Ties That Bind Read online

  Angela walked over to stand in front of him. “My point, Ross Donovan Fuller the Third, is that she’s the daughter of very good clients of your stepfather’s. I would hate for him to lose the Barfields’ business because you couldn’t keep your pants zipped.”

  Trey shook his head. The Barfields’ daughter couldn’t keep her legs closed any more than he could keep his pants zipped. “Marva and I know where we stand with each other. Don’t lose any sleep over our relationship because there isn’t one. Now if you don’t mind, there are a million things I have to do before I leave.”

  Angela stared at the man towering over her. He was the one and only person she cared about in the world. The thought of ever losing him …

  “Promise me you won’t believe anything they tell you about me.”

  Trey sensed her fear as he noted the lines of anxiety etched in her face. Her voice was oddly shaky as well. He felt a surge of concern. “Who are they?”

  “Any of them, the Fullers and the Wainwrights. They hate me and will try to do anything to turn you against me.”

  “Mom,” he said softly, reaching out and touching her shoulder. “You’re my mother and no one could turn me against you. You should know that.”

  “They might try.”

  “Let them. But I have no reason to think that they will. Why would they?” He looked at her intently. “Unless there’s something I should know that you’re not telling me. Is there?”

  “No, of course not!”

  “Then don’t worry about it. Besides, the only person I’ll see over the next two weeks is Haywood and she doesn’t even know you.”

  Angela nodded, deciding not to say anything else and fearful she may have already said too much. “Take care of yourself, Trey,” she trailed off in a soft voice.

  He smiled as he pulled her into his arms for a hug. “I will and you take care of yourself, too, Mom.”

  “Haywood, you got a minute?”

  Haywood smiled as she looked at her mother standing in the doorway of her bedroom. “Sure, Mom, come in.”

  Jenna glanced around the room. “Are you sure you’ll be gone for just two weeks? It looks like an entire year’s supply of stuff here.”

  Haywood chuckled. “Most of it is my camera equipment. I plan to take a lot of pictures while I’m there. Glendale Shores is such a beautiful place.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, and Gramma Mattie knew just how much you loved it. That’s why she left it to you.”

  “Then why do I have to stay on the island if she knew how much I loved it?”

  Jenna got a faraway look in her eye when she said, “Sometimes, when we love something … or someone … we’ll give it up if we think it’s for the best.”

  Haywood shook her head. “Well, that’s not me. No one’s going to take care of Glendale Shores like I would. I have no intention of letting some developer come in and destroy the natural beauty of the island so they can build hotels and condos.” She sighed in disgust. “Just look at Hilton Head. It’s a beautiful resort area, true enough, but just think of what they did to the island to get it that way. And it bothers me when I think of all those African-Americans who sold that land and now it’s too expensive for them to even go back there to visit. I don’t want that to happen to my land.”

  “You may have a hard time bringing Trey around to your way of thinking.”

  Haywood shrugged. “I’m going to have a hard time bringing Trey around period. He hates me.”

  Jenna shook her head sadly. “No, I don’t think Trey hates anyone. He just thinks he does.”

  Haywood glanced at her mother, incredulously. “How can you say that after the way he’s treated you? Even at Ma Mattie’s funeral he was cold and indifferent toward you.”

  “He thinks he has a reason to be that way.”

  “Well, it’s time for him to stop.”

  “He will when the time is right.” Jenna took a deep breath. “Randolph and I were talking and we want to make sure you’re okay with spending two weeks on Glendale Shores with Trey. Sometimes he can be a rather angry young man.”

  Haywood chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be able to handle Trey and his anger. I’m sure we’ll get along since I probably won’t see much of him after we finish packing up Ma Mattie’s belongings each day. That island is big and I overheard him tell Zach that he plans to rent a boat, so I imagine he’ll be busy enjoying himself.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, I guess he will. How did Aaron handle the news about this trip?”

  Haywood shook her head as she put one piece of luggage aside and began packing another. “Although he gave me the time off work he wasn’t happy about it.” She decided not to mention that to her surprise, Aaron had shown signs of possessiveness and said he didn’t want her to go. He’d even given her an ultimatum that if she didn’t return to Paris, things were over between them. She was sure she had surprised him when she’d said that suited her just fine. Now was not the time to tell her mother that she and Aaron had ended their relationship. She’d wait and tell her parents at breakfast in the morning.

  “You’ll call me and Randolph if you need anything, won’t you?”

  Her mother’s words reclaimed Haywood’s attention. “Yes, but I’ll be fine.”

  A few minutes later when she was alone in her bedroom again, Haywood thought about calling Aaron then decided not to. He was the one who had acted like a jerk, not she. She decided the best thing to do when she got back to Paris would be to look for another job. With her skills as a photographer that shouldn’t be hard to do.

  After she’d finished packing Haywood made a decision. Somehow and someway while they were together, she was going to get Trey to listen to what she had to say about their parents. Then he would know the truth about his mother’s lies and betrayals. As far as she was concerned, it was time he knew the truth.

  Thirty-two

  Zach had just finished jotting some notes down on a legal pad when his secretary buzzed him. “Yes, Mrs. Summersfield, what is it?”

  “Your father is here to see you, Mr. Wainwright.”

  Zach smiled as he tossed the legal pad aside. “Please show him in.” He was proud of his father, who at fifty-nine didn’t show any signs of slowing down. He was in great shape and enjoyed his job as a senator. He believed his father had accomplished more in his lifetime than most people. He was a hero of the Vietnam War, had worked in private practice as an attorney in Texas and had returned home to Florida where he’d been selected by the mayor as a city commissioner. He’d then run for the office of senator and that was almost four terms ago. He claimed he had one term left before retiring.

  Zach’s office door opened and his father and his secretary walked in together, laughing and talking. Senator Noah Wainwright was a born politician and had a way of handling people that was genuinely sincere and caring. He was a good man—fair-minded, open-minded and dedicated, and had a definite patent on charisma. He was loyal to those he loved and those he served. Zach also had to give credit to his mother, who was an excellent politician’s wife, one who complimented his father well. At fifty-six she was still a beautiful woman, devoted to her husband and her children.

  “Dad, this is a surprise,” Zach said, crossing the room and giving his father a bear hug and a firm slap on the back. Open displays of affections were common in his family.

  Noah smiled. “A good one I hope.”

  “You know it is. Have a seat, Senator.”

  Noah smiled and shook his head. “Don’t try getting too big for your britches, Zachary.”

  “Ouch,” Zach said, grinning. Everyone in the family knew he preferred being called Zach to Zachary, although he was proud of his name since it had been given to him in honor of his mother’s brother and a man who had been his father’s best friend. At least one of them. His father was always proud to boast that he had been blessed with two best friends during his lifetime, Zachary Murdock and Ross Fuller, Jr.

  Senator Wainwright leaned back in his chair
. “We haven’t seen you since the funeral so I thought I’d better come and investigate to make sure you’re doing okay.”

  Zach smiled. He wasn’t fooled one bit. He knew his mother was the one who’d been worried and had sent his father to make sure he was doing all right. “Tell, Mom I’m fine, Dad. I’ve just been busy lately.”

  Noah nodded as he studied his son. “Yeah, we’ve noticed. We’re also concerned.”

  Zach knew what his father was referring to. It had been a year since Shaun’s death, but the pain of losing her was still raw. “Don’t worry about me Dad, I’m fine.” Wanting to change the subject, Zach asked, “Any new developments with Adrianna Fuller?” Adrianna Fuller was his father’s goddaughter. He and Randolph Fuller had been looking for the woman for over thirty years.

  Noah leaned back in the chair and met his son’s gaze. “Yes, in fact when I leave here I’m meeting with Patrick Sellers, the son of one of the investigators. His father died a few months ago and he took over the case. According to him he may have a new lead.”

  Zach smiled. “I hope it’s good news for you. Finding her has become an obsession, hasn’t it?”

  Noah shook his head. “No, Zach, not an obsession but an overwhelming desire to fulfill a promise made to my best friend.”

  “I was sorry to hear about your father, Patrick. He was a fine man.”

  “Thanks, Senator. He never came back around after losing Mom. It was hard for him the way she died, so sudden, senseless and tragic.”

  Noah nodded. He’d known that Matthew Sellers’s wife had been a victim of a car accident where teenagers had stolen a car and gone joyriding. He’d never gotten over the death of the woman he’d been married to for over forty years, and over the last year had basically given up on life, eventually dying of a broken heart.

  Noah signed deeply. He didn’t want to imagine how he would handle it if anything ever happened to Leigh. “You indicated there may be a new lead?”

  Patrick smiled. “Yes, sir. Unfortunately, it came across my father’s desk earlier this year but as you know he wasn’t in the frame of mind to deal with a lot of stuff. Therefore, I’m working overtime to make sure things are taken care of right away. One of those things is this letter Dad received from a detective agency in Saigon that he’d been working with to locate your goddaughter. As you know, the problem we’ve always had is not having a name for the aunt who raised her after her mother died in childbirth.”

  Noah sat up straight in his chair. “You have a name now?”

  “Yes, sir. It seemed she married and we were able to get a name for her. A lot of the records had been destroyed with the fall of Saigon.”

  Noah shook his head. That had been the main reason they had not been able to locate Adrianna. Most of the birth records of Eurasians had been deliberately destroyed. That, coupled with the fact that the government had not known the identity of Gia’s sister.

  “I sent an investigator to talk to the woman we believe is the aunt. She claims that she gave the child to the orphanage when she was four.”

  Noah frowned. “Why?”

  “The man she was engaged to marry would not accept Adrianna due to her mixed heritage.”

  Noah tried to downplay his anger upon hearing that. How could anyone hold something like that against anyone? Especially a child? “Have we contacted the orphanage?”

  “One of my contacts is doing so as we speak. I hope to hear something from him in the coming weeks. Usually church groups from different nations or individuals sponsored those kids. Also, a number of them, those who could prove their mixed American parentage, were allowed to come to this country as United States citizens. Most of them settled in the California area. That may have been the case for Adrianna Fuller. All that is uncertain. However, there is one thing we are certain about.”

  “What?”

  “She’s not going by her American name. Doing so would have made our work a lot easier for us.”

  Noah nodded in agreement.

  “There is something else that we discovered that we think you should know.”

  “What.”

  “The aunt claims that after her sister died she contacted the American embassy, right before the fall of Saigon. She wanted to send Adrianna to the States to Ross Fuller’s family. She felt she would have a better life here.”

  “What made her change her mind?”

  “She didn’t. She claims a reply from the Fuller family indicated they didn’t want the child, and would not acknowledge her as their grandchild and signed full custody of the child over to the aunt.”

  Noah sat up in his chair, angry. “Are you telling me the Fullers turned their back on their grandchild when they had an opportunity to claim her?”

  “Yes, sir, it appears that way.”

  Noah stood. “I don’t believe that, Patrick. Although the Fullers weren’t happy with the fact that Ross married a Vietnamese girl, they wanted their granddaughter found as much as Randolph and I did.”

  “Not according to the aunt and she claims there’s a signed document proving it.”

  “Were you able to get a copy of this document?”

  “Unfortunately, no. She left any and all paperwork as well as any of Gia’s belongings with Adrianna at the orphanage. If this document exists, Adrianna has it in her possession.”

  “So if she’s still alive then she’s known the identity of her father’s people all this time?”

  “Possibly. But she may not have wanted to contact them since they had clearly indicated they didn’t want her.”

  Noah shook his head. He had to talk to Randolph immediately. “I want you to stay on top of things, Patrick. I think we’re close to finding her. Lord, I hope so.”

  The young man smiled. “So do I, Senator. Thirty-four years is a long time to be searching for someone.”

  Randolph leaned forward in the chair with his hands braced on his thighs. “There has to be a mistake, Noah,” he said angrily. “There has to be.” He had made the drive from Richmond to DC after receiving Noah’s call and after immediately visiting with his grandparents. He had to find out if they knew anything about Patrick Sellers’s claim that someone in the family had not acknowledged Adrianna as Ross’s child and had gone so far as to sign papers giving up any rights to her.

  A few moments later when Noah didn’t say anything, Randolph added, “And I know what you’re thinking but even my grandmother wouldn’t stoop that low.”

  Noah sighed deeply. “Can you really say that with all certainty, Randolph? She was hell-bent on Ross marrying Angela and never approved of him marrying Gia.”

  “Yes, but regardless of that, had she been contacted she would have told us about it. I asked her about it today and she denied knowing anything. And I believe her mainly because Ross’s death was hard on her, and she wanted his baby found as much as we did.”

  Noah nodded as he stood. “Well, if Sellers’s claim is true, someone did do it and every time I think about it I get madder than hell. Who would do such a thing, especially knowing how much Ross loved Gia and how much he wanted his daughter here with us?”

  Randolph shook his head. “I hope it’s all a mistake and Sellers got his information wrong.”

  Noah looked at him for a long moment then said, “And if it’s not a mistake and his information is right?”

  Randolph stared hard at him. His jaw clenched and clearly defined anger clouded his eyes. “Then that person will have to deal with me personally. Count on it.”

  Thirty-three

  “Hey, that box is too heavy for you to pick up. Play Superwoman some other time.”

  Haywood turned and glared at Trey. If looks could kill he would be dropping dead immediately. She didn’t know how they would survive the two weeks it would take to pack Ma Mattie’s belongings without doing each other in first.

  Instead of saying anything she walked across the room to the sofa and sat down, crossing her arms over her chest to let off steam. It was either that or slapping him
stupid. “Evidently you don’t want or need my help since you have something to say about everything I do.”

  “I was trying to keep you from hurting yourself.”

  “Don’t do me any favors.”

  Trey, who’d been leaning over a box, straightened to his full height. “Next time I won’t. I’ll just let you break your damn back.”

  “I prefer if you didn’t curse around me.”

  “Saying the word ‘damn’ isn’t cursing.”

  “In my book it is.”

  “Then you need another book.”

  Haywood stood and threw up her hands. “I don’t know how Ma Mattie could have possibly thought you and I could do this. We don’t even like each other.”

  Trey shook his head. “Don’t like you? Hell, I don’t even know you.”

  “Well, I don’t know you either.”

  After a few minutes Trey said, “Look, other than proving we have a good pair of lungs, we won’t get anywhere yelling at each other. Can we call a truce until we get this finished? Afterwards, we can cuss and fuss all we want.”

  Haywood couldn’t help but chuckle as she came back over to the box. “Okay, I admit I’m a little uptight.” When he lifted a brow she said, “Okay, so I’m more than a little uptight. But I just don’t feel comfortable doing this.”

  “And you think that I do?”

  Haywood sighed as she looked at him. Ma Mattie had meant a lot to him, too. “No, I guess you don’t but for some reason, we’re the ones she wanted to do it.” She glanced at her watch. “Do you want to call it a day?”

  “Why not? We’ve been at it half a day already.” He glanced around the room. “We’ve packed four boxes. That’s a box an hour.”

  “I think we’ve made good time.”

  He nodded in agreement. “How many more boxes do you think we have to do of this stuff?”

  Haywood picked up the list containing the items that were being sent to Goodwill as per Ma Mattie’s instructions. “At least another twelve boxes.”