This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars #5)(23)

Her heart began to hammer. His clothes were as wrinkled as Dan's, and stubble covered his jaw. Although he had a fresh suntan, he didn't look like someone who'd come off a relaxing vacation. Instead, he looked dangerously wired and ready to detonate.

Molly remembered Phoebe's distraction that afternoon, her furtive expression when she'd slipped into the back of the room right after Molly's speech to take a call on her cell phone. There was nothing coincidental about this meeting. Somehow Phoebe and Dan had unearthed the truth.

Phoebe spoke with quiet determination. "Let's all sit down."

"I'll stand," Kevin said, his lips barely moving.

Molly felt sick and angry and panicked. "I don't know what's going on here, but I won't have any part of it." She spun around, only to have Kevin step forward and block her way.

"Don't even think about it."

"This has nothing to do with you."

"That's not what I hear." His cold eyes cut into hers like shards of green ice.

"You heard wrong."

"Molly, let's sit down so we can discuss this," Phoebe said. "Dan flew all the way to Australia to find Kevin, and the least you—"

Molly whirled toward her brother-in-law. "You flew to Australia?"

He gave her the same stubborn look she'd seen on his face when he'd refused to let her go to a co-ed sleepover after her high school prom. The same look she'd seen when he wouldn't let her postpone college to backpack through Europe. But she hadn't been a teenager for years, and something inside her snapped.

"You had no right!" Without planning it, she found herself hurtling across the room to get to him.

She wasn't a violent person. She wasn't even hot-tempered. She liked rabbits and fairy tale forests, china teapots and linen nightgowns. She'd never struck anyone, let alone someone she loved. Even so, she felt her hand curling into a fist and flying toward her brother-in-law.

"How could you?" She caught Dan in the chest.

"Molly!" her sister cried.

Dan's eyes widened in astonishment. Roo began to bark.

Guilt, anger, and fear coalesced into an ugly ball inside Molly. Dan backed away, but she went after him and landed another blow. "This isn't your business!"

"Molly, stop it!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"I'll never forgive you." She swung again.

"Molly!"

"It's my life!" she cried over Roo's frenzied barks and her sister's protests. "Why couldn't you stay out of it!"

A strong arm caught her around the waist before she could land another blow. Roo howled. Kevin drew her back against his chest. "Maybe you'd better calm down."

"Let me go!" She jabbed him with her elbow.

He grunted but didn't release her.

Roo clamped on to his ankle.

Kevin yelped, and Molly jabbed him again.

Kevin started to swear.

Dan joined in.

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" A shrill noise split the air.





Chapter 5


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Sometimes you need a friend really badly, but everyone's gone away for the day.



Daphne's Lonesome Day





Molly's eardrums rang from the blast of the toy whistle clamped between Phoebe's teeth.

"That's enough!" Her sister marched forward. "Molly, you are offside! Roo, let go! Kevin, get your hands off her. Now, everybody sit down!"

Kevin dropped his arm. Dan rubbed his chest. Roo released Kevin's pant leg.

Molly felt sick. Exactly what had she hoped to accomplish? She couldn't bear looking at anyone. The idea that her sister and brother-in-law must know by now how she'd attacked Kevin while he slept was beyond humiliating.

But she was accountable for what had happened, and she couldn't run away. Taking a cue from Daphne's fans, she grabbed her lovey for comfort and carried him to an armchair as far away from the rest of them as she could get. He gave her a sympathetic lick on the chin.

Dan took a seat on the couch. He wore the same stubborn expression that had unglued her. Phoebe perched next to him looking like a worried Vegas showgirl wearing mommy clothes. And Kevin…

His anger filled the room. He stood next to the fireplace, arms crossed over his chest, hands locked beneath his armpits, as if he didn't trust himself not to use them on her. How could she ever have had a crush on someone who was so dangerous?

That's when it sank in. Phoebe, Dan, Kevin… and her. The creator of Daphne the Bunny was up against the NFL.

Her only strategy lay in a strong offense. She'd look like a bitch, but it was the kindest thing she could do for Kevin. "Let's make it snappy. I have things to do, and this is just too boring for words."

A dark blond eyebrow shot to the middle of his forehead.

Phoebe sighed. "It's not going to work, Molly. He's too tough to scare off. We know Kevin is the father of your baby, and he's here to talk about the future."

She whirled toward Kevin. He hadn't told them! Phoebe would never be talking like this if she knew what Molly had done.

His eyes gave nothing away.

Why had he kept silent? Once Phoebe and Dan knew the truth, he'd be off the hook.