Page 50 of At His Wife's Behest

Emma smiled, tears sliding down her face. “Okay.”

“And we need to step up the divorce announcement.”

Emma chuckled. “Yes, sir.”

“A joint announcement, where we tell the world why we married in the first place. I don’t want folks thinking I cheated on you and you’re left the scorned woman.”

“Oh,but I could rock that part. Play it up in the press.” Emma placed the back on her hand on her forehead.“Oh my, he’s destroyed my whole world. Whatever will I do?”

“Oh, and—I’ve also lost my job. So don’t forget to call me a deadbeat dad, too.”

“No child support?Howwill we survive?” she asked before falling back on the couch.

“Check the couch cushions while you’re over there? There might be some loose change.”

She rose, chuckling, and closed the gap between them. She slid her arms around him. “I adore you. You know that, right?”

Kellan wrapped his arms tight and kissed her forehead. “And I, you. Just promise me we won’t lose this after the divorce.”

“Never,”she whispered.

A buzzer sounded from the gate alarm, and Kellan’s head whipped up.

“Has the press descended already?”

“Doubtful,” Kellan said before striding out to the security panel. One look on the screen and his heart swelled. Connor stared into the camera, speaking, but there was no sound. He switched the speaker button on.

“… meonelet me in? Ineedto speak to Kellan Rhodes.”

Kellan hit the button for the gate and watched onscreen as Connor drove through, struggling for air the entire time. As soon as he closed it behind the man, he headed for the door and descended the steps. The hot early summer sun beat down on him, but he didn’t care. Barely felt it. Heneededto see Connor.

Connor sped toward the house and screeched to a stop, jumping out of the car without turning off the motor. He rounded the vehicle, anger written into the lines of his face. “We need to talk.”

“You’re right. We do.”

“Inevershould’ve taken that job. A week in Italy sounded like a plum gig, but it’s going to cost meeverything.That would’ve been worth it if I’d been enough for you.”

“I never said you weren’t enough.”

“You didn’thaveto say it, Kellan. You weren’t willing to make room for me in your life. Now, forced to by a blackmailer, you figured I was a consolation prize.” He scoffed. “After a week of avoiding me and having someone else drop off Abby.”

“I needed time to figure things out.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Kellan took a step closer, capturing Connor’s stare. “When I stopped by the other day? I planned to tell you then that I wanted there to be an us. That I was ready to come out—but I chickened out. I was on the ledge ready to jump. And I… I couldn’t get the words to come out of my mouth.”

Connor stared, silent.

“My dad… he tried to beat the gay out of me when I was a kid and it… left marks.”

“I saw them,” Connor murmured, the anger fading from his expression. “I’m sure there’s a lot more inside I didn’t see.”

“I allowed him to define me, just like you said. I allowed him to make me a victim. Even after I was grown and had the power to live as I wanted, I feared his reprisal. Fear him yet craved his acceptance. Something I will never, ever get.”

“You quit working for him. You didn’t fear punishment then.”

“He berated me in front of the entire staff, digging deeper than he’d ever dug before. He utterly humiliated me.” Kellan felt the sting of tears and hated himself for it. Another of his father’s gifts. “I quit because I couldn’t face those people again with them knowing how worthless I was.”

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