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She sucked in a sharp breath.
“And yeah,” he added. “Feelin’s mutual.”
Mitcham handed over the handkerchief from his impeccably tailored navy-colored suit as fat drops rolled down her cheeks. She told him, “I know what I have to do, but I also wanted to give you and Karina a little more time.”
“We appreciate that. And I suspected as much. So did she.” He inhaled deeply. Exhaled slowly. “Which is why she turned herself in.”
Scarlet’s eyes popped. “What?”
“She wanted to do it first thing this morning, so that you wouldn’t have to. Out of respect for Michael and Sam … and the fact that my wife genuinely likes you. But then she feared if she was too hasty it might cause problems for you. So she waited. We heard nothing from the insurance agency, and that was when she decided it had to be done. I’m here right now so that you know and can make your own calls. Explain you were detained. Whatever. Bottom line is that Karina didn’t want you to be the one to break the news that Sam’s mother, Michael’s stepmother, committed a crime.”
Scarlet sank into a chair. Not just because her legs were so sore, but holy hell, she hadn’t seen this coming. And maybe it didn’t exonerate her completely—since she’d wholeheartedly gone after the Vandenbergs when it came to this case. But Karina had just spared her a world of hurt. She’d made a huge sacrifice for Scarlet.
“I owe her for that one.”
“You don’t,” Mitcham assured her. “We owe you our gratitude for giving us some time to work through how we’re going to make amends. Talk to my legal and PR teams. Figure out what direction we’ll take when it comes to Wyatt Hill and Dylan Reed. We want to go directly to the FBI. Be completely transparent. Hopefully keep Wyatt in prison and make damn sure Dylan doesn’t get away with what he did to you, Miss Drake.”
She lifted her head from where she’d been staring at the handkerchief in her lap. Told him, “That’s commendable. Thank you, Mr. Vandenberg.”
He gave a slight nod and said, “You might want to think about calling me Mitcham.”
She let out a semi-hysterical laugh. “And he has a sense of humor.” She wiped away the last of her tears and said, “Please call me Scarlet, Mitcham.”
“Of course.” His attention shifted to Michael. He said, “I know we’ve had our differences. I never explained this before, but one of the reasons I made it so that you didn’t have access to your trust fund, or you to yours, Sam,” he said as he acknowledged his step-son, “is because I wanted you to build your own lives. No rules, no boundaries. But I also wanted to ensure that those fortunes were never sacrificed for the wrong causes. Handsome young men with access to family money can unwittingly invite false affection into their lives. I’ve been lucky. I’ve had two great loves. I wanted both of you to find someone who possesses as much scruples as she does beauty. Someone who will love you for what you’ve achieved. For who you are as a person, not for your last name. Someone worthy of you.”
“Would it have killed you to tell us that when we were sixteen?” Michael quipped.
Mitcham shrugged a broad shoulder. “I’m not so sure you would have grasped the concept back then. But today … Well. I’m not going to lie and say I fully understand what’s going on with the three of you or how it’s all going to pan out, but I can’t dispute that you do seem to work as a cohesive unit. And that’s what matters most.”
Scarlet stood. “Sorry it’s so unconventional. But make no mistake. I do love your sons. And
it has nothing to do with money or status. Well … there is the matter of a puppy, but that’s another story.”
Sam smirked.
Scarlet said, “I don’t want to crush this family. I want it to thrive. And if there’s anything I can do to help Karina, I’ll do it. I knows she’s earnest about paying her debt to the insurance company and society, and I’m behind her one hundred percent.”
“She’ll be pleased to hear that. Now,” Mitcham said. “I have to get back to her. She’s put on a brave face, as always, but now that I know the full extent of her struggles, I want to make sure she’s no longer battling them alone.”
He turned to go.
Michael called out, “Dad…!”
Mitcham glanced over his shoulder.
Michael grinned. And simply said, “Thank you.”
Mitcham nodded once more. Then left.
Scarlet had no doubt that Michael’s note of gratitude was for Mitcham finally coming around and expressing himself. Not keeping all of his thoughts and emotions to himself for Michael to guess at.
She hugged him tight. “It’s crazy to say this because of what Karina faces, but this family is taking a positive turn in the right direction.”
“You do have a way of finding the upside.”
She released him and walked into Sam’s embrace. “I meant what I said,” she told him. “I’ll do whatever I can to help her in this situation.”
“I know. But remember … it’s not your burden or your fault, darlin’.”
