“Why?” he shouted.
“Because he did something evil.”
“Evil?” he hiccuped. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true.”
“You’re a liar. You never would tell me about my dad because you were ashamed. I’ll never believe you again. Never.”
Yesterday, she had thought her enemies were defeated, but they had sprung back with a vengeance. They were clever enough to have attacked her where she was most vulnerable—Graham.
She could see the fear, confusion, and anguish in his young face. His whole world had collapsed around him, and his image of her had been shattered by malicious lies. If she didn’t get him back immediately, she could very well lose him forever.
Only the truth could get him back.
“What they told you is true, Graham. Any one of three men could be your father. Because the three of them raped me. I got you when I was raped by three men.”
He drew a ragged breath through his parted lips.
“I never wanted you to know because I didn’t want you to impose that stigma on yourself. I didn’t want you to blame yourself for something that was none of your fault. It was their sin, Graham. Theirs. Not mine, and certainly not yours.”
She took a step forward and appealed to him. “I wouldn’t tell you now except I’m afraid that if I don’t, I’ll lose your love and trust permanently. You’ve got to believe me, Graham. These three men took away my virginity and my youth. They robbed me of my first, beautiful love, a boy named Gary Parker, who killed himself over what they did. Your grandmother deserted us because of what happened.”
She stretched out her hand. “I can’t let them take you, too, Graham. They’ve twisted the facts to make me look bad, but I wasn’t the bad one. Neither are you. I love you. I know you love me. And because you love me, you’ve got to believe that what I’m telling you is the truth.”
He glanced at the Patchetts suspiciously, then locked gazes with Jade again. “You were raped?”
“That’s right. When I was eighteen. And the only good thing to come out of it was you.”
He hesitated for only an instant before hastily knocking aside the chair and lunging toward her. She clasped him to her tightly, holding him as though she would never let him go.
“He stopped me on the road. He told me you’d be here, Mom. He said I was supposed to come with him.”
“I know how persuasive he can be.”
“I’m sorry I said those things about you. I didn’t mean them.”
“I know you didn’t.” Over his shoulder, she regarded Neal with repugnance. “We love each other, and nothing is ever going to change that. Ever.”
Dillon placed an arm around the two of them. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” As one, they turned toward the arched opening.
“Not so fast,” Neal said. “We’re not finished here. We’ve got a lot to discuss with Jade that doesn’t involve you, Burke.”
Jade spoke up before Dillon had a chance. “I’ve got nothing to discuss with you, except a possible kidnapping charge.”
“You can’t kidnap your own child,” Neal said.
“What does he mean, Mom?”
“I’ll bet you’d like to meet your real daddy,” Ivan said to Graham. “Wouldn’t you like that? To get to know your daddy and your grandpa?”
“Stop it,” Jade shouted. “Haven’t you done enough damage for one day?”
Graham’s eyes drew a bead on Neal. “You were the other one, weren’t you? Did you rape my mother?”
“So she says,” he replied smoothly. “But you’d just as well learn now how females lie, son.”
“Don’t call me that.”