you know."

"I'm sure you told them how unfit he is to be a father." She added a playful jab with the elbow holding a bottle.

He laughed. "I wanted to ask you something privately and with all that went on today, I didn't get a chance."

"What's that?"

"The lady. Helen something hyphenated?"

Raina nodded. "I know exactly who you mean. What about her?"

"She asked some weird questions I didn't, well, expect. About the four older girls in this family and Suze." He lifted a brow. "Isn't that strange?"

Raina's eyes widened. "Did you say anything to Suze?"

"I was going to, but then the whole Ivy thing happened. Why?"

She sighed, doubting he could keep a secret from his wife. "Just be sure you and Suze come to the hearing when Chase adopts the babies. That's all I'm going to say. And all you're going to say, am I clear?"

"We'll be there." A hint of a smile tugged at his lips as he stroked Lily's head. "Assuming I'm not off defending my ruined reputation."