Page 38 of Outlaw

“You’re going to need to give me more than that. If he isn’t a celebrity or the fucking president, then he doesn’t have any power that is greater than a court.”

Yes, he did. Should I tell him? Admit it so that he would back down? Letting him try and fight Linc on this would likely get him killed. I’d have to live with that, and I wasn’t sure I could.

I knew you didn’t share details about the family if you were in the know. You kept that secret close. Only those they chose to tell knew about who and what they were. But this was Hudson’s life I was considering here.

“Hudson,” I said, and he stopped the pacing he had started up again, “he is a dangerous man. And when I say that, I meanGodfather-level dangerous. You can’t fight him. Those whotry…” I stopped. Saying the worddieseemed dramatic, although it was true.

“Godfather?” he asked, scowling like he didn’t believe it. “He’s not the Mafia, Branwen. Is he a felon? If he is a criminal, then we’ll have even more leverage in court.”

“Stop. There will be no court. I will not allow it. I won’t do it.”

His face was a mix of disbelief and pain. He looked betrayed. I’d expected this though, hadn’t I? It was why I’d dreaded coming here. Facing him. Telling him all this.

“Why are you so scared of him? You expect me to just let you go live in a house with a man you are that terrified of? I can’t do that.”

He didn’t mention Stevie. Just me. Had he always done that, and I hadn’t noticed? I tried to think back to other decisions and plans we had made. Did he always just talk about me and him? Or had he mentioned Stevie? Would I have missed that when my world revolved around her? His concern was for me, and he hadn’t even brought her up or asked where she was right now. He wasn’t worried about her.

Linc was.

I was doing what was best for her.

“Stevie wants to know him. She wants us to live there for a year. She deserves to know her father.”

“The one you are so scared of that you are afraid of us taking this to court? That father? Because he sounds like a psycho. Not all parents are worthy of knowing their kids.”

My face felt hot, and I clenched my fists until I felt my nails biting into my palms. “He isn’t a psycho. He would kill for her. He is already completely taken with her, and she is with him too.”

“You saidkilllike it’s a good thing, Branwen. What has gotten into you? You were gone for three days, and I feel like I am talking to a completely different person.”

Linc. He was in my head. In my life. He always seemed to throw it off-balance. Change its course.

“I didn’t come here to ask you to understand. I came to tell you the truth and to apologize.” I unclenched my hands and slid the diamond off my finger. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing?” he asked me, his tone no longer angry but softer.

“I can’t keep this,” I told him. “And I left the car at your house. I have the fob for you.”

He shook his head and grabbed my wrist, then put the ring back on my finger. “You aren’t taking this off. He wants to know his daughter. I’ll live with it. But he doesn’t get to have you too. I love you, and we are getting married. We’ll wait a year. That’s fine.”

“He lives more than six hours from here, Hudson.”

“I don’t care. I’ll drive to you. We can meet halfway. But I will not lose you, Branwen. I won’t.”

I stared up at him, baffled by this. I hadn’t expected this outcome.

“He is going to want us to live close to him when the year is over. He wants to see Stevie regularly.”

“Divorced parents do this all the time. There are ways to make it work. We have a year to figure it out. But this ring stays on your finger. That car is yours. You will still need a car. Take it with you.” He let go of my hand and cupped my face with both of his. “You lied. I forgive you. I will always forgive you.”

This wasn’t good. My gut told me it would prolong the inevitable, but right now, I was too emotionally drained to keep fighting. I simply nodded, knowing I would regret this.

Eighteen

Branwen

There was no way to stop him unless I made a scene. I had to let him walk me out to the limo. But it should be fine. Linc wasn’t jealous of Hudson because of me. He just didn’t want Stevie calling him Dad.

This was not how I had seen today going. The way he’d reacted? Yes, that was pretty spot-on. But not breaking things off with me? That had been a surprise.

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