“Nate? Is everything okay? You look really tense.”
I turn around and see Evie coming into the room. Tell her the truth. She deserves to know, my mind whispers.
Let her have this one thing. I’m counting on you to keep her safe and happy. Mari’s voice is in my head like a harbinger of doom. Would you be mad enough to shoot the messenger?
Would Evie? I look at her beautiful, expressive face. It was glowing not too long ago, as she basked in the pure joy of meeting her dad. The honest words stick in my throat like fish bones. I swallow the pain.
“It’s fine. It’s just…” I let out a heavy sigh. Then, like a coward, I settle on the easier choice. “Some tabloid writer published a bunch of crap about us.”
Her brow furrowing, she takes out her phone and starts tapping. When she lets out a gasp, I know she found the article.
“This is ridiculous!”
“I know.” I go put a soothing hand on her shoulder. “It’s just the usual bullshit.”
“What does your family think?” She scans further down the screen. “Oh my God, they’re basically saying your dick is defec—! How dare they! It is so not defective!”
Even with everything going on, I have to laugh. “Clearly not. There is nothing wrong with my dick.”
“It’s an amazing dick.”
“Celestial. Transcendent. Olympian, even.”
Now she’s smiling. “But seriously, where are they getting this kind of crap?”
“Obviously they don’t need proof to publish. They wouldn’t be in the tabloid business otherwise.”
“Oh my God. This is…” She looks at me.
I brace myself for some anger over people calling her a lying, gold-digging whore who’s passing off somebody else’s kid as mine.
“Are you upset about it? Them saying that you’re, you know…sterile?”
This is what she’s worried about? “Why would I be, when you and I both know it’s not true? And really, I’ve heard worse. I’m more concerned about you.”
“Me?” She blinks, then looks down at the screen. “Oh. Right.” She reads a little more. “Well, to tell you the truth…meh. Like you said, we both know all this is untrue. It’s actually funny how hard they’re trying to create drama out of nothing.”
They’re not going to think it’s so funny when Barron and I get through with them. But she’s not done.
“Where do they get these clichéd scenarios?” She laughs. “I mean, a fake baby? Gold digging? That’s the best they can do? Don’t they have any editors with creativity?”
The vise around my heart eases a little, and emotions start swelling. “I thought you hated this kind of publicity. You threw up on that reporter after the auction.”
“Well, yeah. I don’t like being the center of attention like that, and I was stressed.” She flushes. “But this article isn’t even true…”
She takes a moment and breathes in deeply. “Look, my life hasn’t been always pretty or rosy, but I was able to get through it because I had my mom, who’s always been my pillar and family.” She reaches out and takes my hand. “Now I have you—another pillar. More family. And that makes me feel stronger, safer and protected. The article sucks, but I’m not going to give it the power to affect our relationship, Nate.”
Something hot and tight swells in my chest as I gaze at her lovely face, eyes shining, cheeks rosy and mouth soft. I kiss her like her lips are the elixir of life.
Love.
I love this woman.
I love this woman who can laugh at the world. Who cares about what’s important. Who overcame so much to be where she is now.
Evie is the kind of woman who would still stand beside me even if I had no money, no connections, nothing.
I touch her, my hands urgent and greedy, craving all of her, needing all of her. I pull her blouse over her head, unclasp the bra and cup her soft breasts, my thumbs over the hard, rosy tips.