In Name Only (Pine Falls #2) - Jennifer Peel Page 0,80

of me to assume he could and would. It wasn’t his baby, after all. “Do you really think he would have loved the baby?”

She nodded and brushed some tears off her cheek. “I do. Brock has always had a tender heart, though I know he doesn’t show it as well as he should. When he was a little boy, he was always the kid who asked me what he could do to help at home. And when John was gone on business trips, Brock would offer to sleep on the floor in my room to protect me.”

I smiled. “That sounds like Brock. He spent a few nights on my dorm room floor when I was sick. He even held my hair back when I vomited in the toilet. I loved him so much. All I ever wanted was for him to love me back, to be there every night to watch over me and me to watch over him.”

She rested her hand on my cheek. “He wants that too, but I know you need proof.”

“Lots of it.”

She patted my cheek. “You deserve that, and I can’t wait for you to get it.” She leaned back against the couch; confident her son would deliver. For me, it remained to be seen. My head found itself right back on Sheridan’s shoulder while we waited for Brant’s interview to play on one of the major cable networks.

Before long, Brant and Jill appeared.

My head popped up. “Was Jill scheduled to do this interview with him?”

Sheridan rolled her eyes. “Oh, that woman. She is a piece of work. The sooner Brant can sever ties with her, the better.”

I was sorry Brant was giving up his dream, though I was relieved he would be ditching the nightmare that sat cozied up to him wearing a bright-red pantsuit like she was the daughter of Santa Claus. She looked even more ridiculous in comparison to the host, the lovely Laurie Summers, who was dressed to impress in a printed wrap dress. She reminded me of a young Diane Sawyer from 20/20—classy and fair minded. Brant and Jill were seated on a comfy taupe couch while Laurie sat on an overstuffed chair next to him. It was as if they had borrowed some random person’s living room.

I leaned forward, interested in seeing how this would all play out, especially now that Jill was involved.

Brant looked calm and collected while wearing his million-dollar smile. Wow, he was a good actor. I prayed he could use those skills to get us all out of this mess. Or at least break free from Edward. At this point, I would take the fallout just to be rid of the evil man.

Laurie crossed her long, lean legs and smiled at the pair. “It’s a pleasure to have you both on the show today. I know this has been a difficult time for your family. Please tell us, how are Major Holland and his wife, Dani, doing?”

“Thank you for asking, Laurie.” Brant turned slightly toward her, away from the clutches of his fiancée.

Jill wasn’t having it and placed her hand on his upper thigh, a little too high for comfort. Yikes.

Brant paid her no attention and proceeded. “They are doing as well as can be expected. I’m extremely proud of my brother for accepting that he needed help and then seeking it. My sister-in-law is amazing, supporting him even though they are both grieving over the loss of their unborn baby,” Brant’s voice wobbled.

I grabbed Sheridan’s hand. “I’m sorry Brant has to lie about his baby. Our baby.”

“Don’t be. Maybe it was foolish of all of you to think you could live with that choice, but each of your intents were noble.”

“That’s a word for it,” I half scoffed. I didn’t feel noble lying, even if it was to protect my baby.

“Take my word for it.”

We focused back on Brant.

“Dani has been encouraging my brother to seek treatment for some time now. As you may know, she works closely with the foster care system in Colorado and is a big advocate for mental health awareness and treatment for all, regardless of a person’s financial situation. She and my family want to see the stigma regarding mental health challenges erased and have these medical conditions be treated like any other illness we face.”

I swore I saw Jill’s fist clench and her hand on Brant squeeze him like boa constrictor. She obviously didn’t like me or that Brant was giving me any praise. The question was, did