Eve frowned, glancing toward her siblings and then back at Donovan. “I understand not wanting to upset Cammie and Travis, but shouldn’t I be here when you discuss your plan of action? This directly involves me—and them. I want to know what you have planned.”
He pulled her into his arms, cocking her head back so she could look at him. His arms were wrapped firmly around her waist, anchoring her to his body.
“I want you to put it all out of your mind. I don’t want you to worry about anything. The only thing I want you to focus on is having a fun day with my sisters-in-law and getting what you and Cammie and Travis need. Leave this to me, Eve. I don’t even want it on your mind. Okay?”
She wanted to argue, but knew he had a point. Though she knew his command for her to keep her mind off it was pointless. How could she be thinking about anything else? Travis and Cammie needed her to be strong. They needed her not to show fear and to display confidence in Donovan’s ability to handle Walt and any other complication that arose. But at the same time, such blind faith made her uneasy. Even as she knew she could trust Donovan. She did trust him. But she was terrified of her stepfather and his control. His reach. His influence and power. And it chafed her not to somehow be a part in whatever plan Donovan had hatched. Knowledge was power. Uncertainty just bred more fear, and she’d lived with fear for far too long.
Donovan pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Trust me, Eve. Let me handle this. I won’t let him hurt you or Travis or Cammie. Especially Cammie.”
She sighed reluctantly but nodded her agreement.
“You’ll tell me after?” she asked in a low voice. “Later?”
He stared intently into her eyes, his own blazing with sincerity. “Of course, Eve. I won’t keep anything from you. No secrets. I want you to trust me. Can you do that?”
She nodded again and his expression eased.
“Now, go back over to the table and put on a smile for your siblings. Don’t give them any reason to doubt you—or me. I want you all to have a good day. You and they will love my family just as they already love you.”
“Okay,” she whispered as she pulled away.
“Eve,” Donovan called out softly as she started to walk back to the table.
She stopped, turning back to look at him.
“It will be okay. I know I’m asking a lot, but trust me.”
Again she nodded and then turned back to her brother and sister.
Breakfast was enjoyable as Cammie kept up a constant stream of chatter over her excitement of getting to go to Charlotte’s house and play with her toys.
Travis didn’t express disappointment over the fact that he was now accompanying his sisters. Cammie’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Eve could see Travis’s pleasure in her excitement. They were all so used to being alone, of relying solely on one another, that it was baffling and yet pleasing that they now had others they could trust and socialize with.
Travis seemed every bit as eager for the visit, even if he would be the only male among the women. Maybe because he’d be the only male. She smiled over that and realized that if things worked out, he could do all the normal things teenage boys did. Go to school. Lust after girls. She cringed at the thought, but her brother was a very handsome young man. And he’d be even more handsome when he filled back out and put on the weight he’d shed over the last several months.
After breakfast, Donovan walked them over to Sophie’s house, a sprawling log cabin that butted against the lake, as did the other residences that housed his brothers and their wives. It was already hot, but the breeze from the lake was refreshing and it had the makings of a beautiful summer day. It was easy to forget that just days before a tornado had ravaged the area.