Legacy (Steel Brothers Saga #14) - Helen Hardt Page 0,20
“She’ll get through this. Your father loves her very much.”
“I know he does.”
“He’ll make sure she gets everything she needs.”
“But—”
I placed two fingers over her lips. “If you’re worried about money, you don’t have to be.”
“My father’s not a rich man.”
“Your husband-to-be is.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t let you—”
“Baby, listen to me. Your father will take care of her. He has health insurance. And if he needs a little help along the way, we—you and I—will be here for him.”
“You’re very sweet, but the money isn’t yours, Brad. It’s your parents’.”
“The majority of the fortune is, but I have a trust fund. I took control of it when I turned twenty-one. I can take care of whatever your mother needs.”
“Still, I don’t want—”
“Shh. We’ll do what we have to do to get your mother well. If we need to contribute, I’m happy to do it.”
She choked back a sob. “I didn’t want our life together to begin like this. I never expected my mother…”
“I know.”
“She was always so strong for me.”
“She’s still strong. Look at you. You’re one of the strongest people I know, and you’ve been through a lot of mental and emotional turmoil.” More than she even knew. My heart hurt just thinking about it, and I absently clenched my hands into fists, aching to pummel the men who’d violated her.
“I never tried to take my own life,” she said.
True. She’d told me that the last time we were at the ranch. Thank God. I couldn’t bear to think of my beautiful Daphne in that much pain.
“Your mother will get the help she needs.”
“I feel like we should postpone everything until she’s better.” She touched her abdomen. “But we can’t. We need to get everything settled.”
“We can wait a few weeks if you’d like. Technically we don’t need to get married until right before the baby’s born for me to be considered the father.”
“You are the father.”
“I mean legally. To keep the child from being illegitimate.”
She clasped her hand over her mouth. “My baby isn’t going to be a bastard.”
“Of course not. He’s mine, and I want him. I want you both.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For talking. Let’s not say anything to your parents about my mother.”
“Okay. I’ll just say I met them last weekend and they’re okay with the situation.”
“They are. I think.”
“Your father is. He and I talked quite a lot.”
“True. What all did you talk about, Brad?”
Brick in gut. I didn’t want to lie to Daphne, but I couldn’t go into any detail about what her dad and I talked about.
My poor baby.
Every time I looked at her now, I imagined what those three degenerates had done to her and her friend.
Keeping secrets, though, always took a toll on everyone involved. Again, my hands clenched into fists, and every muscle in my body tensed.
How? How could anyone harm this beautiful and innocent woman? This woman I loved so damned much?
Daphne’s body had healed, but her mind… Her mind didn’t know anything had happened.
Best to keep it that way, as Jonathan said.
I had a feeling that toll was going to be steep.
Daphne’s mother’s suicide attempt was only the beginning.
Chapter Sixteen
Daphne
Brad’s mother was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. She was striking, with dark hair and eyes much like her son’s. Her hair was cut short in a new-fashioned pixie style, and it worked on her because her facial features were so soft and feminine. From her straight nose and high cheekbones to her full lips and only slightly prominent chin, Mazie Steel was nearly perfect to look at.
She wore bell-bottom jeans and a peasant blouse, and silver hoops dangled from her ears. When she shook my hand, I noticed dirt beneath her unpolished fingernails. The only part of her that wasn’t perfect.
Of course. She’d been working in the greenhouse.
She gave me a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Daphne. I’m sorry I missed your last visit.” She let go of me. “Let me look at you. My, but you’re a beautiful thing. So tall, too.”
I warmed with embarrassment. “Thank you.”
Then she grabbed Brad in a hug as well. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Mom. Where’s Dad?”
“I have no idea,” Mazie said. “He’ll be here in a few. He’s never late for dinner, as you know.”
Brad and I had decided to wait until after dinner to share our news, as we had with my parents.
I suppressed a shiver as I regarded Mazie Steel. She’d been hospitalized before. What if the news