Page 67 of A Fortunes of Texas Christmas (Fortunes of Texas)

Epilogue

Robin picked up that something was wrong the moment Amersen answered the phone.

“What is it?” she asked when he ended the call.

In was Christmas Eve, and they were picking up the remainder of Amersen’s things from the hotel suite before they headed to Paris on a late-night flight. They had spent a wonderful afternoon celebrating Christmas with her family, and although she was sad that she wouldn’t be spending Christmas Day with them as usual, she was super excited about heading to Paris to meet her future in-laws and his sister, Claire. She had a belly full of jitters, but she knew Amersen would be close at hand to help her through her nerves.

“That was Kate,” he explained and came around the sofa. “We have been summoned to Sterling’s Fortune.”

“Summoned?”

“Our company has been requested.”

Robin glanced at her watch. “But won’t we miss our flight?”

“Kate has arranged for us to fly home on her private jet,” he said as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. “And there’s a limo waiting downstairs.”

And just like that, half an hour later they were pulling up outside the ranch house at Sterling’s Fortune.

“I think I could seriously get used to this rich-and-famous thing,” she said and took the hand he offered as they got out of the limo. “Maybe we should think about getting our own jet.”

He laughed, and the sound made her giddy with love for him. The last week had been filled with love and passion and a kind of surreal happiness. They had spent every possible moment together, and their connection was stronger than she could have ever imagined.

“There are a lot of cars here,” he said, more seriously.

Robin’s eyes scanned the parking area, and she spotted several fancy cars and SUVs. She was so busy looking around, she didn’t notice that Amersen had stopped walking.

“Are you okay?” she asked and reached for his hand.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”

She knew what he meant. The past week they had spent in a kind of hazy couple bubble, not letting anyone intrude on their time together. She knew he had deliberately steered clear of the Fortune family, and she’d respected his need to take things slowly.

Robin squeezed his hand. “I’m here,” she said and urged him toward the house. “I’m right here with you.”

He kissed her and whispered soft words against her mouth. “I know. That’s the only reason I am not racing back to the car right now.” He lifted his head and took a breath. “Let’s get this done.”

* * *

If Amersen had any preconceived ideas about what it would be like meeting the rest of his half siblings en masse, he threw them out the window the moment he stepped into the main living room. With Kate as hostess, he had no option but to face them all in one swoop.

The names whirled around in his head in a jumble—Ben and his wife, Ella; Keaton and his wife, Francesca; Graham and his wife, Sasha, and their two young daughters; Kieran and his wife, Dana, and their little girl; and so many others he whispered to Robin that she would have to remember half of the room for him. Olivia came forward first, breaking the ice by giving him a brief hug and making the first few moments marginally less awkward than they could have been.

“Are you annoyed with me for doing this?”

Kate Fortune’s voice made him turn. Resplendent in an ivory silk suit, she was smiling as she passed him a champagne flute. They had been mingling for about ten minutes, and he was glad for the reprieve while Robin took a moment to speak with her friend Francesca and show off her engagement ring, much to the delighted squeals of the other woman.

“I wasn’t sure you knew,” he said and took the glass. “You never said anything.”

“I rarely show my entire hand,” she replied. “But I wanted to assure you that this had nothing to do with my reasons for our business venture.” She smiled a little. “Well, mostly.” She looked around the room and sighed. “They are good people...all of them worth knowing. As are you.”

“Thank you, Kate.”

She moved off just as Keaton and Ben approached. Amersen searched for Robin out of the corner of his eye and mentally willed her to return to his side. It took about thirty seconds for him to spot her weaving a path toward him.

“You know, we’re not so bad,” Ben said and laughed. “Just ask Keaton... This time last year, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know us, either. And look how good it turned out,” he said and slapped the other man on the shoulder in a kind of brotherly affection Amersen had never been a part of.

Brothers...

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