His father glanced upstairs before taking another sip of his coffee. "The media is going to be relentless. They'll be all over this. She's a whole other ball of wax."

"Nothing we can't handle."

But Jack wasn't stupid. He knew how invasive the media could be. America's infatuation with his family coupled with Donovan's celebrity and the fact that they'd already failed once was going to be front and center. The fact that he was running for Senator and hoping to snare that seat in the fall could suffer.

He thought of Derek and the d.a.m.n text message from this morning. He was going to have to deal with all of it sooner than later. He knew the first thing out of his campaign manager's mouth was going to be, 'Is she worth it?'

A squeak had him turning his head toward the stairs and Donovan froze, her hand on the railing, Maverick just behind her. His cousin was a big guy, tall and athletic, like all of the Simon men, and she looked so small next to him. So G.o.dd.a.m.n beautiful. Dressed in simple pair of jean shorts and white T-shirt, her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, her face was free of makeup and he wanted to scoop her up into his arms and kiss her until her head spun.

She was one hundred and fifty percent worth it.

"Hey," he said gruffly watching her take the stairs slowly. She was favoring the foot he'd bandaged.

"Hey," she answered, eyes on him. She paused on the bottom step and for a second, she looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. He wasn't used to seeing an unsure Donovan James. She wasn't big on showing her vulnerability and right now, she looked frail and vulnerable as h.e.l.l.

"Would you like some coffee?" his mother asked, standing beside him and watching Donovan closely.

Jesus. Her complexion looked green.

"No," she answered quickly. "No I...thank you, but I'm good."

Something was off. He felt it and strode toward her. "You okay?"

Donovan exhaled and glanced up at him, making his heart turn over with just a look. "That depends. Are we okay?" She asked hesitantly.

"We're more than okay," he murmured.

Maverick stepped around Donovan and slapped Jack on the shoulder before moving past them and grabbing himself a coffee.

"We need to talk, Jack."

He slid his arms around her, relieved but still on edge. "We will. But how about we have some eggs first?"

Chapter Twenty-six.

By six o'clock, paparazzi were camped out along the top road and apparently there were boats out on the water, long lenses trained onto the Simon home. Donovan knew this because her mother sent her a text with a photo of Donovan on the dock, one that was already posted to one of the online celebrity watch sites.

She fingered her phone and jumped when it vibrated and then rang. It was her mother-again-and she couldn't put the woman off any longer.

G.o.d, there went her stomach again, churning badly and making her nauseous. Was it nerves? The pregnancy? Did you get nauseous this early on?

Donovan knew nothing about babies. Heck, she'd never even changed a diaper. Her phone vibrated again, and she blew out a long breath before answering it.

So much was still unsettled. She and Jack hadn't had a chance to talk yet. Cooper hadn't contacted her either, and she was so afraid he would leak the photos and video to the press that she'd hardly been able to eat.

Her mother, however, wouldn't wait, and it was time to at least deal with her.

"I'm going to take this," she said holding up her cell. At Jack's raised eyebrow she shrugged. "It's my mother."

She slipped into the study just off the great room and put the cell to her ear.

"Donovan?" Jayleigh James sounded stressed, and that was never a good sign. The woman wasn't easy to deal with under normal circ.u.mstance so this was gonna be a treat.

"I'm here Mom."

"Are you going to tell me what the h.e.l.l is going on? I'm your manager and why am I the last to know about you and Jack Simon getting back together? When you told me you were in Canada why didn't you tell me you were with him? Jesus Christ, Donnie. I had to find out by seeing it on TMZ?"

Typical. All she saw was Jack Simon and publicity. Some things never changed.

"I'm good by the way," Donovan said, rubbing a hand along her forehead. "Survived an afternoon lost in the bush." Another headache was coming. She pressed speaker and set her cellphone onto the desk, eyes closed as she leaned against it. "You know, in case you were wondering."

"According to TMZ, you're better than ever."

"Right," she muttered. Of course her mother didn't care about Donovan's misadventure.

"I've already talked to your publicist and-"

"So have I Mom, and she's been instructed not to take anymore calls from you."

"Well that's just ridiculous."

"Not really, considering you're not my manager anymore. You have no right to talk to anyone on my team. My lawyer and everyone at my label knows not to open a dialogue with you."

Silence.

Big. Fat. Silence.

Oh this was going to be good. Her mother never gave up without a fight.

"You are a stupid, silly girl."

Here we go. Was Donovan hurt by her mother's words? Hard to know since she'd been hearing them her whole life.

"No one is going to look after you the way I do. No one. Blood is blood Donovan Marie, or have you forgotten that?"

"No Mama. How can I? You shove that down my throat every chance you get. G.o.d, you would have everyone believe the only reason I made it was because of you."

"That's because it's true. I'm the one who made you who you are. Me! h.e.l.l, you would still be playing those third string honkytonks if it wasn't for me."

"I would have been perfectly happy playing those honkytonks."

"Bulls.h.i.t, girl. That is bulls.h.i.t."

Her mother's tw.a.n.g was coming out, and Donovan knew that Jayleigh was about to lose it.

"Look. I don't want to get into it with you. I just thought maybe you would like to know that I'm okay."

"Don't you hang up on me," Jayleigh retorted. "We need to talk about a plan of action. We need to discuss how we're going to capitalize on your situation. With your new record coming out next year-"

"There won't be a new record, Mama."

Jayleigh James swore a blue streak that would put a boatload of sailors to shame. In fact, Donovan winced and closed her eyes.

"What in h.e.l.l do you mean there won't be another record? Now is the time to get something out there. You're on top of the world, baby girl. This here, this Jack Simon thing will push you into the stratosphere. Doesn't even matter if the two of you crash and burn, which, don't take this the wrong way, will probably happen. But d.a.m.n, we need to use this while we can. Get the record out and a tour planned."

"No."

"What did you say?"

Donovan stood up. She was cold and wrapped her arms around her. "I said no. I'm not touring for at least a couple years. I don't want to record another record right now."

"But-"

"No buts, Mama. I love music. I love making it. I love singing it. I love those honkytonks and I love the festivals and arenas. I love everything about it, but mama, I've lost my way. I lost the joy, and I need to get that back. I want you to understand. I need you to understand. I'm taking back my life and cleaning house."

Donovan waited a few seconds.

"Mama?"

Her mother cleared her throat. and Donovan could picture her on the other end of the line, mouth pursed in anger.

"Did he put you up to this?"

"No."

"I don't believe you. Jack Simon never liked me."

"Jack didn't like the way you treated me is all."

"Well then," Jayleigh said, her voice rising so much that Donovan frowned. Her mother sounded like a bona fide crazy person. "He's not going to like this."

Uneasy, Donovan glanced at the desk and her phone.

"What have you done?"

"That there television show Hollywood Circus contacted me."

Donovan closed her eyes, heart sinking. "And?"

"They're willing to pay big bucks for an exclusive. They want some dirt, and since I have some, it seems like a good fit for me."

"You'd sell me out for few thousand dollars?" Should she be surprised?

Harsh laughter filled the room. "It's a h.e.l.l of a lot more than a few thousand, Donovan, but if you let me back in, then we just keep all that nastiness to ourselves."

Donovan thought her mother couldn't hurt her anymore. Wow. She'd been wrong about that.

"Not gonna happen."

"I think you need to take some time darlin'."

G.o.d, she hated that patronizing tone.

"No."

"Think about it."

Donovan was done. "There's nothing to think about. I'm not going to let you blackmail me with empty threats."

"How do you know they're empty? Think about it baby girl and then get back to me." Her mother sounded as if they were talking about the weather. "I'm giving you until tomorrow morning."

Donovan shook her head, eyes on the window and the lake beyond. Boats dotted here and there, but she could tell that in the last hour alone, they'd doubled. Who knew how many would be out there by tomorrow? The media circus was already in full swing.

There were at least twenty emails from her publicist, and she knew that she needed to deal with it all, but Jesus, her own mother was ready to sell her out? And Cooper. He was waiting in the wings with information that would destroy what she had with Jack.

"Oh G.o.d," she gasped, doubling over. A low keening noise erupted from somewhere deep inside her, but she couldn't contain the pain any longer.

"Donovan?"

Eyes squeezed shut, she shook her head and managed a few words. "Please, I can't...not right now."

Okay. Breathe. You can do this.

A pair of white flats appeared in her line of vision.

"Eden I can't."

Jack's mother sat beside her on the desk and for the longest time, the two women stared at the ground. At Eden's cla.s.sic Prada flats and Donovan's chipped toe polish and damaged ankle.

The silence stretched long and thin and just when Donovan thought she was going to crack, Eden nudged her with her arm.

"Would you like me to punch your mother in the throat?"

Donovan's glanced sideways, eyes shimmering with tears and hysterical laugher bubbling up. "You would do that for me?"

Eden shrugged. "My son loves you. He did a good job convincing me to give you a second chance. Makes me think that this time the two of you are ready for whatever is coming your way."

A tear dropped onto Donovan's thigh and she wiped at it, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm not so sure. There are things...things in my past, and I don't know if Jack can handle it."

"Did you kill anyone on purpose?"