The Father of Her Son - By Kathleen Pickering Page 0,99
a moral and dedicated man.
He had become a megalomaniac.
Kelly’s motives were not lost on him when she took Madeline’s hand and said, “We are prepared to give you the interview you want to blow Buzz Campbell out of the water.”
Kelly was reaching out an olive branch. She wanted to prove to him that she was going to trust him. The guard that rose in his mind was—ultimately, would she?
Hell. He’d give her the chance, but he wasn’t going to cave on his decision. That rock-solid wall of hers had bruised him enough. He was not a glutton for punishment—nor was he a quitter. In his heart, he didn’t want to give up on her. Only, there was fixable, and those who didn’t want to be fixed. Which was this fiery redhead? Unless he stepped on this roller coaster with her he wouldn’t find out. This time, however, he’d keep his defenses in place.
He’d taken Kelly by the shoulders. “Are you sure, Red?”
The tears that filled her eyes gave him hope. “I have two reasons for doing this, Evan. The first is to finally do the right thing. Now that Madeline agrees with me to move forward, I feel free to speak. You’ll just have to help me explain the situation to Matt.”
His heart just about burst he was so proud of her. “And the second reason?”
She became uncomfortable and fidgeted for a bit before planting her feet and looking him squarely in the eye. Those green eyes begged him to believe her. “I want to prove to you that I am ready and willing to trust you. I know you will take excellent care to ensure my—” she looked at Madeline “—our story is aired properly. We want to show women who suffer abuse at the hands of immoral men that they can find a safe haven.”
She had said words he needed to hear, but she hadn’t said that she loved him. It was a start.
After they had bundled Madeline in Evan’s car to take her to Penn Station, Evan had to fight every urge to keep from throwing Kelly over his shoulder and dragging her upstairs to show her just how well he could take care of her for the rest of her life. But he resisted.
This was a battle worth retreating to fight another day.
Unable to resist he pulled her into his arms. She let him. He rested his forehead on hers, because, God help him, he wanted her. “You are going to have to do everything I tell you. Do you accept that?”
She had laughed. “Oh, how that irks me.” But she settled down, her face sobering and said, “I accept.” Stepping on tiptoe, she placed the sweetest kiss on his lips. “I want to deserve you, Evan. You are rare among men.”
Now, sitting next to him so full of conviction, he was about to serve her with her first true test. Since he’d finally sat down with Quince and told him about Kelly’s accusations against Campbell, his attorney had given him some bad news. Chances were their fight would get uglier before it got better.
He grabbed Kelly’s hand. “Buzz came here today to publicly make it look like you two had been lovers and you ran off with his child. He’d rather stick to his story that you seduced him than defend himself against assault charges.”
She bit her lip. “I suspected that long ago. I have very little chance of winning. Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Yes, but remember that snowball strategy Helen Thompson told you about? If we can get more women to add to your testimony, we can prove he’s lying—and dangerous.”
“That’s a big if. The shame of coming forward is impossible for most women.”
He held her gaze. “I had to call Madeline and tell her this. She’s not going to say anything publicly to support you until we learn more.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t do this.”
There it was. Her fear. Would she rise to meet it head-on? Evan so very much needed his wife to trust him.
“No, Kelly. Given the pressure the senator is putting on us about Matt, I think we should go live tomorrow morning.”
Her eyes darted in momentary panic. “Why?”
“Because we don’t have a choice. With the way today’s laws are about rape and keeping the baby, we can’t protect Matt from Buzz on just the assault charge. The only way we can keep Buzz at arm’s length is to send him to jail or get enough testimony to prove him unfit