“You didn’t used to think so.”

“Yeah, well . . . I do now. You managed to come up with a marriage certificate, and we both know that didn’t happen.”

He left a smile on his face but didn’t say a thing.

A smile wasn’t being recorded.

“What I don’t really understand is why. Why fake that kind of thing?”

He leaned forward, lowered his voice. “I told you I wanted to get married.”

“I suggested we wait.”

“Well, I’m a man of action, not words.”

“But I didn’t sign that paper.”

He huffed a small breath. “Yes, you did.”

“When?” C’mon Nathan . . . be cocky you son of a bitch.

“Right about the time you were signing all the papers for Hope’s legal name after she was born.”

Melanie had one of those moments when the light bulb goes on and everything makes sense. The delivery had been hard, and the doctors had given her medications for pain. She remembered signing stuff, like every new parent. They argued about Hope’s last name, but Nathan had relented after she signed . . . like it didn’t really matter.

“You slipped the papers in the mix. It makes sense now.”

“So let’s talk about making this divorce happen as quickly as possible,” Nathan said.

“Considering I didn’t know I was married, I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

“You’ll cooperate?”

No, but he didn’t need to hear that. “Sure. I never thought I’d keep Hope to myself forever. Are you really ready to be a dad?”

He hesitated. The man couldn’t even say the words. “O-of course. Hope needs a dad.”

It was time to wrap this up . . . she had what she wanted. “Do you think we might give her some time? After all, there’s been a lot of drama in her life.”

“I think that’s reasonable. No one could argue she’s been through a lot.” And he would look like a caring father if he didn’t push at this point. All he really wanted was the divorce and good standing with his family. After the American Fugitive program, he probably realized that sympathy would lie in her court. He really wasn’t stupid.

An asshole, but not stupid.

“They have a lead, by the way.”

“A what?”

She placed the strap of her purse over her shoulder, knowing he cared about the case of finding their daughter’s attacker about as much as he cared to buy pizza from a burger joint.

“Yeah . . . apparently the fight Wyatt and Luke got into at the bar wasn’t an accident.”

Nathan sat silent.

“You know about the fight. That social worker you sicced on me told you, I’m sure.”

“I heard about the fight. What do you mean it wasn’t an accident?”

Good, he wasn’t playing stupid. She hated when he did that.

“One of the guys involved came into the station after he saw the footage on TV.”

Nathan’s face turned white.

“Which one?”

“Which who?”

She saw his white face start to turn red. Something he never did control when he got mad. She used to tease him that he’d make a terrible attorney if his parents ever convinced him to finish law school because he had a horrible poker face. “Which guy came in?”

“Buddy. Jo said it was Buddy.”

Nathan’s shoulders slumped, the smile reappeared. “So they are still looking for Ty.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, they think they have a lead . . .” Her palms started to itch. “How did you know his name?”

Nathan removed his phone from his pocket and appeared to check the time. “Whose name?”

“Ty.”

He hesitated, looked down. “You told me.”

“No. No, I didn’t.”

“Just now. You told me Buddy and Ty watched the footage . . .”

“No, Nathan, I didn’t say their names.”

And suddenly his body language made sense. Shock, surprise, unease . . . poker face fully disengaged.

“Why would you do that?”

“I didn’t send anyone into that bar to fight your boyfriend.”

It was time to call in a little help. “Jeez, you give me a headache. Was it just to make Wyatt look bad? To make me look like a bad mom?”

He reached across the table and grabbed her arm. “I didn’t do anything.”

She yanked free. “Is that what Ty is going to say when they pick him up?”

Again, his face lost color.

“It’s kinda hard to practice law when you’re behind bars.”

He reached for her again, and a hand came down on his. “No touching.” Luke offered a deadly stare.

Nathan scrambled out of Luke’s grip and glared. “You’re both crazy.” He pointed at Melanie. “I’ll see you in court.”

“Look forward to it.”

They both watched as he walked out and stormed to his car.

“Did we get all that?”

Luke smiled. “Every word.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

They’d been gone for over an hour and the rain was pelting the side of the inn like an unrelenting hammering from a bad neighbor on a Sunday morning.

Wyatt jumped for the phone when it rang. “Yeah?”

“It’s me.” Hearing Melanie’s voice sounded so sweet.

“Hey, darlin’. How did it go?”

“I definitely got what I came for.”

“He told you about the marriage certificate?”