Evin's Fight (Southern Charmers 3)

The man in scrubs has his back to me, and there isn’t the usual standard wheelchair waiting. He turns and my grip on the crutches tightens to keep me from crumbling.

I stare into the all too familiar eyes of the man who walked away from me without a care. Only now, his arrogance and ego are nowhere. His hazel eyes are telling a different story.

“What are you doing here?” My voice comes off strong, but my body is shaking. I edge over to the side table, grabbing my phone.

“I had to see you.”

“Evin has a protection order on the Bindel family, including you, Marco.”

He flinches at the use of his formal name. “Caitlyn, I don’t know where to start.”

“Start with calling me by my name. It’s Poppy.”

“Poppy,” he stalls, looking down at my leg. “How are you feeling? How was the surgery?”

“I’m great, the surgery went well.”

“And now?”

“And now what?”

“The next steps. How long before you dance again?”

At this, my spine snaps straight, and I glare at him. “Are you fucking kidding me? You dare ask me that? You sneak in here and ask me when I’ll dance? How about fucking never! Your spiteful, malicious, and power hungry daughter took that away from me! My career on stage is over and I’ll be lucky if I can find work again.”

The last part is a bit of added drama.

He sags. “I did not know what she had planned. Please, give me a chance to explain. None of this was supposed to happen.”

I draw in a deep breath, hoping it cools my simmering anger. The last thing I need is another outburst fueled by emotions.

“It’s amazing you are standing there saying that with a straight face. Is there a secret course offered to politicians when they transition into office? Lying, Scheming, Conniving 101? What did you intend to happen when you walked away from your newly graduated daughter to follow your political aspirations? You threw me into the world with no support system and never looked back.”

“You were always a fighter. You proved that early in life.”

“I was a fighter because my sister turned into a manipulative raging bitch set to destroy anything that made me happy.”

“One of my biggest regrets is overlooking her stages.”

Is he serious?

“You refer to them as stages; I like to think of them as personal experiments to see how far she could push. Stripping me of financial security for college because she said my major was frivolous?”

“Your financial security was never in question. I regretted keeping that from you every day, seeing how hard you worked and the toll it was taking.”

“And yet you stood by and watched, saying nothing.”

“There’s a lot I need to explain. But right now, you have to know how proud I am. What you’ve done for yourself is incredible.”

“Proud? What I did is incredible? My sister fucked my boyfriend, my parents took her side seeing the potential of having the number one draft pick in their circle, and you showed up at my apartment with an ultimatum. A stranger told you I impeded your future. You and Karen set my ass swinging after I didn’t agree. Clue in, Marco. I had no choice but to survive. How’s that for building goddammed character?”

“I see your husband’s colorful language has worn off on you.”

“You know nothing about my husband.”

“Sunday night, I didn’t. Now, I’m pretty up to date on Evin Graham.”

This time, I suck in a deep breath for a different reason. The insinuation hangs in the air. “Don’t you dare do anything to jeopardize Evin’s life.”

He rocks back, pain and anguish crossing his features. “I have no intent to jeopardize anything. You have to realize the shock of meeting him. The man married my daughter, I have a right to know who he is.”

“Any rights you had to me and my life died on the doorstep the day you walked away.”

“I hope you will understand once I explain.”

Dammit, the torment in his voice strikes straight to my heart, and a sliver of compassion breaks into my cloud of anger. “What could you possibly need to explain that would make a difference?”

“Everything I’ve done was to protect you. Unfortunately, it took a confrontation with a stranger that is your husband to bring my mistakes into the light.”

“Mistakes? You think what happened is as simple as a mistake? Hell, this gets richer and richer. Can’t wait to hear what comes next, Governor. Why don’t you spice it up and paint yourself as a victim. Isn’t that what true politicians do, especially with a possible Presidential run?”

I know I’ve struck a nerve when the color drains from his face. “There is no more Presidential consideration. Truth is, there never was if it involved disrupting your life.”

It’s my turn to be shocked.

“The night Evin stormed our table, I faced a man that was ready to go to war over his love for you. Isaac stood next to him resembling the same young man that came to my house all those years ago, completely enamored with you. It was easy to see. Two men stood in front of me; one of them raging so hard the air was electric, the other man clearly holding a flame for the woman he unapologetically tossed away. Seeing him like that gave me a sense of satisfaction.”