Caught on Camera (46 page)

He raised an eyebrow. “Yet you had a child that wasn’t his, and years later, he did the same to you.”

“And I never blamed him for that. He’d lived with the pain of my desertion all those years, I couldn’t walk away when he did the same.”

“He got an underage girl pregnant, Mother. Not just an affair, but a
child
. And then he paid her off.”

The quick movement of her head and lack of eye contact stirred something else in him. There was more here he had yet to figure out.

“I was disappointed in her age, yes, but…” She stalled, and sadness once again filled her features. “He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two weeks after he found out about the pregnancy. I couldn’t bring it up to him then. I just had to deal with it.”

“What do you mean bring it up? I’d assumed from what you said, you had both dealt with it when she first told him.”

She shook her head. “I overhead them having a conversation one night. He didn’t know I was in the campaign office. He thought they were the only ones there.”

“So she told him, and what? Dad paid her off without sharing with you where all that money was going? He paid a million and a quarter. You don’t ignore anything about our family. How did you not know that?”

The quick look away this time answered the missing piece of the puzzle. He shook his head, disgust souring his mood even more than he’d thought possible. “You gave her the second check, didn’t you? The one million dollars.”

Heat flushed her cheeks. “I had to.”

He began to laugh again. “Right. To protect the family name.”

Her jaw locked, and he could tell there was something even more that she didn’t want to admit.

“Don’t stop now, Mom. Might as well get every last bit of the dirt out. Tell me now before someone else digs it out for you.”

She looked at him then, and a growing lack of comfort began swirling like an eddy in his stomach. He had no idea what was coming, but he wanted distance from it. He stood and moved to the window, to stare at the skyline he loved so much.

“The night she told him,” she began, her voice flat, “he laughed at her. He told her to get an abortion, and wrote her a check. Said it would cover her medical expenses, with a tidy sum left over to buy her something special for her troubles.”

JP didn’t speak. His father had been a complete ass.

“I couldn’t believe it. He’d seen how much it had hurt when that very same thing had happened to me, and I had at least been older than this poor girl. I knew the pain she was going through. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to help.”

He pressed his fist to the window. “So you…what? Gave her enough money to make sure she felt better about the situation?”

She remained quiet for a full minute, then whispered, “I deserved that, but no. I went to her, asked if an abortion was what she really wanted. She didn’t, and I believed her. I could see this girl was in way over her head, and had no one to turn to, so I made my offer clear. I didn’t want to ever hear from her again, she could never reveal the father, but I would help her enough she’d never have to struggle as a single mother. I wrote her a check from the money on my family’s side. Your father never knew anything about it, and I never told him I knew what he’d done.”

And their lifelong love had continued.

He finally faced her, leaning his shoulders against the window and letting the heat from the sun calm his nerves. Between all the secrets in his own family and worrying about Vega and what he could do to help her, he needed a fifth of whiskey, but he would take the warm sun.

“So what now, Mom? She’s back in our lives, and I won’t turn my back on her son. You know it’s all likely to come out eventually.”

“Is she threatening to expose everything?”

“No,” he said, anger lacing his tone. “She’s not threatening anything. She just needs help. Which I’m giving her. But there are nosy reporters out there, looking for anything they can find.” He paused to make sure she was listening. “And the boy looks exactly like me. Vega saw it within minutes of seeing us together.”

She gasped. “Is Vega planning to expose him?”

“No.” His control was slipping. “Believe it or not, she loves me too. She’s not going to do anything to hurt me, but she’s not the only one out there looking at us either.”

His mother nodded, and he could see her mind whirling to find the correct course of action. This was his mother in her prime. Give her a problem that needed to be “handled,” and she thrived.

“I’ll tell you what,” he began. “You figure out whatever you want to do concerning Lexi and Daniel. I won’t be a part of it.”

“That’s insane. It’ll have to involve you. You’re going to be the forefront of this family come tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that’s what I hear.” Though he knew he wasn’t. He didn’t want this life of lies and cover-ups. He wanted Vega, and he wanted to make a difference. “But I’m actually not.”

Her eyes grew round. “You’re thinking of turning it down? But it’s what you’ve—”

He shook his head. “It’s what
you’ve
always wanted, not me. I’ve never wanted anything of the sort.”

“Really?” She slowly rose from the couch. “But I thought…”

He raised his eyebrows and waited. What could she possibly have thought?

“I thought you wanted to follow in your father’s footsteps.”

He began to laugh again, this time it was more relief than stress. “You’ve told me that for so long, I honestly had no idea what I did want. But I promise you this. I’ve got it figured out now.”

“The announcement is tomorrow.”

“I’m canceling it.”

“Because of everything you’ve learned today?”

“Because it’s not what I want.”

“Okay,” she said, almost to herself. He could see her mind working on how to spin this turn of events.

He studied her, beginning to understand his mother for the first time in his life. He didn’t have to agree with everything she did, but he got that she made choices based on what she thought was the right thing for their family. And even for the illegitimate child that would never be a part of their family. He had to love her for that.

He softened his features to let her know that he forgave her as best he could, and wondered how long it would take for her to reach the same conclusion he had already come to. He decided not to wait and see.

“Why don’t you go for it, Mom?” He spoke gently. “You’re the one who loves politics so much. Get Douglas to appoint you as Mitchell’s replacement.”

The idea pleased her, he could see. That made him happy. As long as she kept her nose out of his onslaught to win Vega back, all would eventually be okay between the two of them.

She stood a little straighter. “You think?”

He chuckled. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“Not seriously, no. I always assumed you wanted it. I’d planned to spend my time helping you.”

“Well think about it now.” He pushed off the window, feeling happier than he had in years. “One thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“You might have to keep holding him off for a few more years if he’s going to put you in office.”

Wide-eyed innocence marked her features, but guilt-laden heat colored her cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jackson. Douglas and I are nothing but friends.”

“Sure, Mom. Keep saying it if that makes you feel better, but we both know he’s sweet on you. And you’re likely just as sweet on him.” He crossed to his desk. He was oddly enjoying the moment with his mother, but he had plans to put into action. He needed to get busy.

She sniffed and moved to the door. “I can see you have things to do, so I’m going to step out now.”

“Thanks, Mom.” His picked up the receiver, intending to try Vega one more time. “Before you go…”

She glanced back. “What?”

He hated to risk ruining the silent truce that seemed to have forged between them within the last few minutes, but couldn’t let her go without making sure she understand Vega’s importance. “I’m going to figure out a way to get Vega back. Don’t release any kind of statement that involves her at all. She and I will figure that out once I convince her she needs me in her life.”

She nodded, pride and love shining his way. “Love is a wonderful thing, Jackson. Don’t ever take it for granted.”

“That I can promise.”

Seconds after she departed, Beverly stuck her head in. “Anything I can do for you, boss?”

Her total support had been the one thing he’d always been able to count on in his life. Hers and Cat’s. He suddenly knew what he had to do. He waved Beverly inside and began making plans.

T
HE FINAL SECONDS
of the video counted down, and the tension in Vega’s shoulders lifted to the air. She leaned back in her chair, feeling smug. She’d done it. She’d made a really terrific piece.

She glanced over at Bob, wondering what his response would be. Both nerves and excitement had warred in her all night as she’d waited to show it to him. “Well?”

Her mentor scratched his jaw, his gaze lingering on the now-empty screen, and slowly nodded. Finally he faced her. “I knew you’d be good, hon, but this blows the cover off even what I thought. You’re magic with knowing exactly what to show to draw emotion from the viewer, while also keeping the scenery and background as interesting as what’s going on in the forefront.” He nodded his head in a steady pattern as pride edged up his features. “Simply terrific.”

A smile exploded on her face. It was the first real one in the last twenty-four hours, and though a little stiff, it felt good. “Thanks.”

Bob moved to stand in front of the screen, his body language saying that he was still in thought. They were in the station’s viewing room, just the two of them, and his features suddenly turned to concern. The light of the projector went out as he faced her. “You doing okay?”

Ah, they were going to talk about “that.” She shrugged, embarrassed to acknowledge to him who she was, and that she’d kept it from him all these years. “As well as can be expected.”

Concern shone back at her, easing her discomfort, but just barely. “I honestly didn’t know whether to expect you back here or not. Thought you might disappear, at least until this died down.”

Her cheeks heated. She had considered the idea. Getting away from the hotel had been rough, but fury had stirred deeper than her need to hide. Also, she’d already decided, no one was going to run her off ever again. After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong, now or then.

Other than falling in love.

She gritted her back teeth at the thought. No one had to know that JP had been anything more than a fling. She tried to reclaim the smile she’d had only moments before. “I had a job to finish. I wasn’t raised to ditch out on a job, and especially not to someone who’s been so good to me over the years.”

Bob nodded. “You’ve grown since I met you.”

She had, but she didn’t know exactly what he meant. “I’ve learned a lot under you, Bob. And I thank you very much.”

“I’m not talking about your skill. I’m talking about growing as a person.” He cocked his head. “When I first met you, you wouldn’t have come back yesterday. Especially not after everything had been put back out there like that.”

He was most likely right. Hell, who was she kidding, he was totally right. From the botched exit of the hotel to the resurgence of the sex tape, she would’ve ducked her head like an ostrich and hit the road, not coming up for weeks.

Instead, she’d phoned her lawyer, requested he once again get the videos taken down, then she’d stiffened her back as if completely in the right, and ignored every single question thrown her way. What was she doing with JP? Had she already gotten an engagement ring? Why had she set out to ruin Ted? What had his wife ever done to her? Would she really have gone so far as to kill his wife?

She’d headed to Savannah, knowing it would be a madhouse trying to enter the station, but what she’d worried about most—aside from wondering if JP had seen the video and what he thought of her now—was what Bob would think of her. She’d been sick over the thought of his shame.

The occasional snicker had reached her ears as she’d entered, but Bob had been nothing but supportive. The fact that she hadn’t gone home—first editing her story, then sleeping on a cot, because she couldn’t stomach the thought of stepping outside—hadn’t gone unnoticed by her friend.

She nodded. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have been able to stand tall and deal with all this eight years ago. It was still too raw.”

“And you felt you’d done something wrong.”

A burning ache gnawed at the base of her throat. “Yeah, I was pretty sure I’d done something wrong.”

He returned to the seat beside her. “And now?”

“Now?” She lowered her head to the cushion and stared at the rectangular panels of the ceiling. “Now, I still feel bad for being a part of something that hurt his wife so terribly, but I didn’t do anything wrong. All I did was believe in love.”

He patted her knee and she took comfort in the touch. He probably would have come to Atlanta and rescued her himself if she hadn’t had the courage to push through the crowds.