More texts are pouring in. All showing support, asking after Evie because they know just like I do what this is going to do to her.
I wonder if there’s a way I can prevent Evie from seeing the article. Maybe I can just whisk her away on a long honeymoon to Thailand. Bora Bora is pretty, too. Then I can keep her busy in bed—shouldn’t be too difficult, and a hell of a lot of fun—and Tom Brockman and his article will both be history by the time we return.
Except is she going to want to leave the country when she just reunited with her dad?
Fuck. Talk about timing.
I get another call. Shit. It is Mari. She probably saw the article too and is furious I let this happen to her daughter. I brace myself for an ass-kicking. “Hello,” I say.
“Hello, Nate. This is Mari. If Evie’s in the room with you, would you mind going to another one? I’d rather not she overhear anything I’m about to tell you.”
That bad? Maybe I should get a shield, like Captain America. “She’s still downstairs,” I say.
“Okay.” She sighs heavily. “She called saying that she met her dad.”
“Yeah, she’s very happy.” I don’t tell Mari that I have suspicions about Bradley, because she must obviously still love the man to wear his ring.
“Get rid of him.”
Whoa. “Excuse me? Could you say that again?”
“Bradley Brown is bad news.”
O-kay. “I’m sorry, but didn’t you tell Evie that her dad was a nice guy?” I say slowly, making sure there’s no miscommunication.
“Well, of course. I didn’t want her to know her father is a…piece of crap. He’s a cheating, uncommitted, worthless con man. Mark my words, he’s only there to weasel some money out of her.”
So my instincts were right. But mixed with vindication is annoyance that Mari lied to Evie all this time. If she’d just told Evie the truth from the beginning, Bradley would’ve never been able to approach her. “Why don’t you tell her? It’ll ensure she stays away from him.”
“She doesn’t need to know what kind of man he really is. It isn’t good for her.”
“It isn’t good for her to be taken advantage of out of ignorance. She’s thrilled to be around him because of what you told her,” I point out, stunned at Mari’s non-logic. I thought she was more sensible than this.
/> “She isn’t like you.” Her words come out like slaps, almost accusatory. “She has so few good memories, don’t you get it? She never got to go to homecoming or prom or any of the things that normal kids do. We never had anything. The only thing I could give her is that her parents loved her, even though that good-for-nothing son of a bitch never stuck around. He was just slick, and I fell for the gloss because I didn’t know any better.”
“I understand she had a hard life.” And I plan to make up for that and spoil her rotten, now that I know how badly she’s been deprived. “But how is keeping up this lie going to make it better for her?”
“Do you love your father?”
The question pierces my heart like a lance, and an old ache spreads through me. “Of course. He was a great man.”
“Then how would you feel if somebody said he was a terrible person? If some woman showed up and claimed he cheated on your mother and had babies with her? Or if someone said he swindled people out of money? How would that make you feel?”
I shove my fingers through my hair, then clench them until my scalp hurts. The possibility of that happening is nil, but if it did happen… I’d be furious, betrayed…
I don’t even know all the things I’d feel, honestly. Dad was the man I looked up to, the kind of person I wanted—still want—to become. The devastation of that would be too painful to bear.
“Would you be mad enough to shoot the messenger?”
Possibly. Most likely.
Shit.
“You have everything, and she has nothing. Let her have this one thing. You’re a powerful man with a lot of money and rich friends. Make Brad go away. Do it for Evie. I’m counting on you to keep her safe and happy.” She clears her throat. “I need to go back to work. Thank you, Nate.” She ends the call.
Oh fuck. Frustration swirls inside like a tornado, and it’s all I can do to not hurl my phone at the wall. This day started out perfect, with Evie climaxing against my mouth, the doctor’s visit, her moving out of her old place and into mine.
But the collection of bullshit that just hit me, starting with Bradley Brown’s appearance… What the hell.