dy.”
“Of course not,” Court says.
Yuna raises a hand. “Scout’s honor.”
It makes me pause for a moment. “You were a Girl Scout?”
“Of course not. Don’t be silly.”
“It’s Evie’s dad.” I tell them my dilemma. The waiter interrupts a couple of times to take our lunch order and bring the food, but otherwise leaves us alone.
When I’m done, Court says, “Wow.”
“It’s like a scenario from a Korean mak-jang drama,” Yuna says.
“Mak-jang?” I ask.
“Yeah. A totally fucked-up drama with your typical clichés—secret births, dark history that nobody knows, messed-up connections that began even before you were born…you know.” She shrugs.
I don’t like that definition at all, even though I have to admit it sounds about right. “So how do I fix this?”
Court shakes his head. “You can’t.”
“I have to. I have to make Bradley leave, and without Evie knowing I’m behind it. And the sooner the better, so they don’t start to fake-bond or anything.” Court is a great guy, but he can be a little slow when it comes to women. Him being engaged to the love of his life is nothing short of a miracle. Proof that God does care about everyone, including the most clueless among us.
“That’s the problem. You can’t…unless you run him over,” Yuna says.
“She deserves to know the truth about her dad. She isn’t a little kid who needs coddling,” Court adds, his expression dead serious, waving his fork around as though it’s a wand that makes people understand him better.
“Dude, she’s pregnant. She fainted at the family welcome party, and the doctor told her to avoid stress,” I say, annoyed that Court doesn’t understand the delicacy of the situation.
“My brother’s wife fainted a few times when she was pregnant. It’s normal,” Yuna says. I’m not sure if she’s trying to console me or freak me out. “I mean, it’s obvious people like him would want money, right?” she continues. “But if you give him any now, he’ll come back for more. You’ll be turning yourself into a sucker. It’ll only upset her when she finds out.”
“What if she doesn’t?” I say, even though I’m getting a sinking feeling. It’s so damn hard to let her keep her pristine image of the guy, especially since it’s all a lie, but Mari’s right. Evie has so little. Maybe she should have this, even if I’m contorting myself to give it to her. Why can’t I be just a little Machiavellian? Like Dane?
“Secrets always come out,” Court says, growing serious. “Always.”
I sigh. Court’s family had a secret too—one so explosive, it tore his family apart when it came out. I bury my face in my hands. “Fuck.”
Yuna pats my shoulder. “You’ll figure it out and do the right thing, Nate. I know you will.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Nate
After the lunch is over and my friends have left, I sit in my car and ask the question: What would Barron do?
That old man is impossible, but he knows what he’s doing when it comes to things like this. The man’s also unsympathetic enough that he’d be telling Mari to shove her lies, but I can’t quite do that. She isn’t his mother-in-law, and Evie loves her. It’d be devastating enough for her to discover her mother lied, on top of realizing the dad she’s idolized in her mind is a parasite.
Low stress. That’s the way to go with Evie right now. So it’s best for her not to have a huge argument with her mom, as well as keep that unjustifiably rosy perception of her dad—so long as Bradley stays away from her.
So. My plan is a slightly modified version of what Barron would do.
I contact the Aylster and ask the front desk to connect me to Bradley’s room. He answers, and I tell him I’d like to see him in the next half an hour. And to throw him off, I make sure to keep my voice affable—the naïve son-in-law who doesn’t suspect a thing.
“Sure,” he says with such sweet warmth that I feel like honey is pouring out of the phone. “Is Evie coming with you?”
“No. It’s something I need to talk to you one on one about.”