“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Bellini.  I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Please, call me Lane.”  She looked at Jess.  “Where are you bags?  Surely y’all don’t think you’re staying at a hotel.”

“No, I just didn’t know how full the house might be and thought we might end up at Parker House.”  Jess replied.

Ben laughed.  “First come, first to get a room.  The Bellini boys can stay at Parker House.”  He looked at Gabe.  “I’ll help you bring your things in.”

Lane watched as Ben and Gabe went out to the garage.  At six feet two inches tall, Gabe was a couple of inches shorter than Ben, but his smile was every bit as bright as what Lane called the mega-watt Bellini smile.  Gabe had dark hair and bright blue eyes and had an air of an Irish bad boy about him. Lane understood why half the world was in love with him.

Jess and Lane walked to the hearth room.  “God, Mom.  You look great.”  Jess said as she patted her Mother’s baby bump.

“Now.  You should have seen me this morning.  Suddenly, none of my jeans fit and I was a teary-eyed mess of hormones.  Ben’s solution was a Black American Express card with my name on it.  I hoped you and I might be able to stop at the mall this afternoon before the insanity hits there.  But, you might not want to leave Gabe.”

They were sitting on the sofa together as Ben and Gabe came in to join them.

Jess laughed.  “Gabe loves to shop, but I think he’d be okay hanging with Ben.  By the way,” she looked at Ben.  “What are you doing home today?  Don’t you have a big trial starting Monday that you should be preparing for?”  She looked at Gabe.  “Ben’s the best criminal defense attorney in the metro.”

“I do, but there’s something else going on that takes priority right now.”

Before Ben could continue, Jess looked at her Mother.  “You found another body.”  It was a statement not a question.

Ben shook his head, “It wasn’t your Mom this time.  Jamie’s football coach was killed at school yesterday.  Jamie found his body.”

Jess looked at Ben in disbelief.  “Where is he?  Is he okay?”  Jamie might be a foot taller and out-weigh her by at least a hundred pounds, but he was still her baby brother and that made him hers to protect.

Ben held up his hands.  “Hold on tiger.  He’s with Tanner. Someone seems to have it out for the football team.  On Monday, Jamie’s friend Justin, you know he’s the quarterback, was poisoned.  He has a peanut allergy and someone made sure he got a big dose. Luckily, Jamie found him and we got him to the hospital in time.  Then on Tuesday, Jamie found Coach Ferguson in his office with his head bashed in.  Much to Jamie’s annoyance, he hasn’t been alone since.”

Jess shook her head and looked at Gabe.  “What did I tell you?  We’re a whole family of murder magnets.”

With what was going on with Jamie, there was no time like the present to drop her bomb, and just at that moment, she decided to spring it on Ben. Alone.  She looked at Ben and quickly jerked her head toward the hall.  She got up and hugged her Mother.  “I’m going to stop in the little girl’s room.”

“Gabe, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but as Jess pointed out, I do have a trial starting Monday.  So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you in my wife’s capable hands.”  Ben said as he stood, bending to kiss the top of Lane’s head before he left the room.

Jess was waiting for Ben in his office and he closed the door as he entered.

“Okay, let me have it.”  He was sure that Jess was going to blame him for what was going on with Jamie.

“Tell me again how you just happened to meet my Mother the day you came to pick up her donations for the church’s garage sale.”

It wasn’t what he expected to hear from her and he shook his head.  “Jess, you know the story.”  His voice giving away just how tired he was.

She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I know the story.  Then maybe you can explain to me how you can be the father of my baby brother.”

“Jess, you know the Bambino just calls me Dad.”

She took the papers from her purse and slapped them on his desk. “No, what I know is that this is a paternity test and you are Jamie’s father.” She said as she pushed the paper toward him.

Ben sank into the chair behind his desk. What the hell is she talking about?  He picked up the papers she’d put on his desk.  There in black and white it said there was a 99.99997% chance that he was Jamie’s father.

She took out her wallet and slapped a picture, of her Mother from 18 years ago, on his desk.  “Does she look familiar?  Or have there been so many that they all just blend together?”

Ben looked at the photo and shook his head.  Lane had blonde hair cut in a short pixie style.  Oh, dear God.  What had Lane told him about her mentor from work saying that her long hair was too sexy for the office, and that she’d cut it all off?

No, they hadn’t all blended together, not by a long shot.  Eighteen years ago, he had been a college student at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.  He’d been nineteen and had used a fake ID to go with friends to one of the casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  He’d met, danced with, and seduced a woman.  They’d had a night of amazing sex and the next morning, he’d gotten up and dressed while she was still sleeping.  He went to the gift shop to buy aspirin and breakfast and when he’d come back to the room, he’d found it empty.  He had waited, until checkout time, thinking that maybe she’d had the same idea he’d had.  However, she never returned.  He hadn’t gotten her number and had spent much of his free time for the next several days in an unsuccessful attempt to find Angie Valle.  He shook his head.  How the hell had he not seen this?

“God, Jess, let me explain.”

She held up her hand and shook her head.  “Believe it or not, I don’t want to know.  But my Mother and brother deserve to know.”  She turned, walked out of his office, pulling the door closed behind her.

Chapter 12

Ben sat at his desk still holding the paternity papers. He was a father.   How the hell had Jess figured this out?  He picked up his cell phone and sent her a text.  “Just give me 5.”

There was a knock on his office door and Lane stuck her head in.  “It’s after lunch time.  I thought we could take Gabe to Papa’s and maybe we could stop at the mall this afternoon before it gets too crazy.  Would you like to join us or are you too busy?”

God how had he not known that this beautiful woman, the love of his life, was the same woman who had disappeared without a trace 18 years ago?  Angie, she’d told him her name was Angie Valle.  How had he not put this together before?  He hadn’t wasted just the three years since they met in Kansas, he’d wasted 18 years going through that stable of women looking for one that could help him forget that night.  He shook his head as he stood and walked toward her.

“I really need to work.”  He took her in his arms.  “I love you.”  He said as he kissed her.  He held her tightly.  “I’ve always loved you.”

“I love you.  Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“Want to?  Yes, but I can’t. I have some work to do and I want to talk to Tanner again.  You go and have fun.  If Gabe doesn’t want to go shopping, drop him here before you go.”  As he bent and kissed her again, he saw Jess in the hallway.

“Mom, I have a legal question for Ben.  Can you give me a few minutes?”

Lane looked from her husband to her daughter.  Secret legal questions?  “Sure.  I’ll go entertain Gabe.”

Jess stepped into the office and closed the door. As she set the alarm on her phone, she said, “Okay, you have five minutes.”  She was frowning and had her arms crossed across her chest.

“Just let me tell you this.  We met in a bar in one of the casinos in Council Bluffs.  We spent the night together in the hotel and the next morning I left the room to get breakfast and some aspirin because I was sure she’d need it.  When I came back, she was gone.  No note.  Nothing.  Just gone.  I waited until checkout time, thinking she’d come back.  I spent days looking for her.  She had told me her name was Angie Valle.  Now that I know it was a made up name, I understand why there was no trace of her.”