on his thighs, his whole body stiff as he tried to contain his fury. Nothing could have convinced her more of his deep feelings for her than him sitting there about to explode at the injustices she’d suffered.
Summer was the first to speak. “You lost the baby?”
“Yes, and I’ll never forgive him for that.”
It took her a long time to get past it. She’d learned to accept it was for the best. If she’d had the baby, David would have been a part of her life forever. He’d have had a hand in raising the child, and that was unthinkable.
“That’s why I took the money. The press accused me of being a gold digger, but getting a large settlement was the only way I could hurt David. I made him pay me off and hand over part of his precious company. His family was furious. The trial cast a shadow over him in the public eye. More importantly, I’ve done a lot of good with the money from my settlement.
“Ben’s firm partners with a shelter in San Francisco. I donate money and Ben handles the divorce proceedings and restraining orders pro bono. The child custody battles can get very expensive. Without representation, most women end up having to turn their children over to abusive fathers without so much as supervised visits. I pay for those cases. For every dollar Ben bills, I make another donation back to the shelter. Last year, the shelter raised enough money from me and other donors to buy an apartment building they use to house women in need. They also provide the women with vocational training and get them working, so they can support themselves. I give to other charities as well. Along the way, I’ve helped a few people privately. I turned my situation into something positive for others.
“Since the court case, I’ve been on the run. Over the last two years, David has managed to find me seven times. Ben employs some exceptional computer and financial guys to hide my assets and me, but somehow David always finds me. We haven’t figured out how he does it. I’m very careful about where I go and who I see. That’s why you needed to know. I never get close to anyone. I learned that lesson the hard way when he had my bodyguard killed.” Summer gasped at the news. “I don’t want anything to happen to you guys. I couldn’t live with myself.”
“I saw some men looking around outside the ranch the other day.” Caleb looked pointedly at Jack.
“One of the emails I sent to Ben directed him to hire men to watch the ranch. If David shows up, my hope is that they’ll take care of the matter before anything bad happens. I specifically have a couple of guards watching your house and Summer and Lily.”
Stunned, Summer’s mouth dropped open. “People are watching us.”
“From a distance, and only to make sure you’re safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Lily. So far, he doesn’t know I’m here. He’s out of the country. I don’t know when, or if, that will change. The one thing I can’t afford to do is think for a moment that he isn’t coming, because I know he will. It’s only a matter of when.”
She sucked in a deep breath and prayed they wanted her to stay. She loved being a part of this family, in even a small way. Most of all, she didn’t know if she could take it if Jack asked her to leave.
“What I need to know, is now that you know who I am and what could potentially happen if he finds me, do you want me to leave? I’ve put you in a terrible position by allowing you all to get close to me. If you want, I’ll leave. He’ll never know I was here, and you won’t be in any danger. You’ll never see or hear from me again.”
“No!” They all said together.
“You understand? I know what he’ll do to me if he comes. I don’t know how far he’ll go. He might just come for me. But he could go after you to get to me. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to any of you.” It would kill her to leave them, especially Jack, but if it meant their safety, she’d leave immediately.
Jack couldn’t take any more, his voice gruff and laced with frustration, he said, “You aren’t going anywhere. I’ve told you that a