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“Daddy,” I said, “this is Brad Steel.”
“Good to meet you, sir,” Brad said.
“Brad Steel. Not the Steel ranch heir?”
Brad nodded. “One and the same.”
“Oh. Well, this is a surprise. Have a seat. Make yourself at home. Tell me how you two met.”
“At an orientation function,” Brad said. “We went out that evening, and we’ve seen each other regularly since then.”
“Goodness,” my mother said.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that.
“It was kind of a whirlwind thing,” Brad said, smiling at me.
God, he was so handsome. How did I ever get so lucky?
“I hope you like Italian food, Brad,” my mother said. “I made spaghetti. It’s Daphne’s favorite.”
“I eat anything,” he said, still smiling.
“Would you like something to drink?” my mother asked. “I’m getting Jonathan his beer.”
“Sure, a beer would be great,” Brad said.
“Brad’s twenty-two,” I said.
“I wasn’t going to card him, Daphne.” My mother walked to the kitchen.
What a stupid thing to say. What was wrong with me?
Silly question. I had serious breaking news to share. That was what was wrong.
My mother returned with two beers. “Daphne?”
“Just water, Mom.”
She left again, returning momentarily with two glasses of water. She sat down opposite my father. “I figured Daphne’s friend would stay in her room. She has a pull-out couch. But of course that’s not appropriate now. I’ll make up the guest room for you, Brad.”
“You don’t need to bother. I can just drive back to campus for the night.”
“I wouldn’t hear of it. You’ll stay here. We’d like to get to know you.”
I held back a sarcastic laugh. My mother had no idea that Brad and I had already been intimate and I was carrying the product of that union.
After dinner. I’d tell them after dinner.
Then they’d probably be happy to have Brad drive back to his place. In fact, they might never let me out of their sight again.
You’re eighteen, Daphne.
Again, I didn’t feel very adult sometimes.
My father kept Brad busy talking about the ranch and about my half brother, Larry. I listened with half an ear, until my mother began talking.
“Have you made any girlfriends, honey?”
“Yeah. My roommate, Patty, is nice. We get along well.”
“Oh, good. I didn’t expect you to find a boyfriend so soon. After all…”
“I’ve never had a boyfriend?” I finished for her.
“Well, no, you haven’t. And then there’s the other stuff.”
“I’ve been honest with him, Mom. He knows about junior year.”
“And he’s okay with it?”
“Why wouldn’t he be? I’m fine now, right?”
My mother nodded, smiling but looking past me. “Of course.”
But did she truly believe I was fine? I often wondered. They’d been thrilled when my therapist thought college was a good idea.
“I’m happy for you,” she continued. “He seems like a very nice boy.”
“He’s a man, Mom, and I’m a woman.”
“Of course.” Again with the smile.
This was going to be more difficult than I ever imagined.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Brad
Jonathan Wade was a good man, from what I could tell in the fifteen minutes we’d been conversing. He was smart, and he asked intelligent questions about the operation of the ranch. He seemed happy that Daphne and I were together.
Of course, he didn’t know the whole story yet.
These were Daphne’s parents, and I would let her take the lead on telling them while supporting her a hundred percent.
Wendy was gone. Committed for at least a year. Still, she wouldn’t be put away forever. She’d use her smiles and wiles to get what she wanted, and after a year, she’d be back.
And I’d have to up my game.
Either that or find a way to silence Wendy forever.
Just the thought gave me the shivers. I wasn’t a killer.
I certainly knew people who had the potential, though.
Theo was too smart to kill. Larry not smart enough.
But Tom Simpson…
He was the future lawmaker I understood the least. He had an iciness about him—something that made me think he was capable of just about anything.
He’d gotten married recently to his college sweetheart, Evelyn Rogers. She was working as a secretary while Tom attended law school. Frankly, with the money Tom brought in from the club’s investments, Evelyn didn’t have to work.
Which meant Tom hadn’t told her about his other source of income.
Fine. Not my business.
I probably wouldn’t tell Daphne about the Future Lawmakers either. It was a part of my life that I compartmentalized. Chose not to think about except when I couldn’t avoid it. Besides, after telling my parents about Daphne’s pregnancy, my next course of business was to bring the club members together and put it all in the past once and for all. With Wendy out of the picture for now, it would be a much easier task.
All these thoughts invaded my headspace while I robotically explained the operations of the ranch to Jonathan Wade.
Funny. Larry looked a lot like him except for the receding hairline. Jonathan still had a full head of hair while Larry’s hairline was already moving backward. I read somewhere that male pattern baldness was passed down through the mother on the X chromosome. I knew nothing about Larry’s mom. He’d grown up with her in Grand Junction, and she kept to herself. I wasn’t sure any of the Future Lawmakers had ever met her.
