Page 19 of Perfect Sin

I recount the whitewashed story Damien wants told, but inject the emotions I felt when I learned he planned to marry me off to a man nearly twice my age.

“Are you aware Governor Whitmore gave an interview earlier today telling my colleague at CBN that Damien Blackthorne threw the two of you together frequently and conditioned Jackson to fall in love with you?”

“Conditioned? Like what, a dog?” I scoff. “Jackson is the most headstrong man I’ve ever met. Even more so than my brother here. Trust me, no one can make him do something he doesn’t want to do.”

Lucien laughs to himself. “Believe me when I tell you that no one wanted the two of them together. My father is a stubborn man. He genuinely believed Raven was better suited for the son of a business associate. He’s since seen the error of his thinking, but at the time I was tasked with keeping them apart.”

“Really?” Peter asks, surprised. It’s clear he wants to support Governor Whitmore’s story, but on this matter we can be completely honest.

“Raven was sent away to boarding school when she was very young. Only after she graduated was she brought home. My father worried that her beauty, combined with her trust fund, would make her a target for men hunting after her fortune. When I learned he wanted to introduce her to the son of someone he did business with, I blew up. That night, I had Jackson help me sneak her out of the house, and we took off to California. I had no idea they’d been secretly meeting at the river nearly every night.”

I can’t help the blush that comes over my cheeks remembering the way he kept surprising me each time I managed to slip out of my room. Even then I had a huge crush on him.

“Lucien makes it sound like we were having some kind of illicit affair, but it was innocent flirting. It wasn’t until after we’d been in California for a while that we gave into our feelings. Jackson was afraid of ruining his friendship with my brother.”

“Not that it stopped him for long,” Lucien picks up my story. “I could see the way they looked at each other when they thought I wasn’t paying attention. We were living in a tiny apartment, and I was the first one to find a job, so the two of them spent a lot of time alone. I caught them kissing one morning when they thought I was asleep, and let's just say it didn’t go very well.”

I roll my eyes. “They got into a fight. It was stupid. I’m an adult woman, and don’t need my big brother to decide who I can be with.” Yes, there’s still a little anger lingering over the patronizing and misogynistic way my brother tried to run my life when we first left. I’m working on it, but it’s an ongoing process.

“How did you end up married to Mr. Whitmore in such a short period of time?” Peter asks me.

“First, Jackson’s legal name is still Sinclair. Since he didn’t have any memory of who he was, other than the name Jackson Sinclair, he didn’t have any legal identification. We made some great friends in California, and one of them knew a lawyer who helped guide Jackson through the process of getting a social security number and all the other documentation he needed to be a fully functioning member of society.”

“But surely now that he knows who he is, those documents are invalid,” Peter argues.

“We asked that question while we underwent the process. Jackson wasn’t ready to give up searching for who he was, but he didn’t want to put his life on hold either. The lawyer confirmed that his documents would be legally binding and act as a name change in the event his original birth certificate was located. Unless he chooses to legally regain the last name Whitmore, he will remain Jackson Sinclair.”

I take a deep breath. “Now, as to your original question. He and I went to get his driver’s license. It was adorable how excited he was to have something most of us take for granted.” I smile at the memory of how excited he was to be a ‘real person’ as he called it.

“Earlier that day he asked me to marry him. At first I argued we were too young, and it was too soon, but he asked me if I saw myself still with him in the future. I had to admit I couldn’t imagine a future without him in it. So we went down to the courthouse and got married.”

“Just the two of you alone?” Peter presses.

“Well, there was a judge of course, and a court reporter as a witness.”

“I’m still a little mad they didn’t at least tell me and let me act as their witness. Jackson and I have made up about them seeing each other, but he didn’t want to risk me stopping them from getting married,” Lucien complains.

“I have to say, none of this story matches up to what the governor relayed in his interview.”

I shrug. “I haven’t seen the interview, so I can’t speak to that. It’s not hard to verify. It was only a few days ago, so the judge probably still remembers us.”

“Why would Governor Whitmore lie?”

Lucien’s temper is close to boiling over. I can see the effort he’s exerting to control himself in the clenching of his jaw. He leans forward and speaks to Peter. “For someone with a reputation as an unbiased reporter, you really seem to want to spin this story to fit a preconceived narrative. Why would the governor lie? Perhaps having his son fall in love and marry the daughter of his political rival is inconvenient. I can guess his motive, but instead of asking why he would lie, why would my family coerce and manipulate Jackson into a marriage?”

“Well, for starters, Jackson marrying your sister leaves the impression he supports your father’s bid for the governor’s seat.”

“That line of thought only works if you believe any of us, including Jackson, knew who he was when he married my sister. And, if you think I wanted my nineteen-year-old sister married to my best friend, who had a reputation with the ladies, then you aren’t listening. I support them, because they love each other, but I still wish they’d waited,” Lucien responds.

“Where do you think Jackson is now? Isn’t it possible his parents are right and he’s seeing the error in his actions and left on his own?” Peter continues trying to prove his theory.

“Did you bother to examine the video I provided?” Lucien asks.

“We’re still authenticating it.”

Lucien takes out his phone and hits a few buttons on the screen. “It’s clear from your line of questioning there’s an agenda to support Governor Whitmore’s story. The only thing we want is Jackson home safe. He didn’t go willingly, and the video proves that. Let the internet warriors examine the evidence themselves and see it isn’t altered.”

Peter gulps. “What did you just do?”

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