That’s why there was a price on her head. Jackie and Selena’s very existence could wipe out any chance McGrath had at the White House.
It was Razorback’s turn to pace. “You have to stand up to him. Call him out on his bullshit. Forget about running away. How could that possibly help anything?”
Jackie shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“I saw the picture of his grandparents. It’s in that box in the hall closet.” He remembered the mailing label, faded with time. “How did you get your things after the accident?” It hadn’t been an accident at all, but he wasn’t sure what else to call it.
“Bill had a key. I gave him a list that included everything I needed to prove the truth, and he mailed them to me. Doug had no idea.”
“Why not come forward now? You have nothing to lose. Once you expose him, he’ll have no reason to come after you.”
Her eyes were shining, the green of her irises contrasting with the redness from her tears, and he was momentarily transfixed by her beauty. Even in turmoil this woman could hold him suspended.
“I was a reporter, Ian. I know what would happen next. Everyone would want the story. Where have I been all this time? What have I been doing? How did I hide? They’d find Selena in a heartbeat, and in a very public way. And then what? She learns she’s the daughter of a man who is so ashamed of her skin color, he didn’t want her to exist? It’s better if she never knows who her father is than have to deal with that. Or God forbid, he could try to be part of her life, even if he didn’t want to, just to try to save his image. He’s a narcissist. He cares only for himself.”
She knew him better than anyone, so he had to believe what she was saying was true. He imagined the sweet young Selena being drawn into a media frenzy, the focus of Doug McGrath’s misguided attention and financial prowess. “That’s what happened to your money, isn’t it? He has it.”
“I don’t care about the money.”
“No, but it would allow him to come after you. Buy him the best legal team out there. Shit!” There had to be another way, a way to protect Selena so Jackie could come forward and break the chains that bound her. But Selena was McGrath’s child, and so long as that was true…
He stared at Jackie.
“What?” she asked.
It was so simple, it was obscene—but complex enough to be terrifying. Moto could help. Perhaps with Jax’s connections they could have things expedited…
“Ian, tell me.”
Five words, and a willingness to give everything.
We can say she’s mine.
His name, his complete trust and backing to a virtual stranger. But it was the right thing to do, the only possible thing he could do to calm the tempest that swirled around her, and for a reason he couldn’t explain, he was willing to do it.
He’d avoided close relationships and responsibility for other people for years, and for good reason, too. So why was he contemplating taking on a child for someone else, even if it was in name only? There would be legal ramifications. The potential for actual responsibilities.
And what would they tell Selena? Whatever Jackie wanted, of course, but there would need to be an explanation of some sort. Selena was a real person who would grow up into a woman in her own right one day. What would she think of what he was about to offer Jackie?
If she understood the circumstances, she would think you had saved her.
Was that why he was doing this? Some sort of hero complex, like running into a burning building when a ladder might have sufficed? But they’d already explored their other options, none of them good. Jackie and Selena could keep running—forever—and hope never to be found, or he could man up and make a difference in their lives for the better, at very little personal cost to himself.
You keep on telling yourself that, Razorback. And while you’re at it, pretend you don’t want her.
That was just lust. Lust he could handle. It wasn’t why he was doing this, and he wouldn’t let it impact their future. If he was going to step in as Selena’s father, at least on paper, he needed to keep his relationship with Jackie on solid ground.
It was madness to offer this, but it was a different kind of madness to refuse her the protection he could so easily afford. When he spoke, his voice was steady and strong. “We can say she’s mine.”
She furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”
“On the birth certificate. You left it blank. We can say she’s mine. That will make her an American citizen, and it will keep her out of McGrath’s reach. He’d have to be willing to come forward and claim she’s his, then demand a paternity test. From what you’re telling me, that’s not going to happen.”
“No way. He would never. But Ian… Why would you do that for me?”
“Because you need help, and I can give it to you.”
She was quiet so long he thought she might refuse, when she suddenly giggled. “It would work, wouldn’t it? We’d be safe and I could expose Doug for the snake he really is.” She threw her arms around him in a tight squeeze. “Thank you, Ian! Thank you so much.”
