He knew firsthand.
But allowing Vienna to control her like she had? To force her to choose between her and the man she meant to marry?
That was something else.
He could have drawn the short straw at any time these past months. He could have married another woman.
Which probably was Vienna’s plan all along. He had to hand it to Win’s mother; she’d chosen a ruse that worked. He wondered how she’d planned to carry it off long-term, though. Weren’t candidates’ wives scrutinized? Wouldn’t someone spot the lie?
Or had the Lisles planned to use their wealth to sort that out?
What would they do next?
People like them didn’t let their quarry simply slip away in the night. If he wanted to marry Win, he’d have to keep an eye out for her parents’ next trick and be prepared to fight for her.
When morning finally came, it brought another round of doctors, nurses and tests to make sure everything was okay.
“You’re at twenty-six weeks,” one nurse told Win with a smile.
Win just nodded.
Angus did the math. She’d conceived in early September. Now it was early March. It was only luck that he hadn’t drawn the short straw until now.
“We’ll discharge you soon. Just waiting for a few more test results,” the nurse said.
Finally, they were alone again.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Win said.
“Of course.” She looked younger than usual sitting in bed with her hair loose around her face, wearing a hospital gown, the crisp sheets tucked up around her waist.
“I feel so stupid for leaving Base Camp. I wasted so much time I could have spent with you.” A tear slid down her cheek, and she scrubbed it away with her wrist. “I’m sick of crying. I’m sick of all of this. I can’t believe my mother lied to me and I fell for it.”
“Sounds like she put on quite an act,” Angus said carefully.
“You should have seen her. She had me fooled.” Win studied her hands.
“How do you feel about her now?”
“Angry.” She looked up at him. “She did all this to keep me away from you, even though she knows how much I love you.”
“And she’ll do it again. Right?”
Win frowned. “Probably.” She hugged her arms across her chest. “I should probably make a clean break from my parents.”
“You don’t want to? After what they did?” How could she possibly think of not severing ties with them?
“Could you walk away from yours?” she challenged him.
Angus thought about his mother and shrugged. “My mom walked away from me.”
Win’s expression softened. “You never told me that.”
“I said my parents were divorced.”
“You said you didn’t speak to your mom. You never said she left you.”
Angus supposed she had a point. “Don’t like to talk about it. Made me feel like I must not be too special if she could walk away so easily.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but it had been back then. A really big deal.
“Angus, you are incredible. If she could walk away, that’s all on her,” Win said. She sighed. “That’s the thing that really hooked me when Mom asked me to come home. She kept me close when it really mattered.”
“When it really mattered?” he repeated, figuring whatever she was referring to had to be important. He needed to know the woman who’d be his wife, or there’d be more problems in their future. He was all in on Win, but he had to be sure she felt the same way about him. Could someone raised by people like her parents even know what loyalty was?
Win considered him, and once again he thought about secrets. If you grew up in a politician’s household, you probably learned to choose your words carefully.
He didn’t want her to do that around him.
“You know my dad is a politician,” she said.
“Yes.”
“And my family is wealthy.”
He nodded shortly. He had to admit that bothered him more than it should. Some part of him always wondered if he could offer her enough. Win had done her best to fit in at Base Camp, but little things betrayed her upper-class background.
“My mother inherited the Manners family fortune. She heads up both Manners Corporation and the Manners Foundation. She’s every bit as ambitious as my father. In fact, sometimes I’m amazed that he’s the politician in the family.” Win trailed off as if she’d just put something together in her mind. “I’ve downplayed that aspect of my life because I wanted to keep a low profile as long as I could on the show. Like I said, they hate that I’m here.”
She had to realize sooner or later Renata and her minions would expose every part of her past, even if the director had mellowed out somewhat lately.
“How rich are you?” he quipped to lighten the mood.
“As rich as Fulsom. Richer, actually,” she said seriously. “I’ve met founders of businesses whose annual income is greater than most sovereign nations’. I’ve met heads of state from countries on several continents. I have tabs at exclusive boutiques in most major cities in case I need to accept a last-minute invitation to a black-tie gala. I grew up knowing I had a position in my family to uphold and that everything I did reflected on our collective brand. I also knew my parents’ wealth could keep me safe. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been outside their protection.”
Angus studied her. “You don’t think we can protect you here?” There were ten Navy SEALs at Base Camp. Wasn’t that enough?
“Someone still got to Nora,” she reminded him.
Her words sliced deep. He knew he wasn’t the only one who blamed himself for that. “We’ve been much more careful since then. We have patrols. We keep an eye out—”
“I know. You’ve always made me feel safe, Angus, but you have to
