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“Okay. Okay, good.” He blew out a breath and seemed to collapse under the relief. “Arden could be in a lot of danger if this gets out.”

“Danger? Why would—?” I broke off as I realized how this news might hit his father’s campaign so close to Election Day. “Oh, damn. You think your dad’s going to be pissed you got your girlfriend pregnant? Scratch that, obviously, he will be. Family values or whatever. But you think he’d actually hurt the mother of his grandchild because of it?”

Bett’s mouth opened and closed before opening again. “It’s not… it’s not my baby, Vaughn.”

I blinked at him. “It’s not your baby,” I repeated, trying to make the words make sense. “I just beat my boyfriend up because he needed to earn money for… someone else’s baby? I don’t understand.”

The edge of his lip turned up. “Boyfriend?”

“Jesus Christ. Focus, McNeely,” I said, holding back a laugh.

His words about the child not being his were finally sinking in, leaving me giddy and light. Relieved as fuck on his behalf, but also on mine.

He climbed off me and nudged me into bed, moving in beside me so we were on our sides facing each other with the ice packs still in place.

I ran my fingers through his damp hair. “Tell me,” I insisted.

So Bett took a deep breath… and did.

He poured out a horrible story about a disgusting, morally decrepit politician and a young woman who was paying the price for one stupid decision.

About the dangerous power players invested in a senatorial campaign and the danger Arden could be in.

I didn’t disagree.

“You want to help her,” I said.

“I do.”

“You know it’s not your fault. She made a bad choice.”

“Yes. And he made a worse one. She wouldn’t have been under his roof that night if we hadn’t been together.”

I ran a thumb along his reddened cheek. “This isn’t your responsibility.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. “But I agree she needs help. That doesn’t mean you need to spend thousands of dollars on an Airbnb.”

Bett frowned. “What other option do we have? She can’t tell anyone, so it’s not like we can ask someone to give her a place to stay.”

“We can if it’s someone we can trust.”

His forehead crinkled further. “No one associated with Demere. Or my father. Or the campaign. Or her parents.”

“What about someone who has a history of taking in scared, pregnant girls?” I suggested. “My mom’s friend Wanda helped her when she was in a similar situation. She’s like an aunt to me and Grace. I know she’ll help. And she has a house on a hundred acres up near McCaysville where no one would ever think to look for Arden.”

I could tell Bett was unsure, so I kept talking. “She used to be a nurse at the clinic here in Tritt. Mom was scared and young. When she went to the clinic looking for help, she met Wanda, who gave her a huge hug and, eventually, a place to stay. After we were born, Wanda helped with babysitting and stuff. When she retired and moved to McCaysville a couple years ago, she stayed in touch. She mostly gardens and knits. Plays bridge online. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a little lonely. I think she and Arden would be good company for each other.”

Bett had busied himself cataloging all of the bruises blooming on my body while I spoke, his fingers trailing along my skin in a distracting way that, yeah, okay, maybe had contributed to me babbling too many details.

“It’s not just about keeping Arden safe,” he said softly. “That’s the first step. But I… I need to take him down.” His eyes met mine, fierce and unwavering.

I ran a thumb over his cheekbone again, feeling a pinch of guilt for leaving a mark there. “Your father?”

Bett nodded beneath my hand. “He’s never going to stop otherwise. Standing up to him, telling him to fuck off… that won’t be enough. He’ll figure out how to get back at me. And if he can’t do it directly, he’ll pull strings and get his friends to do it. And if that doesn’t work, he’ll come after anyone he thinks I care about.”

He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to my chest that made me shiver and breathed his next words into my skin. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

The conviction in his voice slid through me, so sweet it was almost painful.

“You gonna protect me, baby? Good.” I cupped Bett’s face in my hand. “But only if you let me protect you, too. If we’re doing this, we do it together.” I smiled a little, thinking back to my conversation with Rowan. “In fact, I might have some ideas about how to make that happen.”