Caught by You by Jennifer Bernard Page A

something. She’s just like them. Thinks she rules the world and everything is a competition. The Wades play dirty and they’ll do anything to win. I don’t think like that. I just want Zack. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. But they’re all or nothing. Win or go home.”
    Mike shook his head. He’d think she was exaggerating if he hadn’t seen the shit the Wades had pulled with Sadie. “They are a law unto themselves.”
    Donna poked viciously at the smoky meat on her plate. “They are what they are. And I played right into Bonita’s hands. This spare rib is smarter than me.”
    Mike would give anything to bring back her bright smile. “Listen, Donna. Don’t worry about Bonita. I’ll pull the vow card if I have to.”
    â€œYeah, that’ll make me look even worse. I’ll come off as the party whore trying to tempt you into sin.”
    â€œYou’re blowing this out of proportion, Donna. It was one kiss. No one’s going to care.”
    She nodded mechanically, as if all she wanted was for him to stop talking so she could focus on her fear. He leaned across the picnic table and clasped her elbows, one in each hand. If only he could infuse his own confidence into her. “I always saw you as fearless, Donna MacIntyre. Where’s the girl who took on Kilby’s ruling family and made them look like the asses they are?”
    â€œI’m not fearless.” She picked up a forkful of coleslaw, then put it down again. “Okay, maybe most things don’t scare me. But I’m terrified of one thing. Losing Zack.”
    â€œDonna . . .”
    â€œNo! You don’t know, Mike. Don’t try to tell me everything’s going to be okay, or it’s not that bad.”
    He threw up his hands, even though that was exactly what he’d been about to say. “Fine. Have it your way. It’s a disaster.”
    â€œAre you making fun of me?” She slammed down her fork and leaned over the table, her eyes blazing gold. “I nearly lost Zack once. They almost gave him away behind my back.”
    â€œ What? ”
    â€œOh yes. When I was pregnant I was so sick I wound up in the hospital. Mentally sick, emotionally, everything. Like I was in a black pit with a huge stone on top of me. They had me on all kinds of medication, and I slept a lot, but one day I heard my mother in the hallway, on the phone with someone. They were running through possible homes for Zack. My mom said she couldn’t take him because she’s on the road so much. Then she said, ‘Carrie won’t touch the baby with a ten-­foot pole.’ Carrie’s my stepmother. And then she said, ‘Donna can’t raise him. My girl’s a sweetheart, but she wouldn’t even know what a bottle is. Unless it says IPA on it, of course.’ ”
    The pain on Donna’s face made Mike want to rip something apart.
    â€œMay I point out,” Donna added, with an attempt at a smile, “I was always more of a Shiner girl. Lone Star on a good day.”
    â€œYou don’t have to joke about this, Donna.”
    She pressed her lips together, clearly holding back tears. “Laugh so you don’t cry, right? Anyway, the next word I heard was ‘adoption.’ The person on the other end of the line started talking, and I felt like my life was swirling down the drain. I knew if I didn’t get myself out of that bed and do something, I’d never see my baby. They’d take him away, give him up for adoption, and I’d never find him.”
    â€œWhat’d you do?”
    â€œI rolled myself out of that hospital bed. I was on an IV drip because I couldn’t keep anything down. I felt like some kind of weird pregnant zombie busting out of the grave. I was all sweaty and gross and . . . anyway, you don’t need to know all that. As far as you’re concerned I was a knockout in my silk negligee and